Ecological cinema: films that will open your eyes to the Earth's problems

Nowadays, with environmental awareness becoming increasingly important, cinema plays a vital role in educating and inspiring action. Documentary films, but also feature films, can present complex environmental issues in an accessible way, show their consequences and encourage us to reflect on our impact on the planet. If you're looking for inspiration for a screening that combines pleasure with usefulness, we've put together a list of films worth watching.

Some of these productions shock with the scale of the problem, others are moving in their intimacy and personal stories. Whatever their form, they all have one thing in common - they make us stop and think about how our everyday choices affect the future of our planet. Environmental topics are extremely broad, which is why we have divided the films into categories - each of which touches on a different aspect of the environmental crisis.

Pollution and waste: the silent scourge of our time

The problem of plastic is one of the most pressing challenges of the modern world. Here are films that take an in-depth look at its scale:

• A Plastic Ocean: This moving documentary follows the journey of filmmakers as they uncover shocking amounts of plastic in the oceans, showing its devastating impact on marine life and ecosystems.
• Plastic Planet: Werner Boote travels the world, speaking to scientists, politicians and ordinary people to explore the ubiquity of plastic in our lives and its consequences for health and the environment.
• Plastic island (Pulau Plastik): The film looks at the gigantic plastic problems in Indonesia. The documentary focuses on how waste affects the daily life and health of the population and the solutions that can help combat this crisis.
• Wasted! The story of food waste (Wasted! The story from Food Waste): This documentary featuring celebrities, including Antony Bourdain, delves into the global problem of food waste, showing how much food goes to waste and the ecological and economic consequences.

Global change and its consequences

Some films perfectly illustrate how human activity is changing the face of the Earth:

• Anthropocene: The Human Epoch: A visually stunning film that documents humanity's enormous impact on the planet, depicting the Earth as a human-shaped planet.
• An Inconvenient Truth: The now iconic documentary with Al Gore, which explains the dangers of climate change in an accessible way and calls for immediate action.
• Ice on Fire: Produced by Leonardo DiCaprio, the film focuses on innovative solutions and technologies that can help combat climate change and slow the melting of glaciers.
• River: A meditative film that shows the extraordinary beauty of rivers around the world, but also their increasing threat from human activity.
• Time to Choose: This documentary directed by Charles Ferguson takes a comprehensive look at global climate change, showing both its causes and the inspiring solutions that are already being implemented around the world.

Social aspects of ecology and sustainable development

It is not only the environment that suffers as a result of our activities. Changing habits and making informed choices can lead to a better future:

• Minimalism: Kess is Now: The film describes the idea of minimalism as a lifestyle that can bring greater joy and freedom, while reducing our ecological footprint through less consumption.
• Cowspiracy: the sustainability secret of the environment (Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret): This documentary controversially, but convincingly, examines the environmental impact of industrial agriculture, especially animal husbandry.
• Corporate Food (Food, Inc.): The film examines the influence of large corporations on food production in the United States, revealing practices that are not always ethical and their consequences for health and the environment.
• Seed: The Untold Story (Seed: The Untold Story): This film tells the story of the fight to preserve seed diversity, crucial for food security and the future of agriculture in the face of the dominance of genetically modified crops.
• Invisible Demons (Invisible Demons): In this intimate portrait, director Rahul Jain takes us on a journey to New Delhi, revealing the striking consequences of air pollution on the health and lives of residents, while highlighting the global challenges of development and the environment.

Defending nature and animal rights

Protecting specific species and ecosystems is extremely important:

• Dolphin Bay (The Cove): An Oscar winner, this harrowing documentary reveals the cruel practice of dolphin hunting in Japan, forcing us to reflect on our relationship with these intelligent animals.
• Chasing Coral (Chasing Coral): A team of divers, photographers and scientists set out on an underwater journey to document the destruction of coral reefs around the world, revealing the alarming rate at which they are disappearing.
• A Vanishing World (Racing Extinction): This gripping film documents the undercover operations of activists who seek to expose threats to species around the world and fight human-led global extinction.
• Queen of the Sun: What Are the Bees Telling Us): The film focuses on the mysterious phenomenon of the mass extinction of bees, highlighting their pivotal role in the ecosystem and the threats posed by their disappearance.

Characters that inspire action

Discover the stories of extraordinary people who have dedicated their lives to nature:

• Simona: The film tells the fascinating story of Simona Kossak, an outstanding Polish researcher, naturalist and animal advocate who lived for years in the Bialowieza Forest, sharing her life with the wildlife.
• David Attenborough: Life On Our Planet (David Attenborough: A Life On Our Planet): Legendary naturalist David Attenborough presents his personal testimony to the changes that have taken place on Earth during his lifetime, while offering a vision for the future and concrete solutions that can help save our planet.