TimeScapes

The serene quiet and breathtaking starkness of the American Southwest are the only characters needed in the visual documentary TimeScapes, which uses time-lapse cinematography in place of a traditional narrative. The directorial debut of Tom Lowe, the film is bolstered by a stirring score that amplifies the landscapes, wildlife, and people of the Southwest, as well as the cosmos that blankets it.

The locations, ranging from Joshua Tree and Big Sur in California to Lake Powell in Arizona, stand out vividly in the film, which was shot, edited, and colour-graded in high resolution. Lowe spent two years travelling in his Toyota pickup filming TimeScapes, which is composed of meticulously edited slow-motion time-lapse imagery.

Lowe, a Gulf War veteran, was named Astronomy Photographer of the Year in 2010 for his portrait of a bristlecone pine in California set against the Milky Way.