Environmental Studies

In northeastern China, the Songhua River has for generations served as a vital center – for leisure, commerce, and most importantly, drinking water – for the people of Harbin. Filmed only one year after a major chemical spill in its waters, Songhua depicts the enduring and complex relationship between the city’s residents and their "mother river," and considers the environmental implications of the waterway’s condition.

A compelling, thought-provoking documentary, F*ck for Forest explores a unique form of modern environmental activism where sexual liberation merges with global altruism. This critically acclaimed film follows several members of the eponymous organization as they raise money for struggling indigenous tribes in the Amazon by distributing home-made erotic films on the internet.

Featuring extensive interviews, rare photographs and archival footage, this is a fascinating, candid portrait of Dennis Banks ("Nowa Cumig" in Ojibwe), co-founder of the American Indian Movement. The film chronicles the history of the American Indian Movement, from the Custer Trail to Wounded Knee to the Longest Walk.

On a remote archipelago in the Pacific Northwest, an uncommon abundance of animal and vegetable life has sustained the Haida people for countless generations. Following traditional food harvesters as they gather and prepare for the winter, Survival Prayer is an intimate ethnographic portrait of an indigenous community and the conditions - environmental and man-made - that threaten their way of life.

For hundreds of years, the acoustic guitar has been made from the same species of Spruce. Today, due to an extreme logging practice known as clear-cutting, this tree is in danger of disappearing - and with it, the acoustic guitar. In this captivating documentary, owners of the top guitar makers unite with Greenpeace and travel to the largest forest in the US to meet with Native American landowners in the hope of finding a sustainable solution.

A powerful and unusually intimate portrait of modern environmental activism, Elemental captures the stories of three eco-warriors, separated by oceans, but united by their deep connection with nature and commitment to confront some of the most pressing ecological challenges of our time.

A gorgeously filmed ethnographic portrait of an elderly Kenyan shark fisherman who has a primeval bond with the ocean and its creatures, Wavumba: They Who Smell of Fish delivers an enchanting depiction of Africa's storytelling tradition, where fantasy, dreams, belief and reality blend.

In 1983, Time magazine bestowed its coveted person-of-the-year award to the computer. Since then, technology has advanced at an amazing speed, and people have been replacing their old machines at the same rate, creating a cyclical stream of hazardous e-waste. Terra Blight is an eye-opening documentary that examines the environmental implications of this global problem.

On December 2, 1984, forty tons of poisonous gas leaked from a Union Carbide (DOW Chemical) pesticide plant in Bhopal, India, killing over 20,000 people. Today, hundreds of thousands continue to suffer from chronic diseases and disabilities. Bhopali is an invaluable examination of the world's worst environmental disaster.

An award-winning trilogy exploring the changing face of China from the filmmaking team of Ruby Yang and Thomas Lennon, this set includes the Academy Award nominated documentary The Warriors of Qiugang, the acclaimed Tongzhi in Love, and the Academy Award winning The Blood of Yingzhou District.

A powerful documentary that captures the stirrings of an environmental movement in China, The Warriors of Qiugang brings to light the incredible efforts of a small village to shut down a chemical plant after years of environmental neglect. It is the third film in a trilogy about the changing face of China, from the filmmakers of The Blood of Yingzhou District and Tongzhi in Love.

In 2002, the mining company Meridian Gold arrived in Esquel, a small town in Argentina suffering from 40% unemployment. Meridian's operation would inject $120M into the local economy, but their methods raised serious environmental and health concerns. This film documents a local conflict with global consequences.

Deep in the Amazon rainforest, three cities form a unique triple border between three South American countries: Brazil, Colombia and Peru. Beautifully photographed, Lands examines the impact of borders, commerce and urbanization on the lives of the local and indigenous population as well as the surrounding ecology.

An award-winning documentary, Sweet Crude examines the humanitarian, environmental and economic devastation caused by 50 years of oil extraction in Nigeria's Niger Delta. Filmmaker Sandy Cioffi - imprisoned by the Nigerian military during the shoot and released only after an international outcry - uncovers an international web of oil politics, big business and media manipulation.

Most of us rarely think twice about being able to buy a fruit or vegetable at any time of year or season. Campesinos... We Will Inherit the Earth profiles three children in Central America whose farming families are responsible for sustainably growing products that are everyday staples in our society - and are available every day.

For generations, Cairo has relied on the Zabelleen or "garbage people" to collect the city's trash - resulting in the world's most efficient recycling program. A multiple award-winning documentary, Garbage Dreams considers the environmental and social repercussions when the city suddenly decides to outsource their trade to multinational waste disposal companies.

What can the behavior of bees tell us about our environment? The Beekeepers is an innovative documentary that investigates the causes behind Colony Collapse Disorder, the mass disappearance of bees all over the world.

An astounding new documentary on the first victims of global warming, The Last Days of Shishmaref travels to a small village in northwest Alaska, home to an Inupiaq Eskimo community, where homes are literally falling into the sea. The entire village is expected to disappear within 10 years.

Planted in Israel, harvested in Gaza, and exported to gourmet markets across Europe, the Gazan strawberry is the only product sold abroad as Palestinian produce. The amazing story of this little red fruit is a study in globalization and politics that offers a fresh perspective on the current Israeli-Palestinian crisis.

An urgent, beautifully crafted examination of urban sprawl and its impact on the environment, The Unforeseen is a critically-acclaimed, award-winning documentary from director Laura Dunn and executive producers Terrence Malick and Robert Redford.