The 11th Hour confronts viewers with evidence of the indelible footprint that humans have left on this planet and the catastrophic effects of environmental problems like pollution, deforestation, over-mining of resources. The film explores the reasons for the fix we’re in, fingering corporate greed, faulty public policy, bad leadership, and general ignorance of the issues. The 11th Hour finishes on a positive note, offering a discussion of solutions from a crack team of scientists, designers, and thinkers.
Category: trailers
A compelling new documentary exploring the noticeably under-reported issue of the environmental impacts of war. Confronts the immensely broad ecological ramifications of everything from technological development and natural resource exhaustion to weapons testing and modern warfare itself. Falling water tables, shrinking forest cover, declining species diversity – all presage ecosystems in distress. These trends are now widely acknowledged as emanating from forces of humanitys own making: massive population increases, unsustainable demands on natural resources, species loss, and ruinous environmental practices. Ironically however, war, that most destructive of human behaviors, is commonly bypassed.
In all its stages, from the production of weapons through combat to cleanup and restoration, war is comprised of elements that pollute land, air, and water, destroy biodiversity and entire ecosystems, and drain our limited natural resources. Yet the environmental damage occasioned even by preparation for war, not to mention war itself, is routinely underestimated, underreported, and even ignored. This outstanding, timely, new film explores the crucial need for public scrutiny of the ecological impact of war and reminds us of the importance of accountability and sustainability not in spite of global conflict, but because of it.
All they want is to re-start the silent machines. But this simple act - The Take – has the power to turn the globalization debate on its head.
In the wake of Argentina’s dramatic economic collapse in 2001, Latin America’s most prosperous middle class finds itself in a ghost town of abandoned factories and mass unemployment. The Forja auto plant lies dormant until its former employees take action. They’re part of a daring new movement of workers who are occupying bankrupt businesses and creating jobs in the ruins of the failed system.
But Freddy, the president of the new worker’s co-operative, and Lalo, the political powerhouse from the Movement of Recovered Companies, know that their success is far from secure. Like every workplace occupation, they have to run the gauntlet of courts, cops and politicians who can either give their project legal protection or violently evict them from the factory.
The story of the workers’ struggle is set against the dramatic backdrop of a crucial presidential election in Argentina, in which the architect of the economic collapse, Carlos Menem, is the front-runner. His cronies, the former owners, are circling: if he wins, they’ll take back the companies that the movement has worked so hard to revive.
Armed only with slingshots and an abiding faith in shop-floor democracy, the workers face off against the bosses, bankers and a whole system that sees their beloved factories as nothing more than scrap metal for sale.
With The Take, director Avi Lewis, one of Canada’s most outspoken journalists, and writer Naomi Klein, author of the international bestseller No Logo, champion a radical economic manifesto for the 21st century. But what shines through in the film is the simple drama of workers’ lives and their struggle: the demand for dignity and the searing injustice of dignity denied.
Whatever you thought of Al Gore as a politician, you’ll have to give him credit here for being a great teacher. He spends most of his time in An Inconvenient Truth guiding us through the data and science of climate change, demonstrating cause and effect and noting the impacts, both present and future—and doing so with wit, charm, and only an occasional (though deserved) political barb. Though this is largely a speaker-on-stage style documentary, it’s backed by great pictures, charts, and graphs, with cutaways to on-site footage and personal annecdotes, all woven together in a way that makes the whole thing very watchable. Gore’s three-decade-long study of climate change shows in his seemingly effortless presentation of the material. The result is 100% convincing, showing climate change to be not just an environmental issue, but a threat to our way of life—perhaps even to life itself. This is the last nail in the coffin of the climate skeptics.
The end of the line delves beyond the surface of the seas to reveal a troubling truth beneath: an ocean increasingly empty of fish, destroyed by decades of overexploitation.
Exploring the tragic collapse of the cod fishery in Newfoundland in the 1990s, the imminent extinction of the prized bluefin tuna, and the devastation wreaked by illegal catches and surpassed fishing quotas, the film uncovers the dark ecological story behind our love affair with fish as food.
The film argues that unless we demand political action from governments, responsible menu selections from restaurateurs as well as changing our own consumption habits, we could see the end of wild fish by mid-century.
WARNING Contains disturbing images.
Perhaps you think the risks associated with nuclear energy are minimal (or at least acceptable). To you I say, watch this film. Or perhaps you think that nuclear energy is “a bit unsafe” but, given the likely energy shortfalls of the future, use of nuclear in a necessary evil. To you I say, watch this film. Wrap your brain around the vast geographical area (including 99% of Belarus) that is still contaminated by the radioactive fallout from the Chernobyl accident. Force your eyeballs to endure the heartache of so many deformed children—the “collateral damage.” THEN see if you still think nuclear energy is acceptable. Though it’s hard to watch, this is a very important film.
Blind Spot analyzes the inextricable link between the energy we use, the way we run our economy, and the effect it has had on our environment. Taking as a starting point the inevitable energy depletion scenario know as Peak Oil, it demonstrates we are at a crossroad of two paths, both with dire consequences. If we continue to burn fossil fuels our ecology will collapse, but if we don’t, our economy will. Either path we choose will have a profound effect on our way of life.
A Crude Awakening serves as an excellent introduction to the subject of Peak oil and all of the related topics—the huge rise in human population numbers, locations, and living standards made possible by cheap and abundant petroleum products; the economic risk related to high oil prices and fuel shortages; the problems inherent in non-renewables like coal and nuclear and the challenges facing alternatives like ethanol, biodiesel, wind, solar, and hydrogen; the ultimate likely impact of “energy descent” on our modern way of life; and the politics of petroleum, including war for oil. The film puts the story together in a cogent, comprehensive way, leaving those who already know about Peak Oil with an expanded, reinvigorated understanding of the subject and provides newbies with a clear picture of a complex topic that promises to change life as we know it.
From styrofoam cups to artificial organs, plastics are perhaps the most ubiquitous and versatile material ever invented. No invention in the past 100 years has had more influence and presence than synthetics. But such progress has had a cost.
For better and for worse, no ecosystem or segment of human activity has escaped the shrink-wrapped grasp of plastic. Addicted To Plasticis a global journey to investigate what we really know about the material of a thousand uses and why there’s so darn much of it. On the way we discover a toxic legacy, and the men and women dedicated to cleaning it up.
Addicted To Plastic is a point-of-view style documentary that 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 new perspective about our future with plastic.
As gas prices soar and the possibility of future shortages becomes a regular mainstream-media story, questions are emerging about the sustainability of our suburban way of life. What are its prospects as global demand for fossil fuels begins to outstrip supply and the cheap-fuel underpinnings of suburbia begin to erode? The End of Suburbia is an excellent overview of the problems facing suburbanites in the coming years. It’s a must-see for anyone concerned about peak oil and sprawl. The consequences of inaction in the face of this global crisis are enormous.
