One seemingly endless sand dune follows another, each one embodying the hostility to life that this desert is said to possess: the Sahara. And yet, suddenly, fresh greenery sprouts from the sandy ground, there are animals, people… and fresh water: the Siwa Oasis.
All over the world, there are oases like this that flourish under the most extreme conditions. They stand in stark contrast to their inhospitable, barren surroundings and bring life to places that exist in isolation and seclusion, as fragile miniature ecosystems, so to speak.
From the sandy heat of the Sahara to the endless emptiness of the Pacific, the rocky slopes of the Andes to the gray concrete desert of Mumbai: oases have many faces, each very different from the other. But they always have one thing in common: they persist in spite of their surroundings.
Every oasis poses unique challenges for their inhabitants. The existence of these biodiversity hotspots is by no means guaranteed: their difficult locations in the midst of particularly hostile environments make them extremely fragile. And often they are the only islands of life far and wide.
An exciting combination of thrilling nature, breathtaking landscapes, and unusual people, illustrated with unique photography and captivating narratives: Oases – Islands of Life immerses viewers in a different, fascinating, and little-known world.
Directed by Boas Schwarz, Daniela Pulverer
A series commissioned by ZDF/ARTE.
5 x 52 min/ 5 x 43 min/ 1 x 90 min | 2025