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FILM LIBRARY: ENVIRONMENT

Arctic Son
by Andrew Walton

In "Arctic Son," the clash of tradition and modernity puts a Native father and son at odds in the remote village of Old Crow, 80 miles above the Arctic Circle. Stanley Jr., raised in Seattle, is drifting deeper into drinking and partying. Stanley Sr., a distant, philosophical figure to his son, keeps the ways of his Gwitchin ancestors alive by hunting, fishing and living by his wits in the harsh arctic environment. After a lifetime apart, the two are reunited in the raw, quiet beauty of the Canadian Yukon in a story that captures the dialogue between a father and son from vastly different worlds.

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Downloadable materials:
Discussion Guide | Further Reading List | Lesson Plan

P.O.V.'s Borders | Environment

The 2004 Webby Award-winning episode of P.O.V.'s online series focused on the environment with short films about hybrid cars, alternative fuel, bottled water and the largest oil spill in US history (it's not the Exon Valdez). These videos vary in length from 2 to 10 minutes and are all available on DVD.

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Downloadable materials:
Lesson Plans

Fenceline: A Company Town Divided
by Slawomir Grünberg with Jane Greenberg

Norco, Louisiana is a true company town. Named after a refinery now owned by Shell Oil, Norco is home to two distinct communities — one black and one white. Though separated by mere blocks, their realities are worlds apart. Nowhere is this clearer than in each community's response to possible links between the company's activities and the townspeople's illnesses. African-American residents who believe pollution is increasing as their health goes downhill demand to be relocated, led by the indefatigable Margie Richard. The white neighborhoods, largely home to employees of Norco, see no problems, and neither does the company. A modern David and Goliath story, "Fenceline" shows how one small community and one big corporation struggle to come to terms. An Independent Television Service (ITVS) and National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC) (TBD) Co-presentation.

This film is not currently available in our free lending library.

Work with this film:
Buy the Film | Visit P.O.V. Film Website

Downloadable materials:
Lesson Plan

Lawn
by Monteith McCollum

"Your lawn is a reflection of your character," a woman says in a phone conversation at the beginning of the film. "Lawn" explores our relationship with nature and our desire to control it. Filmed over a period of months through time-lapse, stop-motion, and long takes, it depicts an untamed yard (McCollum's) living and dying. (10 minute short film)

Work with this film:
Borrow a DVD & Host a Screening | Visit P.O.V. Film Website

Libby, Montana
by Drury Gunn Carr and Doug Hawes-Davis

Nestled below the rugged peaks of the Northern Rockies in Montana — as iconic a representation of America's "purple mountain majesties" as one can find — lies the worst case of community-wide exposure to a toxic substance in U.S. history. In the small town of Libby, many hundreds of people are sick or have already died from asbestos exposure. "Libby, Montana" takes a long working day's journey into a blue-collar community, and finds a different reality — one where the American Dream exacts a terrible price.

Work with this film:
Borrow a DVD & Host a Screening | Visit P.O.V. Film Website

Downloadable materials:
Discussion Guide | Further Reading List | Lesson Plan

Maquilapolis [city of factories]
by Vicky Funari and Sergio De La Torre

Just over the border in Mexico is an area peppered with maquiladoras: massive factories often owned by the world's largest multinational corporations. Carmen and Lourdes work at maquiladoras in Tijuana, where each day they confront labor violations, environmental devastation and urban chaos. In this lyrical documentary, the women reach beyond the daily struggle for survival to organize for change, taking on both the Mexican and U.S. governments and a major television manufacturer. A co-production of the Independent Television Service (ITVS).

Work with this film:
Borrow a DVD & Host a Screening | Visit P.O.V. Film Website

Downloadable materials:
Discussion Guide | Further Reading List | Lesson Plan

Standing Silent Nation
by Suree Towfighnia and Courtney Hermann

What does a family have to endure to create a future for itself? In April 2000, Alex White Plume and his Lakota family planted industrial hemp on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota after other crops had failed. They put their hopes for a sustainable economy in hemp's hardiness and a booming worldwide demand for its many products, from clothing to food. Although growing hemp, a relative of marijuana, was banned in the U.S., Alex believed that tribal sovereignty, along with hemp's non-psychoactive properties, would protect him. But when federal agents raided the White Plumes' fields, the Lakota Nation was swept into a Byzantine struggle over tribal sovereignty, economic rights and common sense. A co-presentation of Native American Public Telecommunications (NAPT).

Work with this film:
Borrow a DVD & Host a Screening | Visit P.O.V. Film Website

Downloadable materials:
Discussion Guide | Further Reading List | Lesson Plan

The Chances of the World Changing
by Eric Daniel Metzgar and Nell Carden Grey

A decade ago, after an epiphany at a New York restaurant, Richard Ogust began dedicating his time and resources to rescuing endangered turtles — confiscating hundreds bound for Southeast Asian food markets. When the filmmakers catch up with the 50-year-old writer, he is sharing his Manhattan loft with 1,200 turtles, including five species extinct in the wild. But his growing "ark" and preservation efforts are threatening to exhaust him, both mentally and financially. With luminous images and a haunting musical score, "The Chances of the World Changing" documents two years in the life of a man who finds himself struggling to save hundreds of lives, including his own.

Work with this film:
Borrow a DVD & Host a Screening | Visit P.O.V. Film Website

Downloadable materials:
Discussion Guide | Further Reading List | Lesson Plan

The Fire Next Time
by Patrice O'Neill

The people of the Flathead Valley in Montana were stunned when a domestic terror cell's plot to kill local leaders was uncovered. Ex-cop Brenda Kitterman and environmentalist Mike Raiman wanted to do something to address the local tensions, but the community was torn. Many residents were losing their jobs in timber and mining, and blamed environmentalists. Adding fuel to the fire was a radio talk show host who declared environmentalists "an enemy... to be annihilated." Over a stormy two-year period, "The Fire Next Time" follows a deeply divided group of Montana citizens caught in a web of conflicts intensified by rapid growth and the power of talk radio. A co-presentation with the Independent Television Service (ITVS).

This film is not currently available in our free lending library.

Work with this film:
Buy the Film | Visit P.O.V. Film Website

Downloadable materials:
Discussion Guide | Further Reading List | Lesson Plan

The Tailenders
by Adele Horne

Global Recordings Network, founded in Los Angeles in 1939, has produced audio versions of Bible stories in over 5,500 languages, and aims to record in every language on earth. They distribute the recordings, along with ultra-low-tech hand-wind players, in isolated regions and among displaced migrant workers. GRN calls their target audience "the tailenders" because they are the last to be reached by worldwide evangelism. Filmed in the Solomon Islands, Mexico, India and the United States, "The Tailenders" is an unusual filmic essay that examines the missionaries' strategic use of media and the intersection of missionary activity and global capitalism.

Work with this film:
Borrow a DVD & Host a Screening | Visit P.O.V. Film Website

Downloadable materials:
Discussion Guide | Further Reading List | Lesson Plan

Thirst
by Alan Snitow and Deborah Kaufman

Global corporations are rapidly buying up local water supplies, and communities face losing control of one of their most precious resources. Looking at tensions in Bolivia, India and Stockton, California, "Thirst" reveals how water is becoming the catalyst for explosive community resistance to globalization. Focusing on one of the 21st century's greatest issues, this film is a piercing look at the conflict between public stewardship and private profit, where activists claim that water is a human right and corporations declare it a commodity.

This film is not currently available in our free lending library.

Work with this film:
Buy the Film | Visit P.O.V. Film Website

Downloadable materials:
Discussion Guide | Further Reading List | Lesson Plan

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