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Movies with an Environmental Message

By Sharon Weinberg

Enjoy these selections.

  • The Biggest Little Farm

    2019

    The gorgeous visuals alone are reason enough to watch this documentary about a city couple that follows their dream to become farmers. But the Chesters' determination to transform their nutrient-depleted land into a diverse biodynamic farm shows environmental advocacy hard at work.

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  • Honeyland

    2019

    In this award-winning documentary, we meet Hatidže Muratova, a keeper of wild bees in a remote area of North Macedonia. Keeping the balance between humanity and a fragile, vulnerable ecosystem is her life. In Turkish with English subtitles.

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  • Boy & the World

    2016

    There is hardly any dialogue in this beautifully animated feature movie from Brazil, and I guarantee that you will not miss it as you follow the protagonist through his journey. The message to protect the lush, peaceful countryside against seemingly unstoppable industrial development and pollution could not be more immediate.

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  • The Pollinators

    2020

    Showing more love for our pollinator friends, this doc is a fine example of environmental filmmaking. I liked the scientists, experts, and beekeepers interviewed, how they looked to the future and talked about what can be done to help. Also available on Kanopy.

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  • Whale Rider

    2003

    File this under crowd-pleaser. Young Pai and the whales connect in a wonderful, life-affirming way. Also available on Hoopla and Kanopy.

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  • Dark Waters

    2020

    Mark Ruffalo’s environmental activist heart is all over this feature movie. He is a co-producer and stars as the real-life lawyer who spent years taking DuPont to task for contaminating a small town with unregulated chemicals.

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  • Princess Mononoke

    2000

    A stunning anime layered with complex environmental themes concerning industrialization, humans, forest creatures, and nature gods. No matter how many times I watch this Hayao Miyazaki classic film from 1997, I always find something new and thought-provoking.

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  • Weathering with You

    2020

    It rains nearly all the time in Tokyo--sunlight is rare. This anime fantasy/romance tackles climate change on a personal level, putting the power to stop it with each of us. Also available on Hoopla.

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  • Woman at War

    2019

    One of my favorite under-the-radar movies to recommend. Halla is a resourceful eco-warrior by night, known as “The Woman of the Mountain,” waging a one-person battle against the local aluminum plant. What’s not to like? In Icelandic with English subtitles.

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  • How to Blow up a Pipeline

    2023 by Daniel Goldhaber

    Eco terrorists plan to sabotage an oil pipeline in this high-stakes action thriller that examines climate justice, property destruction, the history of nonviolence, and civil unrest. The movie raises all types of questions and concerns where there are no easy solutions.

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  • Birders: The Central Park Effect

    2013 by Jeffrey Kimball

    Many magnificent birds are lovingly shown on screen, which makes you want to commune with nature and see what feathered friends you can spot at your local reserve. One of the birders profiled in this documentary is Christian Cooper, whose video of an incident in Central Park in 2020 went viral.

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