Desc: Hope and Fear: How Pandemics Changed the World: Directed by Ian Cross. COVID-19 is just the latest in a long line of pandemics that have devastated, and in some cases destroyed, societies throughout history. This film looks at the circumstances that caused diseases, and how science searched for and found cures and vaccines to save millions of lives. Scientists are once again on this quest as the world seeks solutions to a crisis that threatens our future.