Environmental Health Documentaries: Fact or Fiction

Kelly Thomson, Llewellyn Smith, WGBH, B., & BlueSpark Collaborative (Producers), & Smith, L. (Director). (2017). Poisoned Water. [Video/DVD] Public Broadcasting Service.
Water. Turn on the faucet and it’s always there. Without it we perish. But how safe is our tap water? In this special report, NOVA investigates what happened in Flint, Michigan when local officials changed the city’s water source to save money, but overlooked a critical treatment process. As the water pipes corroded, lead leached into the system, exposing the community—including thousands of children—to dangerous levels of poison. NOVA uncovers the science behind this manmade disaster— from the intricacies of water chemistry to the biology of lead poisoning to the misuse of science itself. NOVA follows ordinary citizens and independent scientists who exposed the danger lurking in Flint’s water and confronted those who turned a blind eye. And discover the disturbing truth that reaches far beyond Flint—water systems across the country are similarly vulnerable. How can we protect ourselves from poisoned water? (54 minutes)

Lowell Bergman, Center for Investigative Reporting, & KQED-TV (Producers), & Bergman, L. (Director). (2012). Global Dumping Ground
Few Americans realize that the hazardous waste we generate here is one of our country's leading exports to third world nations. Global Dumping Ground, a PBS Frontline special report, reveals how toxic exports have become big business - and a serious health hazard to the citizens of foreign nations. (58 minutes)

Fritz Kramer, & Emma Schwartz (Producers), & Young, R. (Director). (2020, -03-31). Plastic Wars. [Video/DVD] Public Broadcasting Service.
Did the plastic industry use recycling to sell more plastic? With the industry expanding like never before and the crisis of ocean pollution growing, FRONTLINE and NPR investigate the fight over the future of plastics. (53 minutes)

Anne Bogart, Holly Morris, Fork Films, Chicken & Egg Pictures, Hedgebrook, & PowderKeg Studios (Producers), & Morris, H. and Bogart, A. (Directors). (2015). The Babushkas of Chernobyl. [Video/DVD] The Video Project.
The Babushkas of Chernobyl journeys into the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone several decades after the world’s worst nuclear disaster in April 1986. The tightly regulated 1000 square mile Dead Zone remains one of the most radioactively contaminated places on Earth complete with military border guards. Surprisingly, a defiant spirited group of elderly women scratches out an existence in this lethal landscape. The resilient babushkas are the last survivors of a small community who refused to leave their ancestral homes after the Chernobyl disaster. (52 minutes)

Trevor Davidoski, Brett Ratner, James Packer, Jennifer Davisson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Fisher Stevens, Appian Way, RatPac Documentary Films, & National Geographic Film & Television (Producers), & Stevens, F. (Director). (2016). Before the Flood. [Video/DVD] National Geographic. https://video.alexanderstreet.com/watch/before-the-floodTrevor Davidoski, Brett Ratner, James Packer, Jennifer Davisson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Fisher Stevens, Appian Way, RatPac Documentary Films, & National Geographic Film & Television (Producers), & Stevens, F. (Director). (2016).
Follow Leonardo DiCaprio as he travels around the globe to witness first hand the devastating effects of climate change and what can be done to solve the climate crisis. (1 hour 36 minutes)

Michael P. Nash, Justin Hogan, L.A. Think Tank, & Trulight Pictures (Producers), & Nash, M. P. (Director). (2010). Climate Refugees. [Video/DVD] The Video Project.
Climate Refugees is the first feature film to explore in-depth the global human impact of climate change and its serious destabilizing effect on international politics. The film turns the distant concept of global warming into a concrete human problem with enormous worldwide consequences. (1 hour 26 minutes)

Robert Kenner, Melissa Robledo, & Participant Media (Producers), & Kenner, R. (Director). (2015). Merchants of Doubt. [Video/DVD] Sony Pictures Classics.
Inspired by the acclaimed book by Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway, MERCHANTS OF DOUBT takes audiences on a satirically comedic yet illuminating ride into the heart of conjuring American spin. Filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the curtain on a secretive group of highly charismatic, silver-tongued pundits-for-hire who present themselves in the media as scientific authorities - yet have the contrary aim of spreading maximum confusion about well-studied public threats ranging from toxic chemicals to pharmaceuticals to climate change. (1 hour 33 minutes)

Beverly Baroff, & Media Policy Center (Producers), & Bell, D. and Wiland, H. (Directors). (2011). Social Policy in Concrete. [Video/DVD] Media Policy Center.
Dr. Jackson believes it is every citizen's right to live in a clean, healthy environment. This isn't the case for many low-income neighborhoods, built near big transportation hubs and struggling industrial cities like Oakland, CA and Detroit, MI. We meet a morbidly obese grandmother struggling to raise seven grandchildren, all of whom have asthma as a result of living near the Port of Oakland. The city of Detroit resembles an abandoned war zone. Yet, hope blossoms in both. Health officials, community activists and a new breed of young Urban Pioneers are working to fix their cities by transforming urban wilderness and food deserts into inspirational new models for other troubled communities. (57 minutes)

Bruno Levy, Mely Productions, MoveMovie, Mars, & Elle Driver (Producers), & Dion, C. and Mélanie Laurent (Directors). (2015). Tomorrow. [Video/DVD] Passion River Films.
In 2012, “Nature” published a study led by more than 20 researchers from the top scientific institutions in the world predicting that humankind could disappear between 2040 and 2100. It also said that it could be avoided by drastically changing our way of life and take appropriate measures. Shortly after giving birth to her first child, French actress and director Mélanie Laurent (Inglorious Basterds) became increasingly aware of the dangers and the state of urgency that her son will face in the future. Along with friend and activist Cyril Dion and their crew, she decided to travel the world in search of solutions that can help save the next generations. The result is Tomorrow, an inspiring documentary that presents concrete solutions implemented throughout the world by hundreds of communities. (2 hours)