Do it Yourself(1982)

No Measure of Health(en)

No Measure of Health profiles Kyle Magee, an anti-advertising activist from Melbourne, Australia, who for the past 10 years has been going out into public spaces and covering over for-profit advertising in various ways. The film is a snapshot of his latest approach, which is to black-out advertising panels in protest of the way the media system, which is funded by advertising, is dominated by for-profit interests that have taken over public spaces and discourse. Kyle’s view is that real democracy requires a democratic media system, not one funded and controlled by the rich. As this film follows Kyle on a regular day of action, he reflects on fatherhood, democracy, what drives the protest, and his struggle with depression, as we learn that “it is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society.”

Forgotten Tragedy: The Story of the St. Francis Dam(en)

The largest man-made disaster of the 20th century, now largely lost to history. A journey through the early history of Los Angeles and the city's water needs. Ever-growing demand led to larger and larger projects, and eventually to tragedy. The history of the tragedy, the role of William Mulholland in the disaster and the city's water development, and how the lessons of the tragedy reflect on our current infrastructure needs today.

Chernobyl's Café(en)

Three decades on from the disaster, Chernobyl shows signs of life again.

An Inconvenient Truth(en)

A documentary on Al Gore's campaign to make the issue of global warming a recognized problem worldwide.

Musician(en)

Common sense says you can't make a living in America playing avant-garde improvisational jazz. But Ken Vandermark does it anyway. Among musicians, Vandermark's work ethic is almost mythic. The Chicago reed player has released over 100 albums with nearly 40 ensembles, spends over eight months per year on the road, and lives every other waking moment composing, arranging, performing—and trying to discipline his two hyperactive canines. Though Vandermark was the recipient of a 1999 MacArthur genius grant, he still spends most of his life in smoky clubs and low-budget recording studios, hoping people will plunk down hard-earned cash to hear his wholly non-commercial music. Following the artful cinéma vérité style of the internationally acclaimed Sheriff (Work Series #1), Musician (Work Series #2) forgoes all interviews and voice-overs. It is a fly-on-the-wall time capsule that expertly captures every subtle sound and texture of this most American of art forms.

Koyaanisqatsi(en)

Takes us to locations all around the US and shows us the heavy toll that modern technology is having on humans and the earth. The visual tone poem contains neither dialogue nor a vocalized narration: its tone is set by the juxtaposition of images and the exceptional music by Philip Glass.

Tar Creek(en)

Tar Creek is an environmentally devastated area in northeastern Oklahoma with acidic creeks, stratospheric lead poisoning and enormous sinkholes. Nearly 30 years after being designated as a Superfund cleanup program, residents are still struggling.

Ice on Fire(en)

An eye-opening documentary that asks the question: Are we going to let climate change destroy civilization, or will we act on technologies that can reverse it? Featuring never-before-seen solutions on the many ways we can reduce carbon in the atmosphere thus paving the way for temperatures to go down, saving civilization.

Son of Torum(et)

In the same vein as Meri's other documentations, this one takes advantage of the glasnost policy to discuss the social and ecologic impact of the Russian oil industry on the natives and the lands they inhabit.

Goldman Sachs, Masters of the World(fr)

Cost of Living(en)

As we live through the deepest cost of living crisis for over fifty years, archive footage of Yorkshire and the North East reflects recurring cycles of boom and bust, and the fury of generations whose essential needs for safe housing, secure work and full bellies go unfulfilled. Increased fuel prices, food banks and government tips for saving money bring a sense of déjà vu -- a past that feels uncomfortably contemporary.

LEGACY(en)

It has been described as a once in a generation piece of environmental legislation and is key to the government’s commitment to be the first generation to leave the environment in a better state than that in which we found it. The Environment Act passed into law on 9 November 2021 – more than 1,000 days and three Parliaments since its first draft was published in 2018. Its journey was tumultuous, and its fate, at times uncertain. In this documentary, ENDS Report speaks to politicians and environmental policy experts to get the inside story on how this landmark piece of legislation was created – and finds out what the act’s architects think of it now.

What Would Jesus Buy?(en)

A serious docu-comedy about the commercialization of Christmas. What Would Jesus Buy? follows Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping Gospel Choir as they go on a cross-country mission to save Christmas from the Shopocalypse: the end of mankind from consumerism, over-consumption and the fires of eternal debt!

Pig Tusks and Paper Money(en)

In Papua New Guinea, pig tusks and shell money are currencies which can buy most things. Henry Tokubak’s dream is to create the first bank where traditional money counts as legal tender.

Zeitgeist(en)

A documentary examining possible historical and modern conspiracies surrounding Christianity, the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and the Federal Reserve bank.

River of Gold(en)

Narrated by Academy Award winners Sissy Spacek and Herbie Hancock, River of Gold is the disturbing account of a clandestine journey into Peru's Amazon rainforest to uncover the savage unraveling of pristine jungle. What will be the fate of this critical region of priceless biodiversity as these extraordinarily beautiful forests are turned into a hellish wasteland?

Raising Joey(en)

The fires that have devastated Australia left behind countless injured and orphaned animals. This is the story of rescued joeys and their adoption by human carers. World-renowned animal photographer and advocate for rescued animals, Alex Cearns OAM, leads us into the quirky world of kangaroo care in this heart-warming journey that sheds light on the work of Wildlife Care WA Inc.

Plagues and Pleasures on the Salton Sea(en)

The Salton Sea: An inland ocean of massive fish kills, rotting resorts, and 120 degree nights located just minutes from urban Southern California. This film details the rise and fall of the Salton Sea, from its heyday as the "California Riviera" where boaters and Beach Boys mingled in paradise to its present state of decaying, forgotten ecological disaster.

Jurassic Cash(fr)

Jurassic Cash is a documentary on the new business of dinosaur fossils, an incredible speculation in the auction world… And on the footsteps of our past.

The Great Green Wall(en)

An epic journey along Africa's Great Green Wall — an ambitious vision to grow a wall of trees stretching across the entire continent to fight against increasing drought, desertification and climate change.