When you consider how many species and places that have been the focus of films and series by the legendary documentarians of BBC’s Natural History Unit, it’s frankly astonishing it took them so long to tackle the subject of Asia.

The world’s largest continent is home to an almost incomprehensible variety of ecosystems and wildlife, from massive bears in its polar north to sharks and coral reefs off its southeastern coast. In 2024, the nearly-70-year-old filmmaking legend produced the aptly named Asia, a seven-part series highlighting amazing stories and incredible animals that call the selfsame continent home.

Now, BBC Earth has produced a new giant-screen film that condenses the best moments from the series into a brisk — yet somehow unhurried — 40-minute runtime.

Wild Asia: Life at Extremes 3D will begin screening at the Tennessee Aquarium IMAX 3D Theater on May 15. In this episode, we’ll chat with its director, Matthew Wright, about the importance of finding new ways to show charismatic, well-documented species, the experience of capturing never-before-seen behaviors and his hopes for how the film impacts audiences.

Learn more about the film and purchase advance tickets to meet Matthew during his visit on May 5, 2026, at https://tickets.tnaqua.org/events/019d8819-45e2-43c4-5341-60bd2665f901?_gl=1%2awf73rw%2a_gcl_au%2aOTY3MTA3NC4xNzc0MzY3MjM5

Watch the film’s trailer at https://youtu.be/ScWg4_mvVA0?si=p7lq7pROaExpojX2

Episode Cast

• ​Casey Phillips, host and senior communications specialist
• ​Matthew Wright, series producer, Asia, director, Wild Asia: Life at Extremes 3D