Happy Earth Day! Five Must-See Environmental Documentaries

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DisneyNature has done an awesome job of celebrating Earth Day every year, with ‘Earth,’ ‘The Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingos,’ and ‘Oceans‘ in theaters over the past few years. Opening today is ‘African Cats‘ (can’t wait to see it!), and ‘Chimpanzee’ is already on tap for release next year.

There are also some great independent documentaries, and I love it when filmmakers take on the establishment, especially when it comes to important environmental issues. Here are five of my favorite documentaries that are at times frightening and funny, but always enlightening.

Read on, and tell me your favorite environmental docs in the comments below.

1. ‘GasLand’ (2010). Ever see tap water lit on fire? It’s frightening, even experienced through a movie or TV screen. Written, directed and produced by Josh Fox, this runaway hit throws a big wet blanket on Halliburton and other drillers’ notions that natural gas is America’s great hope for energy independence. Fox launches an investigation into the practice of “fracking” — hydraulic drilling for natural gas — after a company offers him big bucks for a lease on his family home in rural Pennsylvania (which happens to sit on top of one of the world’s largest reserves of natural gas).

Fox’s personal journey takes us from the Congressional hearings that exempted natural gas companies from the regulations of the Safe Drinking Water Act to kitchens across the USA where tap water contaminated with fracking fluid can be lit on fire. This movie is activism at its best, shedding light on an an issue at the forefront of American energy and environmental policies. ‘Gasland’ official site; 107 min.; HBO Documentary Films.

2. ‘Food, Inc.’ (2008). Written, directed and produced by Robert Kenner, this doc exposes the truly alarming way that food is produced and distributed in the United States. Interviewing investigators, journalists and farmers, Kenner reveals that almost everything we eat is produced and distributed by just a few huge multinational corporations, such as Monsanto and Tyson, and that quality of nutrition is secondary to production cost and corporate profits.

The statistics, expert opinions and commentaries by whistle-blowing farmers in this film are shocking. Even worse, footage showing inhumane, unhealthy and unsanitary conditions of livestock and of food industry workers is horrific. ‘Food, Inc.’ official site; rated PG for some thematic material and disturbing images; 94 min.; Magnolia Pictures.

3. Up the Yangtze (2007). Written and directed by Yung Chang, this doc takes you cruising down China’s mightiest river to meet the people whose lives were altered by construction of Three Gorges Dam, built to harness hydro power. The dam’s construction has played ecological havoc along the historic waterway’s entire length, and the effect on the lives of countless citizens has been devastating.

Ironically, tourism swelled as the waters rose to forever engulf the famously scenic Three Gorges landscape, but at what cost? This film examines short-term economic gains versus long-term ecological loses. ‘Up the Yangtze’ official site; 93 min.; Zeitgeist Films.

4. ‘King Corn’ (2007). Two friends, one acre of corn, and the subsidized crop that drives our fast-food nation are the subject of this compelling doc. Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis, best friends from college on the East Coast, decided to move to the heartland to learn where their food comes from. With the help of friendly neighbors, genetically modified seeds, and powerful herbicides, they plant and grow a bumper crop of America’s most-productive, most-subsidized grain on one acre of Iowa soil.

But when they try to follow their pile of corn into the food system, what they find raises troubling questions about how we eat and farm. ‘King Corn’ official site; directed, written and produced by Aaron Woolf; Balcony Releasing; 88 min.; buy ‘King Corn’ on Amazon.

5. ‘Cane Toads: The Conquest’ (2010). Directed, written and produced by Mark Lewis, this comedic documentary, shot against the harsh and beautiful landscape of northern Australia, tracks the unstoppable journey of the toad across the continent. Lewis injects irreverence and humor into the story as he follows a trail of human conflict, bizarre culture and extraordinary close encounters.

‘Cane Toads: The Conquest’ is the first Australian digital 3D feature film, employing custom designed equipment that allows viewers to get up close and personal with these curious creatures like never before. The unique viewing experience is like being immersed in the world of the toad. ‘Cane Toads: The Conquest’ official site; rated PG for disturbing images, language including drug references, and brief smoking; Radio Pictures; 85 min.; not available on DVD yet.

Tell me your favorite environmental documentaries in the comments below.

Tagged as: cane toads, earth day movies, environmental documentaries, food inc, gasland, king corn, up the yangtze