ELEMENTAL
Price: $310.00 Code: 2442 |
Directed by Gayatri Roshan & Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee
2012, 93 and 56 minute version available
56 minute version: optional closed captions
Purchase: $310 / Classroom rental: $125
Click here to download the free discussion guide and conversation cards.
Elemental delivers a powerful and unusually intimate portrait of modern environmental activism through the story of three eco-warriors united by their deep connection with nature and commitment to confront some of the most pressing ecological challenges of our time.
The film follows Eriel Deranger, a Northern Alberta-based Canadian indigenous activist opposing the Tar Sands and a proposed 2,000 mile Keystone XL Pipeline, that would travel from Northern Canada to the Gulf of Mexico.
In India, water conservationist Rajendra Singh, a former Indian government official gone rogue, goes on a 40-day pilgrimage down India's once pristine Ganges now alarmingly polluted. Facing community opposition, Singh works to shut down factories, halt construction of dams, and rouse local populations to treat sacred "Mother Ganga" with respect.
In Australia, inventor and entrepreneur Jay Harman struggles to find parties willing to invest millions on revolutionary turbine devices that he believes can slow global warming.
Separated by oceans yet sharing an unwavering commitment to protect nature, the eco-warriors featured in Elemental offer an insightful and moving account of individuals overcoming overwhelming challenges.
* Official Selection, Cleveland International Film Festival
* Official Selection, WildScreen Film Festival
* Environmental Film Festival at Yale
"Stands out. A refreshing change in a genre that often succumbs to out-and-out boosterism." – San Francisco Chronicle
"Elegantly shot and edited… Even those suffering from environmental doc fatigue will find much to praise about Elemental." – San Francisco Bay Guardian
"A rare, fresh look at environmental issues and sustainability that does not shy away from the personal impact the decisions to dedicate one’s life to a cause entails." – The Film Stage
"Three fascinating profiles… Elemental speaks to the importance of protecting the natural elements: water, air, earth. It’s a beautifully filmed piece, even when it’s showing us white clouds of pollutants billowing out of a smokestack.” – The Washington Post
"The personal approach and the aesthetic sense of Elemental leave a lasting impression. It is highly recommended for junior high through adult audiences. All viewers will be thinking about this film long after the credits roll." – Educational Media Reviews Online
"The narratives are carefully interwoven to show how small steps taken against vast obstacles can begin to make a difference in the formidable fight to save the environment. Professionally filmed and edited with a quiet but appropriate soundtrack, this will be useful as a supplement to discussions concerning environmental activism." – School Library Journal
"It is often asked if one person can make a difference, but then each of us is one person. And while the obstacles and challenges are enormous, some of us are doing the work of more than one person. Elemental is a lovely film that profiles three such people. Suitable for high school classes and for college courses in cultural anthropology, environmental anthropology of language, anthropology of social movements, and South Asian and Canadian studies, as well as general audiences." – Anthropology Review Database
2012, 93 and 56 minute version available
56 minute version: optional closed captions
Purchase: $310 / Classroom rental: $125
Click here to download the free discussion guide and conversation cards.
Elemental delivers a powerful and unusually intimate portrait of modern environmental activism through the story of three eco-warriors united by their deep connection with nature and commitment to confront some of the most pressing ecological challenges of our time.
The film follows Eriel Deranger, a Northern Alberta-based Canadian indigenous activist opposing the Tar Sands and a proposed 2,000 mile Keystone XL Pipeline, that would travel from Northern Canada to the Gulf of Mexico.
In India, water conservationist Rajendra Singh, a former Indian government official gone rogue, goes on a 40-day pilgrimage down India's once pristine Ganges now alarmingly polluted. Facing community opposition, Singh works to shut down factories, halt construction of dams, and rouse local populations to treat sacred "Mother Ganga" with respect.
In Australia, inventor and entrepreneur Jay Harman struggles to find parties willing to invest millions on revolutionary turbine devices that he believes can slow global warming.
Separated by oceans yet sharing an unwavering commitment to protect nature, the eco-warriors featured in Elemental offer an insightful and moving account of individuals overcoming overwhelming challenges.
Subjects & Collections
Festivals & Awards
* Official Selection, Mill Valley Film Festival* Official Selection, Cleveland International Film Festival
* Official Selection, WildScreen Film Festival
* Environmental Film Festival at Yale
Reviews
"This sensitively scored film complicates the typical missionary’s-progress arc by acknowledging its would-be heroes’ weaknesses and the day-to-day obstacles to doing good." – The New York Times"Stands out. A refreshing change in a genre that often succumbs to out-and-out boosterism." – San Francisco Chronicle
"Elegantly shot and edited… Even those suffering from environmental doc fatigue will find much to praise about Elemental." – San Francisco Bay Guardian
"A rare, fresh look at environmental issues and sustainability that does not shy away from the personal impact the decisions to dedicate one’s life to a cause entails." – The Film Stage
"Three fascinating profiles… Elemental speaks to the importance of protecting the natural elements: water, air, earth. It’s a beautifully filmed piece, even when it’s showing us white clouds of pollutants billowing out of a smokestack.” – The Washington Post
"The personal approach and the aesthetic sense of Elemental leave a lasting impression. It is highly recommended for junior high through adult audiences. All viewers will be thinking about this film long after the credits roll." – Educational Media Reviews Online
"The narratives are carefully interwoven to show how small steps taken against vast obstacles can begin to make a difference in the formidable fight to save the environment. Professionally filmed and edited with a quiet but appropriate soundtrack, this will be useful as a supplement to discussions concerning environmental activism." – School Library Journal
"It is often asked if one person can make a difference, but then each of us is one person. And while the obstacles and challenges are enormous, some of us are doing the work of more than one person. Elemental is a lovely film that profiles three such people. Suitable for high school classes and for college courses in cultural anthropology, environmental anthropology of language, anthropology of social movements, and South Asian and Canadian studies, as well as general audiences." – Anthropology Review Database
Trailer
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