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JA BizTown is an elementary school programme in the United States that prepares children for adulthood by engaging them in a day-long simulation of the ‘real world’ – including opportunities to ‘operate banks, manage restaurants, write checks and vote for mayor’. The short documentary The Field Trip follows a group of fifth-grade students in Portland, Oregon throughout their field trip to a simulated town – a large indoor area fitted with a bevy of faux buildings and storefronts. As the day unfolds, what is designed to be a valuable learning experience often doubles as an all-too-real window into the quotidian frustrations of navigating the bureaucratic maze of life in the modern workforce. Donning business attire or hardhats, the students thumb through binders, hopelessly click at computer screen errors and find themselves being redirected to other buildings and departments. Using an observational style, the US filmmakers Meghan O’Hara, Mike Attie and Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck pair endearing, laugh-out-loud moments with a somewhat bleak commentary on work in the 21st century.
Directors: Meghan O’Hara, Mike Attie, Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck
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Wellbeing
Born in China, Zee seeks a gender-affirming life in the American Midwest
11 minutes
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Rituals and celebrations
A whale hunt is an act of prayer for an Inuit community north of the Arctic Circle
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Rituals and celebrations
A beginner’s guide to a joyful Persian tradition of spring renewal and rebirth
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Politics and government
How it looked to Afghan women to see the Taliban return to power
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Love and friendship
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Biography and memoir
Passed over as the first Black astronaut, Ed Dwight carved out an impressive second act
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The ancient world
The six priestesses who kept the flame of ancient Rome alight at risk of death
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Engineering
A close-up look at electronic paper reveals its exquisite patterns – and limitations
9 minutes
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Architecture
West Africa was once an architectural laboratory. Is it time for a revival?
12 minutes