Some of the most controversial documentaries in Earthnotes shed light on global trends and the imprint we are leaving on Earth.
Screenings cover the much debated issues of climate change and our dependency on fossil fuels (Crude Impact), as well as the less visible¯ effects that the western world's energy needs are having on developing countries (Source).
Our need to connect with the Earth and preserve our indigenous culture and way of life is explored (The Gathering-Return of the Whale Dreamers and The Land Belongs to Those who Work It) as well as the urgency to protect endangered ecosystems (Temengor: Biodiversity in the Face of Danger). The Future of Food takes us on an investigation into genetically modified foods and associated political and market forces.
With a note of hope, A Convenient Truth: Urban Solutions from Curitiba, Brazil shows that it is possible to do things differently and plan our development in a much more sustainable manner. And, finally, Baraka takes us on a global journey, reminding us of Earth's beauty and fragility.
Read more background environmental information here.
Crude impact  James Jandak Wood 2006 USA 98min
Crude Impact is a timely story that explores the interconnection between human domination of the planet and the discovery and use of oil. This documentary film exposes our deep rooted dependency on the availability of fossil fuel energy and examines the future implications of peak oil - the point in time when the amount of petroleum worldwide begins a steady, inexorable decline. Journeying from the West African delta region to the heart of the Amazon rainforest, from Washington to Shanghai, from early man to the unknown future, Crude Impact chronicles the collision of our insatiable appetite for oil with the rights and livelihoods of indigenous cultures, other species and the planet itself. Best Environmental Feature Film at the Artivist Film Festival in Los Angeles, Social Justice Award at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, and numerous nominations
|
|
Source
 Martin Marecék 2005 Czech Republic 75min
Baku in Azerbaijan is the site of the world's first oil well. Source traces the pipeline from our commuter highways back to this surreal landscape on which our way of life depends, where cows graze on polluted land and children play in toxic gunge. With three quarters of the population living under the poverty line, the country's post-Soviet government is promising oil will turn Azerbaijan into a 'real country'. But between large oil companies and the corrupt government lining their pockets, what does this mean for the ordinary people of Azerbaijan? Is this 'liquid gold'¯ more of a curse than a blessing for this troubled country? Source is a documentary film about the social and environmental implications of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline in Azerbaijan. MDR Award for excellent Eastern European documentary film at the International Leipzig Festival for Documentary and Animated Film, Golden Award for Best Documentary Film at the Catalonia Environmental Film Festival, and many others.
|
The Land Belongs to Those Who Work It TThe Chiapas Media Project/ Promedios 2005 Mexico 15min
Bolon Aja'aw, northern Chiapas. The federal government sold the land to a private company to create an eco-tourism center without the permission of the community members. A tense meeting puts Zapatista leaders against Mexican bureaucrats. This rare footage exposes the battle Third World farmers face in preserving their way of life.
Produced by the Chiapas Media Project/Promedios, an award winning, bi-national partnership that provides video equipment, computers and training to marginalized indigenous communities in Southern Mexico, enabling them to create their own media.
|
|
Baraka
 Ron Fricke 1992 USA 104min
Baraka, an ancient Sufi word with forms in many languages, translates as a blessing, or as the breath or essence of life from which the evolutionary process unfolds. A transcendently poetic tour of the globe, Baraka was shot in breathtaking 70mm in 24 countries on six continents. A non-conventional documentary, Baraka was filmed entirely without dialogue in a stunning cascade of crystalline, time-lapse images. Set to the life affirming rhythms of varied religious rituals and nature's own raw bear, Baraka is a visualization of the interconnectedness humans share with the Earth. Spanning such diverse locales as China, Brazil, Kuwait and major U.S. and European sites, Baraka captures not only the harmony, but also the calamity that humans and nature have visited upon the Earth. However, mere words do not do the film justice - Baraka must be seen, felt and experienced to be understood. Baraka has won the Eddie for Best Edited Documentary and the FIPRESCI Prize for Out-of-Competition at the Montréal World Film Festival.
|
The Gathering-Return of the Whale Dreamers Kim Kindersley 2006 Australia 86min
A universal parable around the power we all have to change the world. The Gathering-Return of the Whale Dreamers is the story of a displaced aboriginal tribe called Mirning and their journey to recover their heritage. Indigenous people from around the world gather here to help the tribe call in the whales. This three-part documentary talks about the stolen generation and land rights.
Best Ecological Documentary at Ibiza Film Festival, Spain.
|
|
A Convenient Truth:
Urban Solutions from Curitiba, Brazil
 Giovanni Vaz Del Bello 2006
Brazil 52min
Informative, inspirational documentary aimed at sharing ideas to provoke environment-friendly and cost-effective changes in cities worldwide. The documentary focuses on innovations in transportation, recycling, social benefits including affordable housing, seasonal parks, and the processes that transformed Curitiba into one of the most livable cities in the world. Cities should be a solution, not a problem for human beings. The city of Curitiba has demonstrated for the past 40 years how to transform problems into cost-effective solutions that can be applied in most cities around the world. Winner of the Bronze Remi Award, Worldfest in Houston.
|
Temengor: Biodiversity in the face of danger Harun Rahman 2004 Malaysia 28min
Malaysia's rich ecosystems, including the oldest rain forests on earth, are endangered. In the 1940's, jungle covered three quarters of Peninsular Malaysia. Less than half remains. Despite its immense biodiversity, Temengor is threatened by logging. The Malaysian Nature Society's appeal for Temengor to be gazetted proved futile, although adjacent Royal Belum gained protection in 2003. If deforestation persists, Malaysians will lose a priceless legacy. Is Temengor doomed? Temengor highlights biodiversity's role in ensuring fresh air, clean water and medicines. In their passionate plea, experts explain why Temengor should be saved. Best documentary Award at the Malaysian Film Festival and Best Videography Award at Oskar
|
|
Black Gold
 Marc Francis and Nick Francis 2006 UK 78min Ethiopia is generally acknowledged as the country that produces the best coffee beans in the world. More than 15 million Ethiopians are financially dependent on coffee production. The coffee trade has just as many transparent factors as obscure ones, which results in constantly fluctuating prices. While the consumption increases and the big coffee traders who have direct ties with governments indisputably make fortunes, the small coffee planters at the bottom of the ladder have to contend with the lowest prices in 30 years. Filmmakers Marc and Nick Francis travelled all over the world to chart the long production line of coffee, from plantation to café. The underlying reason for the detailed analysis in Black Gold is to make the viewer aware of the importance of fair trade. If the coffee-drinking consumer accepts his responsibility, the coffee planter will be better protected.
|
The Future of Food Deborah Koons Garcia 2004 USA 60min
The Future of Food offers an in-depth investigation into the disturbing truth behind the unlabeled, patented, genetically engineered foods that have quietly filled U.S. grocery store shelves for the past decade. From the prairies of Saskatchewan, Canada to the fields of Oaxaca, Mexico, this film gives a voice to farmers whose lives and livelihoods have been negatively impacted by this new technology. The health implications, government policies and push towards globalisation are all part of the reason why many people are alarmed by the introduction of genetically altered crops into our food supply. Shot on location in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, The Future of Food examines the complex web of market and political forces that are changing what we eat as huge multinational corporations seek to control the world's food system. The film also explores alternatives to large-scale industrial agriculture, placing organic and sustainable agriculture as real solutions to the farm crisis today.
|
|
|
|
