Environmental Film Reviews
Food, Inc. 2
In Food, Inc. 2, the sequel to the 2008 Oscar®-nominated and Emmy®-award winning documentary, Food, Inc., filmmakers Robert Kenner and Melissa Robledo reunite with investigative authors Michael Pollan (The Omnivore’s Dilemma) and Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation) to take a fresh look at our efficient yet vulnerable food system. Since the first film, multinational corporations have tightened their stronghold on the U.S. government. The system at large has robbed workers of a fair living wage, and profit focused corporations are proliferating a chemically formulated international health crisis by focusing on growing the market for ultra-processed foods. The film centers around innovative farmers, future-thinking food producers, workers’ rights activists and prominent legislators such as U.S Senators Cory Booker and Jon Tester, who are facing these companies head-on to inspire change and build a healthier, more sustainable future.
Kiss the Ground
Another worthy documentary focusing on food production’s dire impact on our environment. Kiss the Ground posits that regenerative agriculture – which incorporates farmland restoration, forest conservation and tree intercropping, plus multiple other alternatives to our current farming system – is a game-changer. “Healthy soils lead to healthy plants. Healthy plant, healthy human, healthy climate.” Vegan actor and activist Woody Harrelson narrates what is billed as a beacon of hope amid endless bad climate news. Available on Netflix.
I Am Greta
It’s hard to watch this 2020 documentary on Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg without feeling guilty for not having done more to help right the environmental wrongs she has tackled, publicly, since she was a kid. But there’s also awe in seeing Thunberg speaks bluntly and fearlessly to those in power at a global level. Thunberg is a force of nature, and this film showcases the outspoken young woman who has inspired generations around the world. Streaming free on CBC Gem. Click here to watch
Out There – A National Parks Story
A young filmmaker sets out on a 10,000-mile exploration of the national parks with his childhood friend during the centennial year of the formation of the National Park Service. Along the way, the two record stories of the people that work in the parks and those that come to enjoy them, as part of the rich tapestry of the history of the park system emerges. They hear profound stories of people from all ages, walks of life, and cultures that come to the parks seeking tranquility, healing, motivation, and connection to the natural world. Between spectacular visuals of the parks and compelling interviews are colorful bits of old maps, posters, and travelogues. This stunning road trip is a tribute to the national parks and their history, and is also a recognition of the people that appreciate them and work to maintain their beauty. Read more
New PBS Documentary Features Work on the Eastern Shore
A documentary that aired on PBS highlights the challenges the Eastern Shore faces, with an emphasis on UVA’s work to address flooding and resilience on the coast.
“Against the Current” provides a powerful glimpse of how Virginia’s Eastern Shore residents are subject to the challenges of rising water’s effects on their lives and livelihood. Through resilience and perseverance, they learn to co-exist and celebrate their rural home. How can this unique community shed light on the national conversations happening around these climate issues?
Environmental stalwart Stewart Udall celebrated in new documentary
Stewart Udall sits behind the desk in his Washington, D.C., law office, one block from the White House, Aug. 13, 1977. After serving as Secretary of the Interior to Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson, Udall opened a private legal practice, specializing in environmental, energy and Indian affairs. (AP Photo/Jeff Taylor)
The former Secretary of the Interior helped establish the Pacific Crest Trail, four national parks – including one in Washington – and many groundbreaking environmental laws.
Rachel Carson. David Brower. Aldo Leopold. These luminaries are often credited with igniting the modern environmental movement. Yet there’s another monumental figure, now sometimes overlooked, who spearheaded many of the movement’s most important ideas and initiatives: Stewart Udall.
A Westerner who fought what he called “the myth of superabundance,” and a prevailing attitude of growth for its own sake, Udall appealed for a new “land conscience” to conserve public lands already threatened by deforestation and exploitation. Washingtonians of a certain age may remember this conservation icon, a secretary of the interior through the 1960s, for establishing the North Cascades and Redwood national parks, among others, and for creating the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail, part of the massive National Trails System Act that now comprises a network of more than 86,000 miles of trails across the country.
Having entered public office as a Congressman representing Arizona, Udall was appointed Secretary of the Interior by President John F. Kennedy in 1961. He later served under President Lyndon Johnson until 1969.
Many of the landmark environmental laws that we now take for granted can be traced back to Udall’s leadership, making him, according to Seattle filmmaker John de Graaf, “one of the unsung heroes of 20th-century American history.”
