What Are We Doing Here?

What Are We Doing Here?

How to view: Free on Vimeo

Director/Producer: Brandon, Nicholas, Daniel and Tim Klein
Produced 2012 | Country: USA
Run Time: 1hr25min | Language: English

Synopsis: WHAT ARE WE DOING HERE? explores why the charity given to Africa over the last five decades has been largely ineffective and often harmful. The film tells the story of Brandon, Nicholas, Daniel and Tim Klein who travel across Africa in an attempt to understand one of the great problems of our time; the failure to end poverty.

In the film, the Klein family travel 15,000 miles via public transportation from Cairo to Cape Town. They cross war torn and famine-ridden regions where aid workers, politicians, and inspiring individuals tell about the incredibly complex and often misunderstood issues that affect hundreds of millions of people across the continent.

Daring to ask the questions no one else will, the filmmakers invite the world to rethink the fight against poverty in Africa.  Could our good intentions be causing more harm than good?  Have humanitarian interventions prolonged suffering? Who is actually benefiting from our good intentions? These questions and many more are addressed for the first time ever in this groundbreaking feature length film.  If you ever wanted to know what happened to the $10 dollars you donated to charity last year, look no further.  This film will change the way you look at charity in Africa forever.

Recommendation: I watched the first 20 minutes, and the film looks like a great learning opportunity.

The End Of Poverty?

The End Of Poverty? (2008)

How to view: Rent for $2.99 on Vimeo

Director: Philippe Diaz | Producer: Cinema Libre Studio
Produced 2013 | Country: USA
Run Time: 1hr 44 min | Language: English, Spanish, French

Synopsis: The End of Poverty? is a daring, thought-provoking and very timely documentary by award-winning filmmaker, Philippe Diaz, revealing that poverty is not an accident. It began with military conquest, slavery and colonization that resulted in the seizure of land, minerals and forced labor. Today, global poverty has reached new levels because of unfair debt, trade and tax policies -- in other words, wealthy countries exploiting the weaknesses of poor, developing countries.
The End of Poverty? asks why today 20% of the planet’s population uses 80% of its resources and consumes 30% more than the planet can regenerate?

Recommendation: The trailer looks great and worth the watch.

Climate Refugees

Climate Refugees (2010)

Viewer (optional): Brian Rawson

Trailer (3 mins) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28MH3jZlucc 

How to view: Stream full movie online at http://www.snagfilms.com/films/title/climate_refugees 

Synopsis: From webpage: CLIMATE REFUGEES uncovers the unbelievable plight of people around the world displaced by climatically induced environmental disasters. The documentary illuminates for the first time the human face of climate change as civilization now finds itself facing the confluence of overpopulation, lack of resources and a changing climate. Traveling the world and interviewing several of the 25 million climate refugees now on the run, along with scholars, politicians and the like, CLIMATE REFUGEES brings to light the heart-wrenching truth of what is quickly becoming mankind?s greatest challenge.

Produced in USA, 2010

Run time: 1 hour 24 minutes
Languge: English

Recommendation/Opinion:  I have not watched the whole film. Based on trailer, it seems on topic and compelling.

Sisters on the Planet

Sisters on the Planet

Viewer (optional): Brian Rawson

Synopsis and recommendation: These short films profile women who are confronting the impacts of climate change and leading community efforts to build resilience. They are unique in providing a vivid, honest and intimate look at the lives of the women featured. However, they do not provide framing or analysis of the issue, so you must be prepared to provide that and facilitate audience discussion. 

How to view: Click below for a film profiling each Sister

Sahena (Bangladesh) (7 minutes) - young mom becomes a community leader in building resilience to floods



Sharon (US, Mississippi) (7 minutes) - After Hurricane Katrina, a hairstylist from Biloxi becomes a community leader in demanding government representation for those most affected.



Martina (Uganda) (8 minutes) - A mother must walk further from home to gather firewood for income and tree nuts for food 


OTHER RESOURCES:
- Search the internet for more Oxfam films in the "Sisters on the Planet" series
- More background information on these women, their lives, and Oxfam's work in their communities is available in this info packet (skip the first few pages of campaign messaging from 2008)

Hardest hit: Survival strategies from the frontlines of climate change

Hardest hit: Survival strategies from the frontlines of climate change



Viewer (optional): Brian Rawson

How to view: Request a free DVD from Oxfam America (while supplies last)

Or click here for the films online:

Global Crisis (10 minutes) - overview of climate change effects on people


US Gulf Coast (6 minutes) - Hurricane Katrina and building back stronger


El Salvador (6 minutes) - Safer source of drinking water to endure hurricanes



Ethiopia (6 minutes) - Innovative early warning system based on interviewing women in the community


Vietnam (6 minutes) - Farming families adapting to climate change


Director: Alan Grazioso.  Narrated by Majora Carter 

Produced in the US.  Countries featured: Ethiopia, El Salvador, Vietnam, US (Gulf Coast)

Run Time: 34 minutes to show all segments

Language: English

Year: 2009

Synopsis: 

Recommendation:  This is an excellent choice for events focused on climate resilience.

DIRT! the movie

DIRT! The Movie–narrated by Jamie Lee Curtis–brings to life the environmental, economic, social and political impact that the soil has. It shares the stories of experts from all over the world who study and are able to harness the beauty and power of a respectful and mutually beneficial relationship with soil.DIRT! The Movie is a call to action.

Visit http://www.dirtthemovie.org/ 

Viewer (optional):  Brian Rawson posted this, but hasn't viewed it yet

How to view:
- Purchase the DVD from the website http://www.dirtthemovie.org/  Just the DVD is $19; a kit for hosting free community screenings is $40.
- Purchase it online at https://gumroad.com/benpro.  Streaming version is $3, and downloadable is $10.

Director: | Producer:

Produced | Country: USA

Run Time:  | Language:  English

 Synopsis:

 Opinion:

 Recommendation:

The Carbon Rush

The Carbon Rush

How to view: http://www.thecarbonrush.net/
Watch the trailer now and watch the whole movie on YouTube on August 13th 2014.

Director: Amy Miller | Producer: Byron Martin

Produced | Country: Worldwide

Run Time: | Language: English

Synopsis: Hundreds of hydroelectric dams in Panama. Incinerators burning garbage in India. Biogas extracted from palm oil in Honduras. Eucalyptus forests harvested for charcoal in Brazil.

What do these projects have in common? They are all receiving carbon credits for offsetting pollution created somewhere else. But what impact are these offsets having? Are they actually reducing emissions? And what about the people and the communities where these projects have been set up?

THE CARBON RUSH takes us around the world to meet the people most impacted. They are the least heard in the cacophony surrounding in this emerging “green-gold” multi-billion dollar carbon industry.

From indigenous rain forest dwellers having their way of life completely threatened, to dozens of Campesinos assassinated, to the livelihood of waste pickers at landfills taken away, THE CARBON RUSH travels across four continents and brings us up close to projects working through the United Nations, Kyoto Protocol designed Clean Development Mechanism. This groundbreaking documentary feature asks the fundamental questions “What happens when we manipulate markets to solve the climate crisis? Who stands to gain and who stands to suffer?”

Opinion:

Recommendation:

Farm to Table

Farm to Table

How to view: http://www.snagfilms.com/films/title/farm_to_table


Director: | Producer: The International Documentary Challenge is a timed filmmaking competition where filmmakers have 5 days to make a short non-fiction film

Produced | Country: USA

Run Time: 5 min | Language: English  

Synopsis: The story of how far our economic world has been separated from the natural world.

Opinion: Respect and imitate Mother Nature, go back to the past

Very simple message in a very short film.

Recommendation:

Love Letter to Food (2014)

TITLE:  Love Letter to Food (2014)

Viewer (optional): Brian Rawson

How to view: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5i-dCv7O8o  

Director: | Producer: Univ of MN, Food Policy Research Center
Produced | Country: USA
Run Time:  3 mins 22 seconds   | Language: English

Synopsis:  Clever and compelling illustration of the problem of food waste

Opinion: Effective, entertaining.  And it features Oxfam Action Corps MN member, Liz Harper!

Recommendation: Show at GROW Method meals or when presenting on food waste.

Camp Green

Camp Green 

How to view: http://www.oxfamamerica.org/multimedia/video/camp-green/

Director: | Producer: Oxfam creative productions 
Produced | Country: Uganda 
Run Time: 3.42 minutes | Language: Swahili (English subtitles) 

Synopsis: Fifty feet by 32 feet: as far as farms go, that's probably one of the smallest in the world. But that hasn't stopped Harriet Nakabaale from turning her hard-packed chunk of Kampala into something of a miracle. In a city where overcrowding chokes many neighborhoods and nothing, it seems, can grow in them, Nakabaale's Camp Green is like a beacon. It bursts with living things, all of them edible--an important survival tactic in an urban area where the high cost of buying food can saddle a family with relentless poverty.
Read more of Harriet's story here http://www.oxfamamerica.org/multimedia/articles/harriet-nakabaales-camp-green 

Opinion: Camp green proves that even a tiny plot of land with some hard work can be a new way forward. 

Recommendation:

Life, Land and Justice in Uganda

Life, Land and Justice in Uganda

How to view: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17QxF61PVC4

Director: | Producer: Friends of the Earth International 
Produced | Country: Kalangala, Uganda 
Run Time: 5.07minutes | Language: Central Sudanic (English subtitles)  

Synopsis: In Kalangala, Uganda, John Muyisa woke up one day to find bulldozers clearing his land to plant oil palms. John and his community have preserved their forests and lands for generations. Now their way of life is at risk. 

Opinion: Support John. In this video he has had the opportunity to share what happens to communities every single day, many who do not have a voice. 

Recommendation:

Bajo Aguán: The Clamor for Land

Bajo Aguán: The Clamor for Land 

How to view: http://www.albasud.org/video/en/22/bajo-aguan-grito-por-la-tierra-english-version

Viewer: Zhenxi 

Director: | Producer: Alba sud and Rel-UITA with the support of the The World Rainforest Movement (WRM), Food First International, The Coordination of Popular Organizations of the Aguán (COPA), Radio Universidad (UCA Nicaragua) anb Comitè de Empresa de Serveis Funeraris de Barcelona
Produced | Country: Honduras

Run Time: 30 minutes  
Language: (Spanish with English subtitles)

Synopsis: a film about one of the most violent regions in Honduras since the 2009 coup, where the country’s largest and wealthiest landowner, Miguel Facussé, has used extreme levels of violence to re-press peasant communities in order to expand his massive oil palm plantations. Since the coup, over 80 Aguán peasants and activists fighting for the right to land been murdered.

Opinion:
The film documented the struggle people in Bajo Aguan are facing by letting the people speak for themselves. It starts with an introduction to the military regime and follows up with the reality of farmer's lives after the resettlement. 
The film highlighted the cruelty and injustice in the region through people's narration. Through the interviews with the local activists, survivors and government officials, we get a holistic idea of the impacts the violence has caused. 

Good with documentation, but no suggestive actions. See hope but mostly depressing.

 Recommendation:

Good for motivational purpose. It leaves a powerful impression. However, the documentary does not link Oxfam's campaigns as the solutions to the problem. 

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Blue Gold: World Water Wars

How to View: Stream for free via Amazon Prime or Netflix; pay to watch on iTunes; buy DVD for $19.95 http://www.bluegold-worldwaterwars.com/store.html

About:
Director: Sam Bozzo | Producer: 
Produced: 2008 | Country: 
Run time: 90 minutes | Language: 

Synopsis: Wars of the future will be fought over water as they are over oil today, as the sources of human survival enters the global marketplace and political arena.  Corporate giants, private investors, and corrupt governments vie for control of our dwindling supply, prompting protests, lawsuits, and revolutions from citizens fighting for the right to survive.  Past civilizations have collapsed from poor water management.  Can the human race survive?


Opinion:

Recommendation: 

Food, Inc.

Viewer: Brittany Collins

Stream for free: http://www.thefutureoffood.com/onlinevideo.html

About: 
Director: Deborah Koons Garcia | Producer: Catherine Butler and Koons Garcia
Produced: 2004 | Country: United States
Run time: 1:29:00 | Language: English

Synopsis: The Future Of Food offers an in-depth investigation into the disturbing truth behind the unlabeled, patented, genetically engineered foods that have quietly filled U.S. grocery store shelves for the past decade.

Opinion:

• Starts off with background information about how the food system has changed over the past couple of centuries
• Quickly transitions into how the Green Revolution became the Gene Revolution, setting the tone for a narrow focus on genetic engineering
• Lots of anti-GMO, especially anti-Monsanto segments, as well as explanations of how companies have patented living organisms 
• Interviews with farmers who have been sued by Monsanto for violating their patent
• Big focus on biotech revolution
• Mentions it is cheaper for Mexico to import corn from the U.S. than to grow its own because of U.S. subsidies
• U.S. subsidizes crops, Europe subsidizes farmers, Canada and Mexico subsidize neither
• University research can't challenge conventional wisdom (corporate control of genetic research)
• Mentions dangers of multinational companies continuing to consolidate the food system
• At around 1:10:00, states that world hunger is not about the amount of food (the people starving today used to be farmers themselves)
• Talks about local food, CSAs at the end

• Very heavily focused on issues of GMOs and patents
• Does not focus so much on the future as the title would suggest
• Much more problem-oriented than solution-oriented
• Outdated (7 years old)

Recommendation:

• Some segments may or may not be worth showing to Oxfam supporters
• Would have to update such figures as "800 million malnourished" (to 925 million)
• Not really the most appropriate film for Oxfam events
• Appropriate audience
• Easily understandable for anyone interested in the issues of GMOs and U.S. patents
• Does not align with Oxfam/GROW