River Silence

Fission

2025

The climate crisis, Germany’s nuclear phase-out and Russia’s war against Ukraine are just three of the heavy pieces in the dramatic game about the future of energy. Caught in the middle are two small towns with barely a thousand residents each: Gundremmingen in Bavaria, home to a shuttered nuclear plant, and Choczewo on Poland’s Baltic coast, where the country’s first facility is now under construction. What do the good people on the ground think about it all?

Stopping the Next Pandemic

2023

How can we prevent epidemics? Why do viruses and bacteria move? Rather than trying to contain epidemics one after another, why not stop the processes that encourage their emergence? The challenges are enormous, but scientists argue that solutions exist. Because if emerging diseases are the collateral consequences of our lifestyles, our lifestyles are under our control.

First Thing Sunday

2025

Jyire holds a motocross race in his hometown, where he must adhere to the park’s restrictions and drown out the public’s concern.

The Cost of Cobalt

2021

In the cobalt mining areas of Katanga in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), babies are being born with horrific birth defects. Scientists and doctors are finding increasing evidence of environmental pollution from industrial mining which, they believe, may be the cause of a range of malformations from cleft palate to some so serious the baby is stillborn. More than 60% of the world’s reserves of cobalt are in the DRC and this mineral is essential for the production of electric car batteries, which may be the key to reducing carbon emissions and to slowing climate change. In The Cost of Cobalt we meet the doctors treating the children affected and the scientists who are measuring the pollution. Cobalt may be part of the global solution to climate change, but is it right that Congo’s next generation pay the price with their health? Many are hoping that the more the world understands their plight, the more pressure will be put on the industry here to clean up its act.

The Call of the Mountain

1997

On 1500 metres above sea level, on the slope of the mountain Hallingskarvet, stands "Tvergastein', the cabin of Norwegian philosopher Arne Naess. In his life he has spent nearly 12 years in this hut, where he wrote several books and essays on philosophy and ecology. In this film, Naess tells about the concept of 'deep ecology', which was first introduced by him in 1973. One of the basic tenets of deep ecology is that nature has a value in itself, apart from its possible use value to humans. Next to being a famous mountaineer, Naess has been a longtime activist in the environmental movement. He gives an inspiring account of his participation in blockades to prevent the Alta river in northern Norway (the area of the Sami, an indigenous people) from being dammed.

In Our Water

1982

A New Jersey family discovers their drinking water is contaminated with deadly poisons from a nearby landfill.

Steve Backshall's Royal Arctic Challenge

2025

50 years on from the event, environmentalist Steve Backshall retraces a young Prince Charles' Arctic adventure and uncovers dramatic changes to our planet alongside an urgent need for action.

Silvicola

2023

The human impact on forests is explored through breathtaking vistas and poignant vignettes set in Canada's Pacific Northwest. Those who rely on this precious resource highlight the tensions and dilemmas between commodification and conservation.

Butterfly

2001

Living in an ancient redwood tree for more than two years to prevent the tree from being clear-cut, Julia Butterfly Hill captured our hearts and minds by showing us that one person can make a difference. Through interviews with Hill, filmmaker Doug Wolens paints a portrait of an intensely spiritual and articulate woman who encountered both beauty and horror (she was assaulted by lumber company helicopters at one point) during her time above ground.

The Choice: Illegal Dumping

The issue of illegal dumping is tackled by a group of Irish students, exposing the motives, behaviors and consequences of dumping around their local town.

buen vivir – ñutse canseye

2025

Oil extraction in the Amazon region is contaminating the land and water of a natural paradise. A slow process that threatens the health and traditional culture of local communities. Thirteen women raise their voices against the destruction of their land. Through protests and silent resistance, they confront an opaque global power structure.

Mira-futuro

2022