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.

Ladies of the Land

Ladies of the Land 

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

Director: | Producer: Megan Thompson 

Produced | Country: USA

Run Time: 29 mins | Language: English 

Synopsis: As small, family farms continue to disappear, and large, mechanized farms dominate American agriculture, a new kind of farmer is sprouting up across the land: women. Although women have always been involved in farming, it has long been thought of as a "man's job." Traditionally, farm women have often identified themselves as something other than the "farmer." That's all changing. According to the USDA, between 2002 and 2007, the number of women who identified themselves as farmers increased by 19 percent, and the number of women "principal operators" increased by 30 percent.

Today, there are about one million women farmers in the U.S. - 30 percent of the total. Women are a fast-growing demographic in American agriculture, and they are doing things differently. While the average farm size in the U.S. has grown dramatically over the last 50 years, women tend to run smaller operations. Many choose organic and natural methods.

Opinion: 

Recommendation:

Pregnant and Working in the Fields

Seven Months Pregnant and Working in the Fields 

How to view: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-26154092

Director: | Producer: Sonia Narang 

Produced | Country: Nepal 

Run Time: 2 minutes 24 seconds  | Language: Nepali (English subtitles) 

Synopsis: Women in Nepal do the lion's share of agricultural work, and it's common for them to continue working in the fields throughout pregnancy. But this can seriously affect their health, and that of their unborn child.

Opinion: Read the fill article on the BBC page along with the video. 

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:

Land Grabs - Ethiopia

Land Grabs - Ethiopia

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

Director: | Producer: The Guardian Films   
Produced | Country: Ethiopia 
Run Time: 11.48minutes | Language: English 

Synopsis: Over the last three years an area the size of Britain has been handed over to corporations to make way for large-scale industrial farming in Ethiopia. With cheap rates and incentives, companies are pouring in to the exploit the land the government has cleared of its people. Many of the displaced are too scared to complain:"what power do we have to stop them? We just stay silent", says one farmer. Despite promises of a better life, many Ethiopians are being left within nothing. Ethiopian Farm Minister, Wondirad Mandefro, shrugs: "they have to abandon their previous way of life".

Opinion: In Ethiopia, one of the hungriest countries in the world, small farmers and communities are being moved off their land as international agribusinesses take over large swathes of fertile farmland.

Recommendation:

Half the Sky

How to view: On loan from the Boston office. Email tjayasinghe@oxfamamerica.org to request a copy.

Director: Robert Hanna & Wolfgang Held| Producer: Maro Chermayeff, Jamie Gordon, Mikaela Beardsley, Jeff Dupre
Produced: 2012 | Country: USA
Run Time: 3:52:00 | Language: English

Synopsis: Inspired by Nicholas Kristof & Sheryl Wudinn's groundbreaking book, Half the Sky: Turning Opression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide takes one the central moral challenge of the 21st century: the oppression of women and girls worldwide. This film adaptation follows 6 actresses/activists and New York Times journalist Kristof to meet some of the most courageous individuals of our time, who are doing extraordinary work to empower women and girls everywhere. There are stories of heartbreaking challenge, dramatic transformation and enduring hope. The outcome has left all who view it inspired by the resilience of the human spirit and the capabilities of women and girls to realize their staggering potential. 

Opinion:

Recommendation: