3500+ Films - 2.5 million words – 1 million viewers! Founder and Curator Carmela selects some of our most entertaining, powerful and inspiring Climate Crisis Solutions films at We Are Moving Stories. These include short and feature length drama, animation and documentaries covering a global response to climate change, clean energy, women-led solutions, artist-led solutions - and Standing Rock.
Total length of this section: 21 films.
<A GLOBAL RESPONSE>
FINITE: THE CLIMATE OF CHANGE - Concerned citizens in Germany step forward to save an ancient forest from one of Europe’s biggest coal mines, whilst they form an unlikely alliance with a frustrated community in rural northeast England who are forced into action to protect their homes from a new opencast coal mine. Length: 1 hour 39 minutes. Director/Producer Rich Felgate:
“Audience feedback so far has been overwhelming - we’ve had tears, cheers, gasps and a standing ovation. FINITE’s ability to move audiences was validated by winning the Focus Future award, voted by the audience at our European premiere at the 32nd Internationales Filmfest Emden-Norderney in Germany.
Most importantly, it’s changing minds and changing behaviours, with audiences so far telling us they feel compelled to act against climate breakdown, through a mix of anger and heartfelt emotion channeled by the film.”
Thank You For The Rain - Five years ago Kisilu, a Kenyan farmer, started to use his camera to capture the life of his family, his village and the damages of climate change. When a violent storm throws him and a Norwegian filmmaker together we see him transform from a father, to community leader to an activist on the global stage. Feature length documentary. Length: 1 hour 27 minutes. Writer/Director Julia Dahr:
“I wanted to tell the untold story about climate change and show its effect on people living in the Global South. The people who fully depend on the food they grow, they are the first to be hit by climate change and they are affected the most, even though they’ve done the least to contribute to our changing climate.”
What Remains - A mother fights to save the remaining 10 percent of a 12,000 year old German forest, facing off against an energy company determined to cut down the remaining trees in order to mine coal. 13 minute documentary. Writer/Director/Producer/Editor Emily Harmon:
“I want to lift up the story of those who haven’t stopped fighting to mitigate climate change. I hope the film is screened as far and wide as possible so more hear the story of those fighting to save the forest and not give up on the planet. ”
The Reluctant Radical - If a crime is committed in order to prevent a greater crime, is it forgivable? Is it, in fact, necessary? THE RELUCTANT RADICAL follows activist Ken Ward as he confronts his fears and puts himself in the direct path of the fossil fuel industry to combat climate change. Length: 77 minutes. Writer/Director/Producer Lindsey Grayzel:
“If a crime is committed in order to prevent a greater crime, is it forgivable? Is it, in fact, necessary?”
Naturally Selected - Environmentalist Sam Van Leer fights to save Miami from drowning. 9 minute documentary. Director Jimmy Evans:
“People seem to love Sam! The feedback at each of our screenings has been quite positive – audience members have told us how the film made them laugh, but also inspired many to get involved with or donate to the Urban Paradise Guild.”
Kokota: The Islet of Hope - Mbarouk Mussa Omar is from a small East African Island called Pemba. Nearly ten years ago he visited a tiny neighbouring islet called Kokota and was shocked by what he saw. Kokota was teetering towards collapse, and Mbarouk knew climate change and deforestation were the culprits. He desperately wanted to help Kokota, but what could one poor man from Pemba possibly do? 29 minute documentary. Writer/Director/Producer Craig Norris:
“I made Kokota because I thought it was a great story with an important message in this time of global climate change. Broadly speaking, I believe we have a tendency to over complicate problems, and I think this story proves that simple solutions can have huge impacts. ”
My Garden, No Longer - The people of Vanuatu, a country once dubbed the happiest place on earth, struggle to maintain their culture and traditions as climate change takes hold. Length: 17.9 minutes. Writer/Director/Producer Scott E. Schimmel:
“I hope that the audience will walk away was a deeper sense of responsibility for how our actions affect others, and maybe even take steps to reduce their own contributions to climate change.”
<CLEAN ENERGY>
This is Happening: A Clean Energy Revolution - Can we make enough clean energy to blunt climate change? How would we do that? And will we do that? Semi-environmentalist and documentarian Jamie Redford takes us on a personal journey to answer those questions. Length: 75 minutes. Writer/Director James Redford:
“Most people are feeling depressed and impotent about climate change. And most people think clean energy is puritanical and boring. This film will change your mind.”
Photovoltaic - An exploration of how the adoption of large-scale solar power can combat climate change and bring social good to people all around the world. We follow women solar engineers from developing countries, a stand-up economist, and the Dean of the College of the Environment at the University of Washington to learn about how this technology connects with other social issues. Length: 8.34 minutes. Filmmaker Audrey Seda:
“I would love for people to be able to finish seeing the film and be challenged to go out and do something for our earth. Not letting limitations of education, gender, or anything stop them from doing something.”
Tomorrow’s Power - showcases three communities from Gaza, Colombia and Germany and their responses to the environmental and economical crises they face. Length: 76 minutes, 52 minutes. Writer/Director Amy Miller:
“This is a climate justice film that expects viewers to understand what is climate change and that it is real and that people are ready to hear and learn about what people are doing in their community despite tremendous hurdles.”
<WOMEN-LED SOLUTIONS>
Women Are The Answer - Population growth has been left out of the climate debate because it is considered controversial, yet it is one of the most important factors. The global population has passed the 7 billion mark and India will soon overtake China as the most populous nation in the world, but one state in southern India has found the solution: Kerala educates its women. 52 minutes. Director Fiona Cochrane:
“In the West when talking about climate change we tend to concentrate on how much energy we all use, our carbon ‘footprints’, but we have avoided discussing one of the largest problems in the developing world – population growth and the number of people using the world’s limited resources – because it has been controversial.
Population growth is one of the most important factors in the climate debate, and the best way to reduce it is by non-coercive means, namely by the education of women through secondary school.”
Footprint - takes a dizzying spin around the globe witnessing population explosions, overconsumption, limited resources, and expert testimony as to what a world straining at its limits can sustain. We spend time with indigenous health workers, activists, and the ordinary people who all challenge the idea that our world can continue to support the weight of humanity’s footprint on it. Length: 82minutes. Director/Producer Valentina Canavesio:
“How do we raise the living standards of part of the world’s population that needs it when we are already consuming more than the Earth can sustain? ”
Women Just Want To Be Safe - There’s a gender gap in biking in San Francisco. Just 32% of bike trips are made by people who identify as women in our city. While that’s above the national average of 24% of all bike trips, these percentages should be much higher. Why is it that American women shy away from biking for transportation, and what should our city do to change that? Length: 5.34 minutes. Writer/Director/Producer Kristin Tieche:
“We all should know by now that climate change threatens life on earth as we know it. The number one source of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere comes from fossil fuels. Top climate scientists from Stanford University cite building safe bike infrastructure as one of the solutions to reducing our greenhouse gas emissions. We want to call attention to the urgency of creating safe spaces to bike for all types of riders, including women. Increased bicycle modeshare should be prioritized in every city’s climate change policy.”
<ARTIST-LED SOLUTIONS>
Children of Change - A troubled teenage environmentalist will heal through the love and guidance of her friends and a primal reconnection with nature. Short. Writer/Director/Producer Nitzan Levinson:
“I began having anxiety and such deep sorrow about the environmental crisis, I truly felt like giving up. Couldn’t eat, sleep nor think about anything else. There are not enough films about the climate issue and how that impacts us emotionally and psychologically...especially the youth and their ‘seemingly doomed’ future.
With Children and the tools of cinema, I want to give my insight, thoughts and ideas for solutions to this overwhelming problem. I want to give hope and an outlet for all those who feel the way I felt.”
Meeting MacGuffin - The struggle for water has never been this animated! 9 minutes. Writer/Director/Producer Catya Plate:
“Meeting MacGuffin is the second installment in a trilogy of stop-motion animated shorts. It is an animated ecological thriller that takes place in a post-apocalyptic future where humanity has fallen apart and where a group of scientists, called the “Clothespin Freaks”, and an animated sign complete the construction of a new human race and meet a groundhog climatologist who prepares them for their mission to restore balance to the decimated Earth.”
A Love Letter for the End of the World - A multimedia, personal short film about coming to terms with climate change as a young artist, and cherishing what may be lost within our lifetimes. 3 minute animation. Writer/Director/Producer/Animator Alexi Scheiber:
“I want my film to get people to not only think about the climate crisis, but feel the impact of what they might lose in their day to day. We only have 12 years to solve this, I think about it every night. This film is part of my bid to not go gently into that goodnight.”
Let's go to Antarctica! Carlos is a human being who at this very moment is on a holiday in Antarctica. The penguins, who do not have cameras, will forget all about Carlos. Length: 5 minutes. Writer/Director/Editor Gonzaga Manso:
“We’ve all heard stories about climate change, usually in catastrophic terms, so I wanted to talk about this huge issue with a language and a tone that felt new. The result is a 5 minute documentary about climate change, shot in Antarctica with a touch of comedy.”
Future Harvest - Orchard or desert, which is real to the old woman armed with a sharp tool? 4 minute drama. Writer/Director/Producer Carolyn Jennifer Corkindale:
“It’s about how Utopias can change to Dystopias, and how an individual can hide from a terrible reality...The film is a warning about what could happen if everywhere is desertified.”
Te Whakairo - Two talented carvers from each end of Aotearoa take their whakairo (carving) to Antarctica in response to New Zealand's kaitiakitanga (guardianship) of the world’s largest marine protected area - The Ross Sea. 13 minute documentary. Director/Producer Vanessa Wells:
“This film gives a positive and uplifting view of the world of indigenous art and what we can learn from tradition about taking care of our planet. It is at the meeting point of science and art in the most beautiful place in the world - Antarctica!”
<STANDING ROCK>
Standing Rock - Minimal in its narrative form, this is a poetic documentary on what life was like at the Standing Rock campsite during the #NoDAPL protests. It does not aim to educate the audience on why the protests were happening, or where the movement lies today. Instead, this film shows in a very non-intrusive manner, the kind of people that stood up to the Dakota Access Pipeline, and the kind of environment they were living in. 17.10 minutes. Writer/Director/Producer Gabriel O’Byrne:
“This is not an educational breakdown of what was going on at Standing Rock. Instead, it is a shift in perspective on what was going on during these protests, and in a way reminds you of what it really was that these men, women and children were fighting for. In conclusion, you’ve probably never seen a film like this one!”
Peacekeeper - Native Americans from Standing Rock speak out on the pipeline, the repetition of history, and their roles as water-protectors in a struggle for modern sovereignty. Length: 13 Minutes. Director/Producer Nicholas Markart and Tyler Knutt:
“All of the personal stories in Peacekeeper tie into this larger idea that history has been repeating itself in the United States of America. The experiences of the Lakota people speak both to the problem that exists in our country and to the solution to this problem through social justice, activism, and unity.”