Experiencing Interruptions?

True Places Never Are

Every year, migrating birds must brave the steely passage of the North Sea—the final stretch between their winter homes in the south and nesting grounds to the north. Amidst the roiling waves, only one sanctuary offers rest for feathered pilgrims: the island of Helgoland. Scientists now believe that songbirds, already expert navigators by any stretch, are using a delicate and mysterious method to chart their courses, based on a science that upends many of our assumptions about reality. In 1925 a young physicist glimpsed the seed of this science, now known as quantum mechanics, on Helgoland—and the world has never been the same. True Places Never Are follows three journeys into the unknown as they all converge on one lonely corner of the planet. Everyone comes to Helgoland to find something. What are you looking for?

  • Jeff Young
    Producer
  • Jeff Young
    Director
  • Jeff Young
    Cinematography
  • Rachel Rhodes
    Camera
  • Ananya Ramesh
    Robin Animations
  • Jochen Dierschke
    Featuring
  • Jeff Young
    Writer
  • Jeff Young
    Physics Animations
  • Jeff Young
    Narrator
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Student
  • Runtime:
    23 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    April 20, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    3,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    Germany
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Black & White and Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - University of the West of England
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • BAFTA Student Awards Documentary

    Shortlisted
  • RTS Student Television Awards 2023
    London
    United Kingdom
    No screening/premiere
    Nominated Postgraduate Environment and Sustainability
Director Biography - Jeff Young

Jeff grew up in the Black Hills of South Dakota, in the US. He is a nature photographer and filmmaker with experience in anthropology, land conservation, and walking aimlessly. Nature, human cultures, the smell of ponderosa pine trees, and perhaps above all, birds, inspire him. He wants to bring new editorial styles to natural history film. Jeff’s first film, True Places Never Are, was short-listed for a student BAFTA and was a finalist for an RTS best student film award. It collides his interest in birding with the history of quantum physics and philosophy. He now works on productions in Bristol, England while developing a new personal project on an endangered bird from his homeland.

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