DOCUMENTARY AND FILM INFORMATION
To reserve a DVD from the EC Sustainability Library, please e-mail with the name of the film and the date you would like to pick the DVD up from the Student Center. The DVD may be borrowed for two QF business days. By reserving and retrieving a DVD from the library, an individual agrees to replace the item if it is lost or damaged.
The items below are available for private use only. Descriptions are from amazon.com unless otherwise noted.
11th Hour, The (2007)
“Co-directors Leila Conners Petersen and Nadia Conners conduct interviews with some of the world's leading scientists and creative thinkers in a film that asks whether or not it's too late to avoid the ecological disaster that looms ominously on the horizon. In addition to exploring how the human race has arrived at this crucial point in history, conversations with 50 leading thinkers, scientists, and leaders including former Soviet prime minister Mikhail Gorbachev, world-renowned scientist Stephen Hawking, and sustainable design experts Bruce Mau and William McDonough to find out just what humankind can do about the most pressing issues of our time.” (from AMG and fandango.com)
Addicted to Plastic (2008)
“‘Addicted to Plastic’ is a feature-length documentary about solutions to plastic pollution. The point-of-view style documentary encompasses three years of filming in 12 countries on 5 continents, including two trips to the middle of the Pacific Ocean where plastic debris accumulates. The film details plastic's path over the last 100 years and provides a wealth of expert interviews on practical and cutting edge solutions to recycling, toxicity and biodegradability. These solutions - which include plastic made from plants - will provide viewers with a hopeful perspective about our future with plastic.” (from ecofilms.gr)
Affluenza (1997)
“‘Affluenza’ is a groundbreaking film that diagnoses a serious social disease - caused by consumerism, commercialism and rampant materialism - that is having a devastating impact on our families, communities, and the environment. We have more stuff, but less time, and our quality of life seems to be deteriorating. By using personal stories, expert commentary, hilarious old film clips, and ‘uncommercial’ breaks to illuminate the nature and extent of the disease, ‘Affluenza’ has appealed to widely diverse audiences: from freshmen orientation programs to consumer credit counseling, and from religious congregations to marketing classes.”
Big River (2010)
“In this 30-minute documentary sequel [to ‘King Corn’], Ian and Curt return to Iowa with a new mission: to investigate the environmental impact their acre of corn has made on the people and places downstream. Making a journey that spans from the heartland to the Gulf of Mexico, the friends trade their combine for a canoe and uncover cancer clusters, a poisoned Gulf, and our food's connection to climate change.”
Blue Gold: World Water Wars (2009)
“This award winning documentary directed by Sam Bozzo is based on the book Blue Gold: The Fight to Stop the Corporate Theft of the World’s Water by Maude Barlow and Tony Clark. The film examines the problems created by the privatization and commoditization of water.”
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009)
“Inspired by Ron and Judi Barrett's children's book of the same name, ‘Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs’ is about inventor Flint Lockwood and his food making invention. When hard times hit Swallow Falls, its townspeople can only afford to eat sardines. Flint Lockwood, a failed inventor, thinks he has the answer to the town's crisis. He builds a machine that converts water into food, and becomes a local hero when tasty treats fall from the sky like rain. But when the machine spins out of control and threatens to bury the whole world under giant mounds of food, Flint finds he may have bitten off more than he can chew.” (from fandango.com)
Convenient Truth: Urban Solutions from Curitiba, Brazil, A (2006)
“There is hope! This inspirational documentary shows a city where urban solutions are not just theory, but a reality. The film shows innovations in the areas of transportation, recycling, social benefits (affordable housing), parks, and the great philosophy behind the successful leaders that transformed Curitiba in a model green city.” (from imdb.com)
Cove, The (2009)
“In a sleepy lagoon off the coast of Japan, behind a wall of barbed wire and ‘Keep Out’ signs, lies a shocking secret. It is here, under cover of night, that the fishermen of Taiji engage in an unseen hunt for thousands of dolphins. The nature of the work is so horrifying; a few desperate men will stop at nothing to keep it hidden from the world. But when an elite team of activists, filmmakers and freedivers embark on a covert mission to penetrate the cove, they discover that the shocking atrocities they find there are just the tip of the iceberg.”
Crash Course (2009)
“‘Crash Course’ seeks to help you understand the nature of some extremely serious challenges and risks to our economy and your future prosperity. Chris Martenson weaves together a number of seemingly disparate topics into a single story, discussing the Economy, Energy, and the Environment...”
Crude Awakening, A (2007)
“An unforgettable and shocking wake-up call, ‘A Crude Awakening’ offers the rock-solid argument that the era of cheap oil is in the past. Relentless and clear-eyed, this intensively-researched film drills deep into the uncomfortable realities of a world that is both addicted to fossil fuels and blissfully unaware of the looming "peak oil" crisis. Drawing on an international cast of maverick energy experts and thinkers, directors Basil Gelpke and Ray McCormack debunk the conventional wisdom that oil production will continue to climb, and instead stare bleakly at a planet facing economic meltdown and conflict over its most valuable resource. Featuring a haunting score by Phillip Glass and a fascinating array of rare archival footage, the film explores oil's rocky relationship with human progress in locales ranging from ancient Baku, Azerbaijan to dusty oilpatch town McCamey, Texas. Amidst a dark and disturbing vision of our future, ‘A Crude Awakening’ hints at a humbler way of life built around sustainability and alternative energy, providing a visually stunning, boldly prophetic testament which provokes not just thought but action.”
Energy Crossroads: A Burning Need to Change Course (2010)
“Most experts agree that global peak oil production, when demand exceeds supply, will occur within the next 15 years and will drastically change the very fabric of our industrialized world. As fossil fuels power every facet of the American economy, how can we avoid an energy crisis and a possible collapse of our economy? Today, China and India have aspirations to attain our western quality of life; but at the rate and the way we use the world's energy resources, their ambition will be physically impossible. In addition to increasing geopolitical conflicts, the process of extracting and using these crucial resources is endangering the very own habitat that we depend on to prosper as a species - pushing the earth's climate and ecosystem to a point of no-return.” (from imdb.com)
Escape from Affluenza (1998)
“Bullfrog Films is noted for its progressive and informative videos produced for middle school and high school students. ‘Affluenza’ was one of Bullfrog's earliest efforts and has been one of their most popular. The film takes an in-depth look at the consuming tendencies of modern culture and the devastating effects that these glutinous actions have on the world and society. ‘Escape from Aflluenza’ is a sequel to ‘Affluenza’ that explores the alternatives to the virus that leads humans to unscrupulously destroy the earth and sends others in his pursuit for wealth and the creature comforts.” (from Ed Atkinson, Rovi)
FernGully: The Last Rainforest (1992)
“Environmentally friendly animated film with a strong message that doesn't club anyone over the head--but it certainly can't be missed. Zak (voiced by Christian Slater) is a heavy-machine operator whose job is to push over any vegetation in his path. He's shrunken to wee size, however, when Crysta (Samantha Mathis), a fairy of the forest, not only finds him cute but wants him to see the results of his handiwork. They end up battling Hexxus, an evil force imprisoned in a tree, which now wants to destroy all of Ferngully. Robin Williams offers genuine comic relief as a bat named Batty Koda. Agreeable without making much impact, it's a piffle of a film for one that deals with such strong subject matter.”
Food, Inc. (2008)
“‘Food, Inc.’ lifts the veil on our nation's food industry, exposing how our nation's food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers and our own environment. ‘Food, Inc.’ reveals surprising and often shocking truths about what we eat, how it's produced and who we have become as a nation.”
Fuel (2008)
“Eleven years in the making, ‘Fuel’ is the in-depth personal journey of filmmaker and eco-evangelist Josh Tickell, who takes us on a hip, fast-paced road trip into America s dependence on foreign oil. [‘Fuel’ combines] a history lesson of the US auto and petroleum industries and interviews with a wide range of policy makers, educators, and activists such as Woody Harrelson, Sheryl Crow, Neil Young and Willie Nelson. Animated by powerful graphics, ‘Fuel’ looks into our future offering hope via a wide-range of renewable energy and bio-fuels…”
Future of Food, The (2005)
“Farming was once one of the most common professions in America, but now the growing of food for America's dinner tables is primarily in the hands of a small number of large agricultural corporations. With deregulations placing less federal scrutiny on how crops are grown, and an increasing number of ‘agri-business’ firms introducing genetically modified vegetables and grains, some experts have begun to question just what we are eating, and how it got that way. At a time when some firms have started seeking patents for new strains of modified seeds and plants, will there come a day when the growing of certain essential foodstuffs will be controlled by private corporations who own a ‘copyright’ on, say, wheat or tomatoes? ‘The Future of Food’ is a documentary which focuses on growing concerns over how our crops are produced, and how science is altering the foods we eat.” (from fandango.com)
Happy Feet (2006)
“In the great nation of Emperor Penguins, deep in Antarctica, you're nobody unless you can sing - which is unfortunate for Mumble (Elijah Wood), who is the worst singer in the world. He is born dancing to his own tune...tap dancing. As fate would have it, his one friend, Gloria (Brittany Murphy), happens to be the best singer around. Mumble and Gloria have a connection from the moment they hatch, but she struggles with his strange ‘hippity- hoppity’ ways. Away from home for the first time, Mumble meets a posse of decidedly un-Emperor-like penguins - the Adelie Amigos. Led by Ramon (Robin Williams), the Adelies instantly embrace Mumble's cool dance moves and invite him to party with them. In Adelie Land, Mumble seeks the counsel of Lovelace the Guru (also voiced by Robin Williams), a crazy-feathered Rockhopper penguin who will answer any of life's questions for the price of a pebble. Together with Lovelace and the Amigos, Mumble sets out across vast landscapes and, after some epic encounters, proves that by being true to yourself, you can make all the difference in the world.”
Greening of Southie, The (2011)
“Set in the streets of South Boston, ‘The Greening of Southie’ is a feature documentary about Boston’s first residential green building, The Macallen Building, from the perspective of the men and women who bring it to life. With its wheatboard cabinetry and recycled steel, bamboo floors and living roof, The Macallen Building is a revolutionary model of environmentally friendly design. But building green has its challenges, and the jobsite has its skeptics. And when things on the building star to go wrong, the young development team has to keep the project from unraveling.”
Inconvenient Truth, An (2006)
“Director Davis Guggenheim eloquently weaves the science of global warming with Al Gore's personal history and lifelong commitment to reversing the effects of global climate change in the most talked-about documentary of the year. An audience and critical favorite, An Inconvenient Truth makes the compelling case that global warming is real, man-made, and its effects will be cataclysmic if we don’t act now. Gore presents a wide array of facts and information in a thoughtful and compelling way: often humorous, frequently emotional, always fascinating. In the end, An Inconvenient Truth accomplishes what all great films should: it leaves the viewer shaken, involved and inspired.”
King Corn (2008)
“Engrossing and eye-opening, ‘King Corn’ is a fun and crusading journey into the digestive tract of our fast food nation where one ultra-industrial, pesticide-laden, heavily-subsidized commodity dominates the food pyramid from top to bottom - corn. Fueled by curiosity and a dash of naiveté, college buddies Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis return to their ancestral home of Greene, Iowa to figure out how a modest kernel conquered America. With the help of some real farmers, oodles of fertilizer and government aid, and some genetically modified seeds, the friends manage to grow one acre of corn. Along the way, they unlock the hilarious absurdities and scary but hidden truths about America's modern food system.”
No Impact Man (2010)
“As the news stories go: ‘Colin Beavan is a liberal schlub who got tired of listening to himself complain about the world without ever actually doing anything about it’ Thus, in November, 2006, Beavan launched a year-long project in which he, his wife, his two-year-old daughter and his four-year-old dog went off the grid and attempted to live in the middle of New York City with as little environmental impact as possible. The No Impact project has been the subject of stories in the New York Times, the Christian Science Monitor, and many other national and international news outlets. Beavan has appeared on The Colbert Report, Good Morning America, Nightline, The Montel Show, and all the major NPR shows. He speaks regularly to a wide variety of audiences, is frequently quoted in the press and consults to business on the intersection of sustainability and human quality of life.”
Power of Community, The: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil (2006)
“The documentary, ‘The Power of Community - How Cuba Survived Peak Oil,’ was inspired when Faith Morgan and Pat Murphy took a trip to Cuba through Global Exchange in August, 2003. That year Pat had begun studying and speaking about worldwide peak oil production. In May Pat and Faith attended the second meeting of The Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas, a European group of oil geologists and scientists, which predicted that mankind was perilously close to having used up half of the world's oil resources. When they learned that Cuba underwent the loss of over half of its oil imports and survived, after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1990, the couple wanted to see for themselves how Cuba had done this. During their first trip to Cuba, in the summer of 2003, they traveled from Havana to Trinidad and through several other towns on their way back to Havana. They found what Cubans call "The Special Period" astounding and Cuban's responses very moving…The goals of this film are to give hope to the developed world as it wakes up to the consequences of being hooked on oil, and to lift American's prejudice of Cuba by showing the Cuban people as they are. The filmmakers do this by having the people tell their story on film. It's a story of their dedication to independence and triumph over adversity, and a story of cooperation and hope. Several Cubans expressed the belief that living on an island, with its natural boundaries, breeds awareness that there are limits to natural resources. Everyone who has worked on the documentary hopes that, seeing this film, people will also see the world on which we live, as another, much larger, island.” (from imdb.com)
Tapped (2010)
“Is access to clean drinking water a basic human right, or a commodity that should be bought and sold like any other article of commerce? Stephanie Soechtig's debut feature is an unflinching examination of the big business of bottled water. From the producers of 'Who Killed the Electric Car' and 'I.O.U.S.A.,' this timely documentary is a behind-the-scenes look into the unregulated and unseen world of an industry that aims to privatize and sell back the one resource that ought never to become a commodity: our water. From the plastic production to the ocean in which so many of these bottles end up, this inspiring documentary trails the path of the bottled water industry and the communities which were the unwitting chips on the table.”
WALL-E (2008)(Classroom Edition)
“WALL-E (short for Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class) is a little robot with a big message about the dangers of planetary neglect. This beautiful and inspiring feature film covers important messages about environmental responsibility and offers students a vision of the future. Exclusive bonus features developed as teaching tools, include an exploration of the effects of gravity on the human body, both on earth and in space, and an intriguing look at modern day robots. This Classroom Edition DVD includes Public Performance Rights and a printable teacher's guide.”
Who Killed the Electric Car? (2006)
“It begins with a solemn funeral…for a car. By the end of Chris Paine's lively and informative documentary, the idea doesn't seem quite so strange. As narrator Martin Sheen notes, "They were quiet and fast, produced no exhaust and ran without gasoline." Paine proceeds to show how this unique vehicle came into being and why General Motors ended up reclaiming its once-prized creation less than a decade later. He begins 100 years ago with the original electric car. By the 1920s, the internal-combustion engine had rendered it obsolete. By the 1980s, however, car companies started exploring alternative energy sources, like solar power. This, in turn, led to the late, great battery-powered EV1. Throughout, Paine deftly translates hard science and complex politics, such as California's Zero-Emission Vehicle Mandate, into lay person's terms (director Alex Gibney, Oscar-nominated for Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, served as consulting producer). And everyone gets the chance to have their say: engineers, politicians, protesters, and petroleum spokespeople--even celebrity drivers, like Peter Horton, Alexandra Paul, and a wild man beard-sporting Mel Gibson. But the most persuasive participant is former Saturn employee Chelsea Sexton. Promoting the benefits of the EV1 was more than a job to her, and she continues to lobby for more environmentally friendly options. Sexton provides the small ray of hope Paine's film so desperately needs. ‘Who Killed the Electric Car?’ is, otherwise, a tremendously sobering experience.”
