Four films to watch about the climate crisis
Local communities in the Amazon are living on the frontline of the climate crisis.
It can be hard to get your head around the sheer scale of the climate crisis. Here are our recommendations for thought-provoking films you can watch to get a fresh perspective.
A film with the facts on climate change
If you’re after the key information, the simply named BBC documentary ‘Climate Change: The Facts’ is the place to start. Sir David Attenborough, in characteristically calm and considered fashion, leads us through this rundown of the crisis we currently face.
At under an hour long, and covering everything from the threat to pacific communities forced from their homes by rising sea levels, to the spiralling heat-related deaths of fruitbats in Australia, you couldn’t ask for a more richly digestible summary of the key facts behind this global crisis.
Where to watch Climate Change: The Facts
A film based on an inspiring true story: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
‘The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind’ is a wonderfully heartwarming film, made so much better by the fact that it’s based on a true story.
The film follows William Kamkwambe, an ambitious boy growing up in Malawi in the early 2000s, as he puts his education and ingenuity to use designing and building a wind turbine to save his community from drought.
Uplifting to the core – though never shying away from the harsh realities of poverty – this is the perfect film to watch to remind yourself that the selfless actions of ordinary individuals can and do change the world.
Where to watch The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
A film with chilling social satire: Snowpiercer
Looking at any of the promotional posters for ‘Snowpiercer’, you’d be forgiven for dismissing it as just another action flick. But don’t be fooled – beneath the sci-fi trimmings lies an ice-cold commentary on a doomed society refusing to change course.
In the not-too-distant future, the last remnants of humanity survive aboard a giant train, perpetually circumnavigating the frozen globe. The poor are ruthlessly oppressed, while the wealthy and powerful do everything in their power to keep the train on the same old tracks, coasting along in an endlessly repeating cycle. The allegory speaks for itself.
A film for the kids (and grown-ups too!): WALL-E
There are dozens of brilliant children’s films with environmental themes, from ‘Ice Age’ to ‘The Lion King’. But it’s hard to think of any that do it better than ‘WALL-E’, the story of a little robot with a body made of scrap and a heart of pure gold, left behind to clean up the earth after it became so polluted the humans had to leave for space.
It’s got funny moments, and moments that will make you cry. There’s no better way to introduce young minds to the idea that caring for our world is important – and that you’re never too small to make a difference.
And a film to watch out for: The Last Forest
‘The Last Forest’, a new documentary co-written by and starring Davi Kopenawa, a Yanomami indigenous leader who has worked closely with CAFOD, promises to provide fascinating insight into his people’s struggle to protect their land and way of life.
At the time of writing it’s not widely available to watch online – but if you get the chance to see it, let us know what you think!
