Silver Spring, MD — Edge of Existence, a four-part documentary examining forgotten societies in some of Earth’s most inhospitable places, debuts on home video on August 4, 2009 (www.AcornOnline.com). Combining riveting adventure with captivating cultural insights, the series is hosted by award-winning investigative reporter Donal MacIntyre. Broadcast in 2007 on Discovery Channel, Edge of Existence is being released by Athena, Acorn Media Group’s new home video brand for consumers interested in lifelong learning through documentary programming. Bonus features include a 16-page viewer’s guide and exclusive extras that take the educational experience beyond the screen.

How do humans thrive, day after day, in nature’s most extreme environments? At great physical risk, investigative journalist Donal MacIntyre experiences their harsh struggles firsthand in four engrossing excursions to the farthest reaches of the world.

Join MacIntyre as he lives with Bedouins on the edge of the vast Rub‘ al Khali desert, where temperatures regularly exceed 120°F; the Insect Tribe in the rain forest of Papua New Guinea, where the former cannibals spear crocodiles by torchlight; the Quechuan Indians in the Bolivian Andes, where salt flats stretch to the horizon in thin, barely breathable air; and the Bajau Laut, landless nomads who survive entirely on boats in the Celebes Sea and hunt stingrays. Each adventure serves as a study in humans’ adaptability, imagination, and indomitable will to survive.

BONUS FEATURES

• 16-page viewer’s guide includes episode summaries, questions to consider, avenues for further learning, maps of the edge, and an interview with Donal MacIntyre.
• Biography of Donal MacIntyre, region facts, and photo gallery

An athlete and multi-award-winning investigative reporter, Donal MacIntyre has gone undercover to expose soccer hooligans, organized criminals, and abuses at eldercare facilities. His career in print and broadcast journalism spans more than 20 years.

Athena releases provide an authoritative and entertaining learning experience through high quality, informative, non-fiction programming. `Athena’s other debut releases are Playing Shakespeare, Every Picture Tells a Story, and The People’s Republic of Capitalism. Special web content for every Athena release will be available at www.athenalearning.com. Athena’s DVD sets are available from select retailers, catalog companies, and direct from Acorn at (888) 870-8047 or www.acornonline.com.