3500+ Films - 2.5 million words – 1 million viewers! Founder and Curator Carmela selects some of our most entertaining, powerful and inspiring Environmental films at We Are Moving Stories. These include documentary and drama, shorts and feature length about forests, pollution, the climate crisis in Australia - and collective solutions.
Total length of this section: 26 films.
<FORESTS>
The Gnomist - True story about the mysterious appearance of fairy homes that appear in a suburban forest and the magical experience shared by three women. Length: 21 minutes (festival version) 17 minutes (on line). Director Sharon Liese:
“This film was inspired by an article I read in the local newspaper about mysterious fairy homes popping up on a walking trail near my home. I was intrigued. I thought it might be a cute and short “who done it” story, but quickly learned there was much more to the story.”
The Forest’s Edge is an environmental documentary film directed by Luke Fisher; it focuses on a group of conservationists trying to protect the Las Piedras region of Peru and the complicated social and cultural issues involved with rain forest deforestation that they must confront. Length: 25 minutes. Writer/Director/Producer Luke Fisher:
“If we want to preserve the rain forest then we need to understand all the intricate problems and issues that have thus far prevented us from doing that. And we can’t wait any longer. It needs to start happening now. This film is all about the social issues that deforestation brings and presents them in a way that I think is hard to ignore.”
Pilliga Rising - A salt-of-the-earth farmer, a German potter, a young Indigenous multimedia artist and an experienced citizen scientist rise up to protect their communities against a proposed coal seam gas-field in the Pilliga forest; a million acres of iconic Australian bush. Length: 40 minutes. Writer/Director/Producer/Editor Mark Pearce:
“The film takes viewers on a journey involving the intimate lives of four Australians who anchor themselves in courage and convey a desire for unity against coal seam gas in their communities.”
Cry of the Forests - A Western Australian Story - Cry of the Forests looks at the plight of Western Australia’s unique forests and their value in drawing down and storing carbon. Length: 54 minutes. Writer/Director/Producer Jane Hammond:
“This film highlights the little known extent of the wasteful practice of logging our native forests and highlights the real value of forests to climate. It is a must see. It is a beautiful cinematic journey with community power and hope at its core.”
Blueberry Spirits is a poetic documentary about a Roma family that spends its summers in the Latvian forests, picking berries to make a living. While harvesting the fruits of the forest, they reflect on their identity as a group by sharing ghost stories. Length: 13 minutes. Director Astra Zoldnere:
“I made the film to give voice to a marginalized community with a very rich European culture. So when I first met my characters in the forest I immediately felt that there is a special energy that holds everybody together. I stayed with the Roma family in the forest to find out more and I did discover a culture where time has a special meaning, where stories and characters from the past are as real as the events which happen in the present. ”
Harvest Moon follows Bolot Tagaew and his family through the walnut harvest season in the endangered forests of southern Kyrgyzstan. Length: 70 minutes. Director/Producer Zaheed Mawani:
“But now the threat of deforestation looms; an estimated 90% of these forests have been destroyed in the past 50 years, taking their vital resources with them. Unsurprisingly, the plight of the forests have come under increased international attention as various governments, NGOs and other stakeholders look at ways to protect this genetic time capsule. ”
Les proies (The Game) - From the view of their log cabin hut in the Landes region of France, men scour the autumnal skies. They listen to the rustling of the forest, eagerly awaiting the birds to pass overhead. In a strange choreography, they pull on the strings of time to activate their trap, while all around them the trees are falling. Length: 53 minutes. Director Marine de Contes:
“I made The Game to share an experience in the Landes forest, located in the southwest of France. I would like the audience to feel what I discovered deep into this wood, the sounds, the light, the animals and an old tradition of a group of people. I also want to question our world and especially the way we manage natural resources and change our ecosystem.”
In the Light of the Fire - Escaping from a mental healthcare facility into the lush KwaZulu Natal forest, uSlindile - a woman trying to find her path - encounters three characters who remind her of her past and her fire. Length: 13 minutes. Writer/Director/Producer Rafeeqah Galant:
“Give yourself the opportunity to get lost in a natural landscape that is exquisitely beautiful and then while you are there you are going to ask yourself, is this place real? And if it isn’t real does it matter? The film follows Slindile as she tries to find answers for herself but what it does is makes the audience ask questions of themselves. Questions that relate to family, responsibility, deep loss and hurt as well as our human capacity to endure and move forward.”
understorey - In the heart of the Malaysian rainforest, tour guides and conservationists strive to rekindle our lost connection to nature by planting seeds of sustainable practices and a love for nature from an early age. Length: 7:06 Producer/Director Claire Riverland and Lily Newcombe:
“There are many films on rainforest degradation in Malaysia focused on the big-picture battle of conservation organizations against palm oil plantations and poachers, but understorey proceeds to take this a step further and pulls you into the lives of these conservationists. understorey is unique as it delves into the solutions of how to reverse our planet’s dire situation, focusing on ecotourism and education in hopes of inspiring a love of nature, to influencing society to conserve the rainforests.”
<POLLUTION>
Death By Design - The Dirty Secret of our Digital Addiction. Length: 73 minutes. Director: Sue Williams:
“Like most of us I thought the electronics industry was a clean one. When I learned it was basically a chemical handling industry, one that is seriously contributing to the destruction of the environment and global warming, I knew it was a story that needed to be told.”
Wastewater: A Tale of Two Cities - Critical to the environment, public health, and quality of life, wastewater infrastructure in Alabama - and throughout the US - suffers from decades of lack of investment and racial discrimination, and is increasingly threatened by the changing climate. Length: 22:16 minutes. Director/Editor Sarah Franke:
“The issues presented in Wastewater are personal to the people experiencing them, and the infrastructure challenges they are facing are specific to Alabama’s geography and climate - but versions of these issues exist in all of our local communities. Caring about people and our planet is universal.”
The Smell of Money - A century after her grandfather claimed his freedom from slavery and the family land, Elsie Herring and her North Carolina community fight the world's largest pork corporation for their freedom to enjoy fresh air, clean water, and a life without the stench of manure. Length: 84 minutes. Director/Producer/Editor Shawn Bannon:
“The script and story were always evolving as we were following a 9-year lawsuit, extremely unexpected things happened and right when we thought we were done everything changed overnight. It was an absolutely heartbreaking film to work on.”
Haze, it's complicated… - Pragmatic farmers, concerned scientists and driven activists share their experience with peat haze pollution and express their conflicting opinions about the conversion of the Southeast Asian peatland forests into oil palm farms. Length: 70 minutes. Writer/Director/Producer Isaac Kerlow:
“You should watch this film because a large portion of the food and cosmetic products in supermarkets throughout much of the world use palm oil as an ingredient which means that we have a role in the destruction or preservation of the forests that are being destroyed to make room for palm oil production. In addition, if you live in Southeast Asia this issue exemplifies the complexity of some challenges in this part of the world and how they reach across social, economical, scientific, political and health spheres.”
Being Hear - Emmy-Award winning nature sound recordist and acoustic ecologist, Gordon Hempton, works to protect the few remaining quiet places on Earth from noise pollution. Being Hear highlights his quest to preserve silence and the importance of listening to the world around us. Length: 10 minutes. Director/Producer Palmer Morse & Matthew Mikkelsen:
“Being Hear is extremely unconventional in its approach and has been described as a film that puts sound first, which is something we strived to do from the very beginning. Utilizing Gordon Hempton’s Emmy Award winning nature sounds throughout, the film is not only an experience for your eyes, but most importantly for your ears. Through these beautiful sounds, we can begin to understand why it is important to protect and preserve quiet spaces, because it gives us the ability to listen to nature at its most natural..”
The Last of the Nightingales - Bernie Krause, the legendary pioneer of Acoustic Ecology, takes us on an immersive journey to understand the roadmap that natural soundscapes can offer for overcoming the climate crisis. Length: 32 minutes. Director/Producer/Editor Masha Karpoukhina:
“Basically, our planet is descending into silence as we choke the life out of it. We have looked at the climate crisis through so many different lenses, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone speak about it from a perspective of a planetary voice. I wanted to understand more and I wanted to hear that voice and share it.”
A Crude Injustice - The aftermath of Australia’s biggest offshore oil disaster on the people of West Timor. Length: 26 minutes. Writer/Director/Producer Jane Hammond:
“The film tells the story of an Australian oil spill and how people impacted by that spill have been neglected and ignored. It is a story of environmental justice and human rights and shows how regulatory oversight in Australia can and does fail.”
Sagebrush Gold - A lithium mine being built in Nevada's remote sagebrush desert promises us a greener future, but local ranchers, environmentalists, and indigenous tribes share a different side to the story. Length: 23 minutes. Writer/Director/Producer Marcus Widger:
“I have a very fluid approach to filmmaking. I start with a rough shooting script with key story beats I would like to see, but I also like to let my films ‘make themselves’. ”
<CLIMATE CRISIS IN AUSTRALIA>
Nanna Power: The Story of the Gloucester Knitting Nannas - What could cause a great grandmother to lock herself to a fence? The Gloucester Knitting Nannas formed during the regional New South Wales town’s fight against AGL, which made national headlines. 'When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty' is the motivation behind four grandmothers who protest against gas and greed in Australia. Length: 20 minutes. Directors Anne Keen, Pete White:
“When you think of protesters - people who chain themselves to fences for hours upon hours - do you imagine them to be grandmothers or great grandmothers? The story of these women may change the way you think about activism. These are educated women putting their lives on the line for social justice. They are breaking down the stereotypes of who people believe environmental activists to be.”
Wild Things spends a year on the frontline with environmental activists hell bent on saving their futures from the ravages of climate change. Length: 89 minutes. Director/Producer Sally Ingleton:
“Social change rarely happens unless it is driven by people. Yet increasingly the cries of those demanding action to address the climate emergency are falling on deaf ears. For many the only option is to head to the frontline and practice non-violent direct action in order to save forests, stop new coal mines and demand a safe future for their kids and grandkids”
Cry of the Forests - A Western Australian Story - looks at the plight of Western Australia’s unique forests and their value in drawing down and storing carbon. Length: 54 minutes. Writer/Director/Producer Jane Hammond:
“The universal theme of the need to act in a time of climate emergency to end the wasteful practice of logging in native forests. We need our forests for climate and biodiversity. Ending deforestation is as important as ending fossil fuel use. Around the world we all need to act to protect what is in our own backyards and to join the fight to save life on earth.”
Where The Water Starts - After seeing the destruction of Australia's Snowy Mountains fragile alpine ecology first hand, Richard Swain decides to speak out. Length: 71 minutes. Writer/Director Mandy King:
“After three months of filming, our main protagonists and most of the rest of the country was engulfed in wild fires never seen on such a scale or intensity before.
Much of the alpine region was severely burnt. This compelled us to incorporate the broader issue of climate change and the effects of global warming as a theme which interweaves through the film. While the immediate issue for our participants was the highly destructive impact of feral animals in Kosciuszko National Park, the fires brought the larger picture of climate change into sharp focus.”
Australia Burns...silence of the land In 2019-20 Australia experienced a catastrophic bushfire season, one of the worst on record. This documentary focuses not only on the fires and their devastating effect on Australia’s unique wildlife and eco system, but whether climate change played a role, why was it so random and merciless and will this become the new normal? Length: 80 minutes. Writer/Director/Producer Shane McLachlan:
“Australia is a disappointment to the world in its lack of action on climate change and we all, especially Australians, need to change this.”
BLACK SUMMER - A documentary about the 2019-2020 bushfires in Australia. Delving into the lives of the locals impacted and the affect it has had on the environment around them. The locals, throughout a series of interviews, re live these mega bushfires and help us to understand how it has impacted their day to day life, but also the long term effect it has had on their future and the environment around them. Their stories and opinions explain first hand the negative affect we, as a population, are having on the world and climate. Length: 72 minutes. Writer/Director Hagyung Koo:
“There are lots of people here that have been personally affected by the forest fires, wether it is through personal loss or someone close to them.
Others just heard about it through the news or other media sources and it just faded into the back of their minds.
This documentary is meant to bridge the gap between these two groups and put a face and a personal experience to the bushfires.”
INFERNO WITHOUT BORDERS - The apocalyptic 2019-2020 Australian bushfires were a dire warning: respect the environment and listen to indigenous wisdom, or our world will become a living hell. Length: 52 minutes. Writer/Director Sandrine Charruyer:
“These devastating fires are not only an Australian problem – we are seeing these infernos become commonplace in other countries beyond our borders. ”
<COLLECTIVE SOLUTIONS>
Out Of The Bag - A short documentary exploring the ways in which three artists re-appropriate single-use plastic bags and other plastics as their medium to create artworks, with varying intentions: from raising environmental awareness, to expressing the conflict of personal emotions. Length: 14 minutes. Director Aidan Bradbury-Aranda:
“You should watch this film because it addresses the important issue of plastic pollution, which everyone in the world should be aware of at this point. But I promise not to depress you and make you lose hope. Quite the opposite, I want this film to inspire you, and let you see the amazing steps that artists are taking to bring attention to this issue.”
Loving Grasslands - Landholders and ecologists are working in Hume City Council’s Green Wedge to restore and manage land in harmony with nature, saving critically endangered grasslands from extinction. Director/Producer/Editor Brendan Guerin:
“Another, perhaps unexpected, strength of the series is the focus on existential issues; how managing land in harmony with nature, rather than trying to control or manipulate nature, can potentially reverse biodiversity loss, reduce extreme fire risk in tinder-box Australia and greatly improve landscape aesthetics, farm productivity and environmental sustainability.”
Sadeh - What does it mean to [let land] rest? This is the question on the mind of Felix, a queer climate activist who moved to the first Jewish farm in the UK after becoming disabled. Length: 3 minutes. Director Jessica Benhamou:
“I wanted to explore the ancient agricultural law of Schmita, whereby you let land lie fallow every seven years, and think deeply about the importance of rest - both for the environment and ourselves - in the modern world. The pandemic forced many of us to reassess our life/work balance and this was my way of tackling that subject.”
UnderSee - An invasion of destructive black sludge intrudes on an idyllic world inhabited by mythic beings who find momentary salvation in the actions of an assiduous invertebrate clean-up crew who arrive to make things right. Length: 8 minutes. Director/Producer Margie Kelk:
“You should watch this film because it will awaken your interest in environmental concerns as it entertains you. If we do not take action to protect our physical world, future generations may well lose the natural world we have been living in.”
Dreamweavers Gidja Walker OAM - Gidja Walker is a Mornington Peninsula-based ecologist and ethnobotanist who has worked for years protecting its Earthscapes. Gidja overcame discrimination in a male-dominated profession. She is a mentor to young women entering the world of nature-based learning and an advocate for traditional owner custodianship. Length: 21:00 Producer/Director Heather Forbes-McKeon:
“Gidja being an outspoken protector of cultural heritage and earthscapes meant that we were sometimes refused permission to film her at certain locations or we were forced to comply with mountains of red tape, possibly, in the hope that we would give up. We didn’t give up, instead, we found ways around any problems and continued with our intention of telling Gidja’s story.”