Cultural Mining

Hi, this is Daniel Garber at the Movies for culturalmining.com and CIUT 89.5 FM.

Icebergs are those small but majestic white mountains you might see floating in the north Atlantic. And anyone familiar with the sinking of the Titanic is aware is aware of the dangers they sometimes pose. But what are these things, where do they come from, and where do they end up? Have they always been there, and will they always be there in the future? Are they alive? How old are they? And what else should we know about those Bergs?

The Berg is a new documentary on CBC’s The Nature of Things that follows the life and death of a single iceberg in the North Atlantic, from the place of its birth to where it disappears. It’s a breathtakingly beautiful film about water, ice, and the people and animals that live among them. And it includes absolutely stunning underwater photography, like nothing you’ve ever seen before.

It’s directed by Christine McLean, the award-winning Halifax-based documentarian, broadcaster and academic, whose work has been seen on the Nature of Things and as head-writer on Mega Marine Machines on the Science Channel, and who has directed seven wildlife documentaries for CBC’s Land and Sea.  The Berg features professional diver Jill Heinerth, the first person in the world to swim inside Antarctic icebergs. Jill is the Explorer-in-Residence at The Royal Canadian Geographical Society, author of Into The Planet and The Aquanaut, and a tireless advocate for conservation, climate change, and water resource protection.

I spoke with Christine and Jill via ZOOM in Halifax, NS  and in Abaco, in the Bahamas. 

The Berg premieres on The Nature of Things on CBC and CBC Gem on February 26th, 2026.