Films I Love:

Recommended Films on the Activism, Human Reflections, & the Environment:

• A Fierce Green Fire: The Battle for a Living Planet (2013)
  • Important stories of success spanning 50 years of grassroots and global activism. 
• Bidder 70 (2012) 
  • Climate justice activist Tim DeChristopher derails George W. Bush’s 2008 plan to gift thousands of acres of Utah wilderness to energy and mining industries.
• Cave of Forgotten Dreams (2011)
  • A documentary following an expedition into the Chauvet Cave in France, home to the oldest visual art known as being created by humans.
• Design E2: The Economics of Being Environmentally Conscious-Season One (2006)     
  • A look at the economics of being environmentally conscious in green building design.
• Designing Healthy Communities (2012) 
  • A four-hour documentary series on the public health implications of the built environment in urban and suburban areas.
• Doctor Bronner’s Magic Soapbox (2009) 
  • The story behind a socially responsible company and the legacy behind a favorite cleaning product of the America’s counterculture.
• E2 Energy (2007) 
  • A look at the possible solutions available to end the world’s reliance on fossil fuels as a source of energy.
• Escape from Suburbia: Beyond the American Dream (2007) 
  • An examination of the American way of life and a look at alternative, more sustainable ways of living.
• Ethos: A Time for Change (2011)
  • A look at the global economic system, power of corporations, and the corrupt side of businesses’ collusion with politics.
• Heat (Frontline) (2008) 
  • A look at what big business is doing to solve the Earth’s environmental problems.
• Journey to Planet Earth: On the Brink (2009) 
  • A look at how environmental pressures are causing a growing national security threat to America.
• Kilowatt Ours: A Plan to Re-Energize America (2008) 
  • A solutions-oriented look at America’s need for clean, affordable, reliable sources of energy.
• Planet Earth: The Complete BBC Series (2007) 
  • A look at what the future may hold for endangered animals, habitats, and, ultimately, humans, given the current conditions on Earth (narrated by David Attenborough).
• Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring (American Experience) (2007) 
  • A review of the life and work of author and biologist Rachel Carson.
• Radiant City (2008)
  • A look at the “dark side” of suburbia and evaluation of the “American Dream.”
• Rivers and Tides (2004) 
  • Featuring ecological artist, Andy Goldsworthy, a film that depicts the relationship between art and nature.
• Small Fortunes: Microcredit and the Future of Poverty (2005) 
  • A look at the economies of developing countries and possible solutions to help bring people out of poverty.
• The 11th Hour (2008) 
  • A documentary on past, present, and future environmental crises and possible solutions, narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio.
• The Corporation (2005) 
  • An examination of the meaning of a modern-day corporation, considering its legal status and evaluating its behavior as if it were a person.
• The Living Planet: A Portrait of the Earth (2003)
  • A look at each of Earth’s major geographical regions (narrated by David Attenborough).
• The World of Buckminster Fuller (2008) 
  • A look at some of the ideas of Buckminster Fuller: architect, engineer, cartographer, philosopher, futurist, and inventor.
• Urbanized (2012) 
  • A look at the design of cities and the people tasked with planning the planet’s urban places.
• Windfall (2010)
  • The story of one rural town’s goal of energizing their economy with wind energy. 

Recommended Films on Agriculture, Land, & Food Issues:

• Bananas!* (2011)
  • A courtroom drama investigating the injustices of food politics; focusing on a legal case in which Nicaraguan banana plantation workers fight Dole Food Corporation. 
• Black Gold (2006) 
  • A look at corruption and injustice in the global coffee production, processing, and trade system—with a focus on the plight of notoriously mistreated Ethiopian coffee farmers.
• Brunswick (2012) 
  • The personal story of a farmer’s lifelong connection to his land, which is threatened by a planned residential development.    
• Dirt! The Movie (2009) 
  • An examination of the relationship between humans and soil.
• Fast Food Nation (2006) 
  • A view of the corruption of the American fast food industry; its impacts on health, workers, the economy, and politics.
• Food Fight (2008) 
  • An examination of how American agricultural policy and food culture developed into the 20th century and California’s launch of the local organic food movement.
• Food, Inc. (2008) 
  • An inside look at America’s corporate controlled food industry.
• Forks Over Knives (2011) 
  • A look at the benefits of a plant-based, whole food diet over an animal-based diet rich in processed foods.
• Fresh: New Thinking About What We’re Eating (2009) 
  • An examination of the food industry and solutions to problems wrought by the industrial food system.
• Home (2009) 
  • The story of a family’s interrupted existence along the edge of an abandoned highway when it is unexpectedly opened for traffic.
• Ingredients (2009)
  • An examination of the roots of the local food movement and the chefs, farmers, and activists working to transform the world’s “broken” food system.
• In Organic We Trust (2012) 
  • A look at the meaning of “organic” food and possible solutions to “fix” the global food system.
• King Corn (2007)
  • A look at the ultra-industrial, pesticide-laden, heavily subsidized commodity of corn.
• Split Estate (2009) 
  • A look at the consequences and conflicts that can arise between surface land owners in the western United States, and those who own and extract the energy and mineral rights below.
• Super Size Me (2004) 
  • Morgan Spurlock’s personal experiment to examine the effects of an entirely fast food diet for one month.
• The Botany of Desire with Michael Pollan (PBS) (2009) 
  • Based upon Michael Pollan’s book of the same name, an examination of how human desires are an essential and intricate part of natural history.
• The Future of Food (2005)
  • An examination of today’s food supply, with a focus on genetically engineered foods and their implications, and possible alternatives to “Big Agriculture.”
• The Real Dirt on Farmer John (2005) 
  • A look at an farmer’s journey making it in America given the country’s shifting agricultural priorities.
• The World According to Monsanto (2008) 
  • An in-depth look at the domination of the agricultural industry by one of the most powerful—and perilous—companies in the world.
• Urban Roots (2011) 
  • A documentary on the urban farming phenomenon in Detroit.
• What’s On Your Plate? (2009) 
  • A documentary on kids and food politics that follows two eleven-year-old multiracial children as they explore their place in the food chain.

Recommended Films on Animals & Animal Rights:

• Blackfish (2013) 
  • A look at the implications of keeping killer whales in captivity, in particular, the story of “Tilikum,” an orca who has taken the lives of several people while in captivity.
• Earthlings (2010) 
  • A documentary on humanity’s absolute economic dependence on animals that are raised as pets and are used for food, clothing, entertainment, and scientific research.
• Facing the Storm: Story of the American Bison (2012) 
  • The rich history of the bison and its deep ties to native peoples in the American Great Plains region.
• Gorillas in the Mist: The Story of Dian Fossey (1988)
  • Featuring Sigourney Weaver, a biopic about primatologist Dian Fossey.
• Grizzly Man (2005) 
  • Director Werner Herzog looks at the life and death of amateur grizzly bear expert and wildlife preservationist, Timothy Treadwell, who lived unarmed among grizzly bears for 13 summers.
• Happy Feet (2007) 
  • A children’s movie about dancing penguins, with messages about acceptance and environmental conservation.
• Hoot (2006) 
  • The story of a boy and his classmates who set out to save a population of endangered owls from a construction project that will destroy their habitat.
• Into the Deep: America, Whaling, and the World (American Experience) (2010) 
  • A story of three centuries of whaling in America and the relationship between American whalers and the whales they hunted.
• Jane Goodall: My Life with Chimpanzees (National Geographic) (2010) 
  • A look at the work of Jane Goodall and her relationship to chimpanzees.
• March of the Penguins (2005) 
  • An intimate look at the lives of penguins.
• Milking the Rhino (2009) 
  • A look at an African village’s recent efforts to embrace ecotourism—focusing on community-based conservation that balances the needs of people and wildlife.
• Oil on Ice (2005)
  • A documentary which connects the fate of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the conflict over drilling for oil there to the key decisions America makes about energy policy and transportation choices.    
• Queen of the Sun: What Are the Bees Telling Us? (2011)
  • A look at the catastrophic disappearance of honeybees and what scientists, beekeepers, and others are doing to save the bees. 
• Saving Pelican 895 (2011) 
  • A documentary which follows the efforts the save pelicans in Louisiana following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
• The Cove (2009)
  • The true story of cetacean exploitation, featuring ex-dolphin trainer, Ric O’Barry.
• Vanishing of the Bees (2010) 
  • An investigation of the economic, political, and ecological implications of the worldwide disappearance of the honeybee.
• Whale Rider (2002)
  • A film based on the novel of the same name, a story of family, tradition, and environment.
• Winged Migration (2003) 
  • A documentary on migratory birds in flight in their natural habitats.

Recommended Films on an Apocalyptic Future:

• 2012 (2009) 
  • An apocalyptic vision of the end of the world, which collapses in this film in the prophetic year of “2012.”
• Collapse (2010)     
  • Michael Ruppert’s apocalyptic vision of the future, given the current economic, social, political, energy, and environmental climate.
• Earth 2100 (2009) 
  • A look at the possible future of human civilization based upon current scientific projections about climate, politics, economics, energy, and society.
• One Hundred Mornings (2009) 
  • A dramatic story of survival in post-apocalyptic Ireland.
• Soylent Green (1973) 
  • A classic post-apocalyptic movie that depicts a world wracked by human overpopulation, pollution, and resource depletion. 
• The Day After Tomorrow (2004)
  • A post-apocalyptic film in which a climatologist tries to alert the US government that the effects of global warming are imminent, however, they occur more quickly than anticipated, wreaking havoc for society.
• WALL-E (2008) 
  • A post-apocalyptic children’s film on consumerism, waste, and prospects for an imperiled planet Earth.

Recommended Films on Climate Change & Global Warming:

• An Inconvenient Truth (2010) 
  • Al Gore’s seminal film on climate change and global warming.
• Carbon Nation (2010)
  • A look at the solutions that could help America tackle climate change while simultaneously boosting the economy, increasing national security, and promoting a clean, healthy environment.
• Chasing Ice (2012) 
  • A documentary based on the work of National Geographic photographer James Balog, which shows compelling, visual proof of climate change.
• Cool It (2010) 
  • A climate change documentary that challenges the “scare tactics” employed by the modern environmental movement’s activists.
• Everything’s Cool (2007) 
  • A documentary on the actions of those delivering the message of climate change to the public—whom and what to believe, what is true, and what is a lie.
• Global Warming: The Signs and the Science (2006) 
  • A documentary of people living with the consequences of global warming as well as scientists’ new approaches to mitigating climate change and adapting to an evolving planet.
• Global Warming: The Rising Storm (PBS) (2007) 
  • A look at the scientific evidence that supports the fact that climate change is occurring, as well as future predictions for the warming planet.
• Planet in Peril (2008) 
  • A three-hour documentary examining life on a changing Earth (featuring Anderson Cooper, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, and Animal Planet’s Jeff Corwin).
• The Island President (2011)
  • The story of President Mohamed Nasheed of the Maldives and how his nation is being adversely affected by climate change.

Recommended Films on Ecofeminism:

Recommended Films on Environmental Justice and Racism:

• American Indian Homelands: Matters of Truth, Honor, and Dignity (2007)
  • A history of tribal and federal relations in the United States.
• Avatar (2009) 
  • James Cameron’s story of an ex-Marine who is put on an alien planet where, as an Avatar, he must fight for his survival and that of the indigenous life forms on the planet.
• Blood Diamond (2006) 
  • An action-packed film featuring Leonardo DiCaprio which touches upon corruption, exploitation, economics, war, and the effects of diamond mining in Sierra Leone.    
• Detropia (2012)
  • A look at the collapse of the U.S. manufacturing base in Detroit and its effects on the social, political, and economic fabric of the community.
• Maquilapolis: City of Factories (2012) 
  • The story of a young woman affected by toxin contamination while working in a Tijuana television factory, and her mission to seek justice.
• Power Paths (2009) 
  • An investigation of the struggle which Indian tribes and their allies face in producing solar and wind energy on their lands.
• Space Tourists (2009)
  • A story of environmental injustice in which a wealthy few try to escape unfavorable conditions on Earth to outer space.

Recommended Films on Fracking & Natural Gas:

• Dear Governor Cuomo: New Yorkers Against Fracking in One Voice (2013)
  • A musical protest film delivering anti-frackng activists’ invitation to the governor of New York State to join in the fight against fracking.
• Gasland (2010) 
  • Anti-fracking activist and filmmaker Josh Fox’s investigation of the natural gas industry and the practice of hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”).
• Gasland Part II (2013) 
  • The sequel to Josh Fox’s original “Gasland;” a continuation of the story of fracking and how the stakes have become even higher since the first film’s release.

Recommended Films on Mountaintop Removal & Coal:

• Burning the Future: Coal in America (2008) 
  • An investigation on the social, economic, political, public health, and ecological impacts of America’s coal industry.
• The Last Mountain (2011) 
  • The story of the fight to protect Coal River Mountain from the mining companies who seek to exploit it, and the plan to instead build a wind farm on its ridges.
• The Price of Sand (2013) 
  • A documentary about the boom industry of mining for fracking silica sand in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Recommended Films on Natural Disasters:

Recommended Films on Nuclear Issues:

• Countdown to Zero (2010)
  • An examination of the history of the atomic bomb, contemporary nuclear politics and technology, and the case for worldwide nuclear disarmament.
• Heidi’s Interview with Dr. Helen Caldicott (October 2, 2011)
  • An interview with anti-nuclear activist, medical doctor, and environmentalist, Helen Caldicott, seven months after the triple meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear power plant. 
• Into Eternity (2011)
  • A film on the lasting legacy of spent nuclear fuel and its implication for people and the planet.
• Silkwood (1983) 
  • A dramatic take on a true story about a woman’s struggle for justice as an employee of a hazardous nuclear power plant.
• The Atomic States of America (2011) 
  • A look at American communities situated near nuclear reactors and an exploration of the truths and myths behind nuclear power.
• The China Syndrome (1979)
  • A dramatic story of an incident at a nuclear power plant.

Recommended Films on Oil:

• A Crude Awakening: The Oil Crash (2007)
  • The realities of the ensuing “peak” oil crisis.
• Black Wave: The Legacy of the Exxon Valdez (2009) 
  • The truth behind the lasting impacts of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill on the small town of Cordova, Alaska, and the legal battle that has ensued.
• Blood and Oil (2008) 
  • The effects of America’s thirst for oil on global diplomacy and war.
• Crude Impact (2006) 
  • An investigation into the predicted future of “peak oil.”
• Crude: The Real Price of Oil (2009)
  • A look at environmental injustices caused by big oil companies.
• Revenge of the Electric Car (2011)
  • A sequel to the original “Who Killed the Electric Car” which follows four auto industry executives who seek to develop and market the first commercially successful electric car.
• Syriana (2005)    
  • A drama depicting the global social, political, and economic implications of humanity’s thirst for oil.
• The End of Suburbia: Oil Depletion and the Collapse of the American Dream (2004)
  • A look at the idea of suburbia in America and how it became a part of the American consciousness.
• There Will be Blood (2008)    
  • A drama set in California during the early 20th century petroleum boom, which follows the life of a poor silver miner’s son turned oil tycoon.
• Who Killed the Electric Car? (2006) 
  • An investigation of the birth and death of the electric car, as well as the role of renewable energy and sustainable living.

Recommended Films on Tar Sands & Keystone XL:

• Blockadia Rising: Voices of the Tar Sands Blockade (2012) 
  • A documentary film on activism by members of the Tar Sands Blockade, who fight against the Keystone XL Pipeline, which will transport dirty crude from Canada across the United States. 
• Pipe Dreams (2011) 
  • The story of the battle over the Keystone XL Pipeline—a fight between American citizens, big business, and the federal government.

Recommended Films on the Ocean: Pollution & Exploitation:

• Aqua Seafoam Shame: A Film About the Plastic Islands of Floating Garbage (2012) 
  • A documentary on the implications of plastic production and improper disposal into the Earth’s oceans and other ecosystems.
• Empty Oceans, Empty Nets (PBS, 2002) 
  • An exploration of the marine fisheries crisis and the efforts of fishermen, scientists, and communities to sustain and restore fisheries and the oceans.
• Farming the Seas (PBS, 2004) 
  • Sequel to “Empty Oceans, Empty Nets,” exposing the realities of overfishing and the potential in the development of aquaculture as a sustainable solution.  
• Plastic Paradise: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch (2013) 
  • A look at The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, human plastic production and use, and what it means for the planet.
• Sandgrains (Tentative 2014) 
  • An upcoming documentary on the local effects of global fishing.
• The Blue Planet: Seas of Life (2007) 
  • A look at the world’s oceans (narrated by David Attenborough).
• The End of the Line (2010)
  • An examination of the environmental consequences of industrialized fishing.

Recommended Films on Toxics & Pollution:

• A Civil Action (1999) 
  • A dramatic take on the true story and ensuing court case initiated as a result of deadly industrial chemicals dumped in Woburn, Massachusetts.
• Bag It (2012) 
  • A look at plastic bags, plastic as a manmade and petroleum-derived material, and the effects of plastics on the planet and the human body.
• Blue Vinyl: The World’s First Toxic Comedy (2005) 
  • A (somewhat comical) look at where you may encounter toxicity from unsuspected sources in your own home.
• Erin Brockovich (2000) 
  • A jobless single mother becomes a legal assistant and works to bring a California power company to justice for polluting a city’s water supply.  
• Fire Down Below (1998) 
  • A United States Environmental Protection Agency agent investigates reports of toxic dumping and the murder of a fellow agent in a small southern mining community.
• Living Downstream (2010) 
  • Based on the book by ecologist, author, and cancer-survivor Sandra Steingraber: A documentary that follows Steingraber for a year as she travels across North America to break the silence about the connections between environmental contamination and cancer.
• Plastic Planet (2010) 
  • The environmental and public health effects of making and using plastic.
• Safe (1995) 
  • The story of a woman who becomes sick as she develops debilitating sensitivities to her environment.
• The City Dark (2011)
  • An exploration of the physical and psychological effects of light pollution.
• The Warriors of Qiugang: Yale Environment 360 (2010)
  • The story of Chinese villagers who become embroiled in a five-year fight against a chemical company that is poisoning the land and water.

Recommended Films on Waste Management & Recycling:

• Addicted to Plastic (2008) 
  • A documentary on the toxic, wasteful, economic, social, and political implications of using plastics.
• Affluenza (2011) 
  • The effects of materialism and consumerism on the psyche of both individuals and society as a whole.
• Dive!: Living Off America’s Waste (2011)
  • A documentary on America’s discarded food waste and how much of it is still usable.
• Landfillharmonic (Tentative 2014) 
  • The story of an orchestra made entirely of recycled “trash” by people who pick through rubbish in a dump in Cateura, Paraguay.
• No Impact Man (2008) 
  • The story of one man’s yearlong experiment to live in a way that expends as little impact on the environment as possible.
• The Story of Stuff with Annie Leonard (2007) 
  • Annie Leonard’s easy-to-follow mini-documentary of the world’s consumerism habits and waste problem.
• Trash Dance (2013)
  • A choreographed performance featuring two-dozen sanitation workers on an abandoned airport runway.  
• Trashed (2013) 
  • An examination of the global garbage crisis—its effects on the environment and public health—and what must be done to solve it.
• Waste Land (2010)
  • A look at the journey of Vik Muniz on his journey from Brooklyn to his native Brazil and the world’s largest garbage dump, where he photographs garbage pickers—called “catadores.”

Recommended Films on Water Issues:

• Blue Gold: World Water Wars (2009) 
  • An investigation into the problems created by the privatization and commoditization of water.
• Chinatown (1999) 
  • A drama about a private detective who stumbles upon a murder scheme that involves the Los Angeles water supply.    
• Flow: How Did a Handful of Corporations Steal Our Water? (2008) 
  • A look at the war between public health advocates and private corporations over control of the world’s water supply.
• Tapped (2010) 
  • A look at the role that the bottled water industry plays in society; and the effects of bottled water on health, climate change, pollution, and our reliance on oil.
• Water: The Great Mystery (2008)
  • A documentary on the science, culture, economics, and politics surrounding water.