If you are here, you probably know that things are going – essentially speaking – wrong. Every day more and more information about environmental devastation hits us. Which one of you haven’t heard of global warming, of climate change? Of the fact that we are witnesses of the sixth mass extinction of species? That we’re drowning in plastic and choking on smog? Unfortunately, this is no longer just a rumor – it’s scientifically confirmed fact. And this is only just the top of the (melting alarmly fast) iceberg. It seems that this is the high time to share knowledge and make decisions consistent with it.

In the times of a speeding progress and anthropogenic changes in the world, unfortunately, most of us have a hard time exploring the essence of the problem. Even if we want to change something, take action and live in a slightly less invasive way for the planet, we often just don’t know where to start. Fortunately, the road is wide and open – it is no longer difficult to find essential knowledge in an accessible form. We therefore present the most important environmental movies that will open your eyes and motivate to take action.

An inconvenient truth & An inconvenient sequel

Two films, divided by 11 years, are considered by many to be the most important among the documentaries on environmental devastation. Both seem to cry out in desperation that we would come to our senses. We, as people who have the greatest of all beings, influence on Earth.

The first part, released in 2006, is a visually framed lecture by former US vice president and pro-environmental activist, Al Gore. Albert argues that the world is threatened by human activity and its future depend on us – we must only accept the uncomfortable truth. Film is criticized today, but it is thanks to him that the world has learned about the problem on a large scale.

Trailer:

The movie is available on yt (for a fee).

The second part is a tribute to renewable energy as a hope for saving the world from global warming. The film seems to be slightly exaggerated – low emission is not the only thing we need. It will not stop climate change, it can only slow it down. Still, the film is worth seeing, because it draws attention to one of the key aspects of the battle for the health of the Earth.

Trailer:

The movie is available on yt (for a fee).

Racing extinction

“Racing extinction” is a very well-visualised pursuit of animals, which have found themselves on the verge of extinction due to human recklessness. The film made by the creators of the cult movie “The Cove”, also takes up the problem of mass extinction, which we are already witnessing – and, unfortunately, causing.

Trailer:

The movie is available on yt:

Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things

A very important and timely film that sheds light on compulsive consumerism. Stories of people who decided to live in a minimalist way realize, how much unnecessary things we buy, throw away, waste. The motto of the film is definitely “more does not mean better”.

Trailer:

The movie is available on many streaming platforms, including Netflix:
https://minimalismfilm.com/ 

Surviving Progress

The film draws attention to the potential consequences of technological and economic progress, speeding up so fast every day. The key problem raised in the documentary is the ethical aspect of excessive consumption of material goods. Although the issue of the consumption of natural resources is also emphasized, the key elements are the consequences of human actions concerning ourselves.

Trailer:

The movie is available on yt:

Trashed

Nominated to the Golden Camera at the Cannes festival and winner of the Earth Grand Prix in Tokyo – “Trashed” is a very well made and important film. It draws attention to littering our planet resulting from excessive consumption and poor waste management. It shows the consequences of rubbish floods, which we are increasingly flooding ourselves with.

Trailer:

The movie is available on yt:

Plastic Paradise: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Another film about rubbish – this time, however, mainly about plastic and its impact on living organisms. It shows both the tragic effects of plastic pollution on wild animals, as well as on our own health. The movie calls for changing habits and questioning the order of the world we live in.

Trailer:

The Cove

The Cove is probably one of the loudest films about destroying wild nature. This Oscar winner for the best documentary in 2010, unveils the dramatic habit of mass dolphin killing off the coast of Japan. The film calls directly for condemnation of such practices. It aroused great controversy due to being recorded from hiding and denigrating the image of the Japanese.

Trailer:

The movie is available on many streaming platforms (here you can see it for free).

Blackfish

Another loud movie about whales, this time covering their enslavement and utilisation by the entertainment industry. The documentary focuses on a specific case of a killer whale, who contributed to the death of three people involved in its performances. This case is extrapolated to all killer whales caught from nature and introduced into artificial reservoirs to satisfy the masses.

Trailer:

The movie is available on yt (for a fee) or on streaming platforms:
http://www.blackfishmovie.com/watch

Catching the sun

The film focuses on the subject of clean energy, more specifically solar energy. It presents stories from the perspective of Chinese multi-million investment, as well as individual employees installing solar panels. It demonstrates a global race for clean energy and its potential for improving people’s well-being.

Trailer:

The movie is available on yt:

Revolution

The film, as its name implies, is about the revolution. It is a kind of journey through the world of wild nature and its evolution to discover dependencies that can help us protect nature. The creators are trying to discover what we must do to save the life we ​​know.

Trailer:

The movie is available on many streaming platforms:
http://therevolutionmovie.com/index.php/watch-the-movie/

Chasing Coral

A film by Netflix, which documents changes in the oceans. It focuses on losing habitats (coral reefs), which is taking place at an alarming rate. A beautiful, aesthetic spectacle and a dramatic documentary at the same time.

Trailer:

The movie is available on Netflix.

Home

“Home” is a beautiful spectacle with amazing musical setting. It presents Earth and living organisms that live thanks to her and on her. The creators, accompanied by delightful shots, tell us why the world is changing drastically and what role does the climate change actually play. The film sensitizes to beauty and makes us responsible for its nurturing.

Trailer:

The movie is available on yt:

Dominion

A loud film about animal rights, considered a worthy successor of the even louder “Earthlings”. It exposes all the major industries that use animals. The creators do not spare drastic scenes, but in the end this is exactly what the truth looks like. The movie makes us rethink the choices we make.

Trailer:

The movie is available on yt:

Do The Math: The Movie

Strongly involved, energetic film following the American environmental activist, Bill McKibben. It tracks the fight against oil companies and reveals the destruction that mass fossil fuels use on Earth causes. The film calls for joining the boycott and therefore slowing down the (unfortunately impossible to reverse) devastation of the planet.

Trailer:

The movie is available on yt:

Time to Choose

The film clearly and transparently shows what we are doing wrong, and what we should change to be less harmful to the planet. The creators explain the issue of climate change and evaluate the solutions available to us today.

Trailer:

The movie is available on many streaming platforms:
http://www.timetochoose.com/stream-or-download/ 

Queen of The Sun: What Are the Bees Telling Us?

The film shows what the mass extinction of bees really looks like and what implications for the global crisis it brings. Huge monocultures and the use of pesticides and their ecological consequences with bees as leading actors are the main themes. The creators also display the struggles of beekeepers.

Trailer:

The movie is available (for a fee) to stream via movie’s website:
http://www.queenofthesun.com/store/watch-now/

Wasted! The Story of Food Waste

A unique project that reveals how much edible food is wasted in highly developed countries. As one of the solutions, movie presents the practices of famous chefs, who, from what most consider to be waste, prepare full-fledged, delightful dishes. The film also includes a comprehensive introduction to the aspect of ecological consequences of food waste.

Trailer:

The movie is available on many streaming platforms:
http://www.wastedfilm.com/watch-at-home/

Cowspiracy

One of the most-known and best-rated ecological films of recent years. The creator alongside with the viewer discover what is the greatest cause of the nature devastation and why the largest institutions dealing with the environmental issues, are stubbornly silent. The statistics and comparisons, attractive visually, are really impressive in their meanings. “Cowspiracy” is a “must see” for everyone interested in ecology.

Trailer:

The movie is available on yt:

Food inc.

The movie offers a close-up on the backstage of food production by huge US corporations and the practices they follow. The film draws attention to food safety, human rights, health and the environmental consequences of the giants’ dominating the market.

Trailer:

The movie is available on yt:

Food for thought food for life

The creators ask what actual cost lies behind our urge for convenience in terms of food. The film is an attempt to revolutionize how we perceive and acquire food. The focus is on the environmental consequences of modern agriculture and the quality of the food we eat.

Trailer:

Seed: the untold story

The film draws attention to the rarely perceived problem of the loss of biodiversity regarding plants. It makes recipients aware of the importance of storing and protecting seeds that can be used in agriculture. Given the huge monocultures of just a few species that feed the whole world, gene banks with seeds can be a salvation for humans.

Trailer:

The movie is available on many streaming platforms:
https://www.seedthemovie.com/watch

Riverblue

This time the focus is on the issue of river pollution. This contamination is quite special – the main culprit are clothing and textile factories in general. The creators are looking at the destructive influence that factories exert on the largest river ecosystems in Asia.

Trailer:

The movie is available on many streaming platforms:
https://www.watchriverblue.eco/

Chasing ice

National Geographic photographer, James Balog, took the challenge to document the most visible symptom of climate change – melting glaciers. A beautifully recorded and frightening image of changes that are taking place at an alarming rate.

Trailer:

The movie is available on Netflix.

Terra

This (surprisingly) little-known French documentary is a real visual and narrative masterpiece. Behind the beautiful landscapes, however, a dramatic truth is shown about what really happens with nature. The film presents how many miracles disappear irrevocably from the Earth due to our inability to protect them.

Trailer:

The movie is available on yt:

Our planet

This is not a movie, but a series – still, it’s impossible to omit it. The master narration of David Attenborough and photos so special that it is difficult to put yourself together, have become a showcase of this type of series (we also highly recommend “Blue Planet II” and “Planet Earth II”). However, this is not just a beautiful spectacle about nature – the series has much more to share. Well, maybe you should check it for yourselves.

Trailer:

The series is available on Netflix.

If you have the feeling that we missed something, be sure to let us know. We wish you pleasant but conscious watching – admiration and questioning. We hope that you will find something on our list that will inspire you to act for the benefit of our planet.

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