Every April 22 every year, International Mother Earth Day is celebrated. The purpose of Earth Day is to raise awareness and support for the protection of the environment and biodiversity. The first Earth Day was held in 1970, and it is now celebrated by millions of people in more than 190 countries.
In just a couple of decades, Earth Day has grown from a single day of commemoration for the environmental movement in the United States to a global network that prepares and educates more than a billion people to conserve and improve the planet.
On the occasion of Earth Day, we want to selection of documentaries that raise critical environmental issues such as global warming, air and water pollution, deforestation, and the importance of biodiversity conservation.
Many Earth Day supporters encourage citizens to enjoy these films and shows as they inform, educate, and urge us to “get involved” with the environment. What stands out about them is that they are based on exhaustive research, scientific findings, and provide an important learning component.
Earth is our home and we all have a responsibility to protect her for future generations. Here is our selection:
Our Planet (2019)
Director: Sophie Lanfear
The nature docu-series Our Planet reflects the impact of climate change on diverse environments around the globe.
The eight-part production is a breathtaking journey that invites viewers to revel in the glories of the natural world. Our Planet includes land and seascapes ranging from the icy Antarctic, the Arabian desert, the deep jungle of Borneo, to the coral reefs of Australia. Its producers partnered with the World Wildlife Fund to examine and describe how various ecosystems around the world are threatened by human activity, and what can be done to conserve or restore them.
The underlying message of this docu-series is that humans have had a devastating impact on wildlife and nature and that we must take action to prevent further loss.
The first season of Our Planet earned 10 Emmy nominations, and was awarded Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series and Outstanding Narrator, for naturalist Sir David Attenborough.
Our Planet is part of an emerging genre of wildlife documentary series that address both conservation and climate change.
Trashed (2012)
Director: Canada Brady
Trashed is a 2012 environmental documentary, written and directed by British filmmaker Candida Brady. This production reflects the staggering amount of waste generated by everyday activities and “rubs” in our faces the poisonous consequences of littering the planet.
Featuring Oscar-winning actor Jeremy Irons, the documentary demonstrates that the current rate of waste generation is unsustainable, endangering the food chain and the environment. The movie star travels the world to explain the film’s plot, appearing in locations ranging from the United Kingdom and Lebanon to the Pacific coast of the United States.
Trashed poses a global conversation between Irons and scientists, politicians and ordinary people whose health and livelihoods have been deeply affected by profligate consumerism and waste pollution.
The information presented in this documentary, such as a river in Indonesia filled with garbage that locals use as drinking water, or a home in Vietnam that cares for children with deformities caused by the potent dioxins from Agent Orange herbicides sprayed by the U.S. military, may be shocking, but it is crucial to understand in order to gain awareness of what we have damaged.
The Elephant Whisperers (2022)
Director: Kartiki Gonsalves
Directed by Kartiki Gonsalves, The Elephant Whisperers became the first Indian film to win the Oscar for Best Documentary Short at the 95th Academy Awards.
“Bomman and Bellie, a couple in south India, devote their lives to caring for an orphaned baby elephant named Raghu, forging a family like no other” describes the official synopsis. Gonsalves’ piece shows us the day-to-day lives of Bomman, Bellie, and Raghu as they create unlikely bonds and lasting memories.
The Elephant Whisperers has been praised for promoting wildlife conservation. Along the way, viewers learn that elephants are intelligent, emotional, and form deep family bonds with their caretakers.
The 41-minute film is not only a touching story of human-elephant relationships, but also a tribute to the beauty of the forests of southern India and the fascinating culture of tribal communities.
The Last Glaciers (2022)
Director: Craig Leeson
Under the direction of acclaimed Australian filmmaker Craig Leeson, The Last Glaciers is an engaging documentary about the relationship between climate change, mountainous environments and glaciers.
Shot over four years in twelve countries, The Last Glaciers follows award-winning Craig Leeson and Mountain Hero Malcolm Wood on their journey to the planet’s remaining glaciers. Overall, this film warns about the effects of climate change in the mountains, where the earth’s vital water reserves are located.
From Antarctica to the Himalayas, the Alps and the Andes, the 40-minute documentary is a call to action to restore ecosystems.
Joining forces with leading scientists, affected communities and extreme athletes, The Last Glaciers strives to convey optimism about the fight against climate change, while motivating people to make a difference.
Honeyland (2019)
Director: Tamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stefanov
The feature debut of Tamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stefanov, Honeyland tells the story of the rural life of Hatidze Muratova, the last bee gatherer in North Macedonia. Shot over three years, the film explores an endangered tradition and the fragile relationship between humans and nature.
In this stunning production, Hatidze, a woman in her 50s, harvests honey sustainably and traditionally from wild hives. Her working methods are intimate and humane. It is not hard to notice that Hatidze is endowed with a loving touch that, it seems, the bees recognize and allow. To the naked eye, things are as they should be.
But, everything is complicated by the unexpected arrival of new and annoying neighbors who upset the natural balance of the place. Unfortunately, the beautiful bond between Hatidze and the bees is threatened by the new neighbors, who decide to implement a greedier and more lucrative approach to the beekeeping business.
The Macedonian project, winner of the Sundance Film Festival, is a poignant reminder of the relevance of coexisting harmoniously with nature and its magnificent creatures.
Haulout (2022)
Director: Maxim Arbugaev and Evgenia Arbugaeva
Written, directed and produced by sibling duo Maxim Arbugaev and Evgenia Arbugaeva, the documentary Haulout is a wake-up call about the migratory animals living in the Arctic that are threatened by global warming. It is a powerful experience that transports viewers into the realms of walruses.
The 25-minute documentary follows marine biologist Maxim Chakilev to his remote cabin in Chukotka, located in the vast expanses of the Siberian Arctic. There, Chakilev is dedicated to measuring walrus migration patterns every year. About 100,000 come ashore and congregate there.
Haulout captures the desperation and death that stalk walruses, forced to huddle together on land masses rather than rest on the sea ice, as it is rapidly melting. In this sense, the term Haulout refers to a place of refuge where walruses congregate to rest and mate. However, as the world’s ecology changes, the threat to these mammals is growing at an alarming rate. Sadly, the number of walrus deaths is increasing from year to year.
Although Haulout did not win the Oscar for best short documentary in the 2023 edition, it is undoubtedly a project of essential importance in the midst of growing protests against climate change and government inaction.
Image: James Wheeler