We have recently posted trailers for two (1& 2) very good documentaries which focus on promoting alternative green thinking and eco-creativity through the power of film. This year, all the conversation amongst green circles seems to be focusing not only on policy and energy consumption but on recent man-made and natural disasters as well. The list below reflects these current concerns in a creative way through the medium we know best, TV & Film.
“Without the entertaining and/or compelling view points of artists, entertainers and filmmakers, many important messages of advocacy would never be heard,”-Kathleen Rogers, President of Earth Day Network.
If you have the pleasure and wit to get a hold of these wonderful films and series, we hope they at least inspire discussions at the dinner table, in the classrooms and in forums and prove to be catalysts for both thought and action.
MIA AND THE MIGOO (Winner, Best Animated Feature – European Film Awards)
This breathtaking environmental adventure pits plucky, wild-haired young Mia against profit-hungry developers with the future of life on Earth in the balance. One night, Mia has a premonition and sets out on a journey through mountains and jungles to find her father who has been trapped in a disaster-plagued construction site on a remote tropical lake. In the middle of the lake stands the ancient Tree of Life, watched over by bumbling forest spirits called Migoo. It is the Migoo who have been sabotaging construction to protect this sacred site – together with Mia they join in a fight to save the Tree and find Mia’s father. Created from an astonishing 500,000 hand-painted frames of animation, the second feature from French animator Jacques-Rémy Girard is a work of art, breathtaking to behold.
WASTE LAND
(Nominated for a 2011 Oscar® for Best Documentary Feature)
Waste Land follows renowned artist Vik Muniz as he journeys from his home base in Brooklyn to his native Brazil and the world’s largest garbage dump, Jardim Gramacho, located on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro.
SAVING PELICAN 895
(Premiered on HBO on 4/20 – check listings for re-air dates)
Nearly 9,000 birds were found in the oily waters of the Gulf Coast in the wake of the 2010 BP oil spill. Saving Pelican 895 is the story of the 895th bird to be rescued and rehabilitated by a dedicated team of wildlife experts and every day people, many of whom travel the world responding to oil disasters. This tale of a single animal, and the compassionate people deployed to save him, shows how the process of saving one life restored a degree of humanity for the rest of us. Directed by Academy Award-nominated director, Irene Taylor Brodsky.
THE END OF POVERTY?
The ‘End of Poverty’ is a daring, thought-provoking and very timely documentary by award-winning filmmaker, Philippe Diaz, revealing that poverty is not an accident. It began with military conquest, slavery and colonization that resulted in the seizure of land and other natural resources as well as in forced labor. Today, global poverty has reached new levels because of unfair debt, trade and tax policies – in other words, wealthy countries exploiting the weaknesses of poor, developing countries. The documentary cleverly asks why today 20% of the planet’s population uses 80% of its resources and consumes 30% more than the planet can regenerate? Can we really end poverty under our current economic system? Think again
Get the Film » Here
SAM BRANSON’S “MAN VERSUS EARTH”
One of the advantages of being the son of a media mogul and multi-millionaire is that you can do pretty much anything you like. So one has to applaud these fortunate souls who actually choose to do something worthwhile with their riches rather than just lay sunbathing all day in daddy’s yacht. This one-hour special features host and explorer Sam Branson, son of Virgin Group founder, Sir Richard Branson. In what has been touted as one of the snowiest years in decades, this special takes Sam to the front lines of man’s struggle with the elements, in this case, snow – where we see Sam immersed in the ins-and-outs of avalanche control as well as getting a first hand experience of what it feels like to be buried alive in snow.
180° SOUTH: CONQUERORS OF THE USELESS
Director Chris Malloy’s journey follows Jeff Johnson to Patagonia as he retraces the epic 1968 journey of his heroes, Yvon Chouinard and Doug Tompkins (founders of Patagonia and The North Face, respectively). Along the way he gets shipwrecked off Easter Island, surfs the longest wave of his life – and prepares for a rare ascent of Cerro Corcovado. Jeff’s life takes a turn when he meets Chouinard and Tompkins who, once driven purely by a love of climbing and surfing, now value above all the experience of raw nature – and have come to Patagonia to spend their fortunes to protect it. The accompanying soundtrack, available on Brushfire Records, contains original songs by Ugly Cassanova (Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse), James Mercer (The Shins) and Mason Jennings.
FUEL
FUEL is an amazing, in-depth, personal journey of oil use and abuse as it examines wide-ranging energy solutions other than oil, the faltering US auto and petroleum industries, and the latest stirrings of the American mindset toward alternative energy.
Josh Tickell’s stirring, radical and multi-award winning FUEL may be known by some as the “little energy documentary,” but in truth, it’s a powerful portrait of America’s overwhelming addiction to, and reliance on, oil. Having been born and raised in one of the USA’s most oil producing regions, he saw first hand how the industry controls, deceives and damages the country, its people and the environment, and after one too many people he knew became sick, Tickell knew he just couldn’t idly stand by any longer. He decided to make a film, focusing both on the knowledge and insight he discovered, but also giving hope that solutions are at reach. A ‘regular guy’ who felt he could make a difference, he spent 11 years making his movie, showing himself – and others – that an individual can indeed make a difference.
