Research Guides: UWS 52B: Environmental Justice / Climate Justice: Films about Issues affecting international communities

Environmental conflict in Cambodia

Cambodia: Fight for Areng Valley (Kalyanee Mam, New York Times Op-Doc, 2015)

Asia & Africa: streaming global environmental justice (GEJ) documentaries and related resources

Arrows Against the Wind
GEJ Teacher's Guide
The Dani and the Asmat come face to face with the modern world in Irian Jaya, West Papua, Indonesia.
Before the Flood
Before the Flood II
GEJ Teacher's Guide
Part I follows the residents of the historic city of Fengjie, as they clash with the officials forcing them to evacuate their homes to make way for the China's Three Gorges Dam, the largest in the world. Part II profiles the residents of Gongtan, a 1700-year-old village soon to be demolished by a hydroelectric dam project.
Beijing Besieged by Waste
GEJ Teacher's Guide
"Document[s] Beijing's unholy cycle of consumption through poignant observational visits with the scavengers who live and work in the dumps."
A River Changes Course
GEJ Teacher's Guide
Follows three young Cambodians as they struggle to overcome the crushing effects of deforestation, overfishing, and overwhelming debt.
Waking the Green Tiger: the Rise of a Green Movement in China
GEJ Teacher's Guide
Additional resources from Face to Face Media
"The rise of the first major grassroots environmental movement in China, a significant development that could reshape the country."
Thank You for the Rain
GEJ Teacher's Guide
Video diary documents the real human costs of the climate crisis in Kitui County, Kenya.

Streaming documentaries about international communities

Sweet Crude (Academic Video Online) by Sandra Cioffi, director
Publication Date: 2009

In a small corner of the most populous country in Africa, billions of dollars' worth of crude oil flow under the feet of a desperate people. They live in abject poverty, without means of livelihood in a decimated environment.
Maquilapolis: City of Factories (Academic Video Online) by Vicky Funari, Sergio De La Torre, producers/directors
Publication Date: 2006

Using video diaries kept by two women promotoras (community activists), this documentary explores the environmental devastation and urban chaos of Tijuana's maquiladoras, the multinationally owned factories that came to Mexico for cheap labor. Maquiladora workers--overwhelmingly women--produce televisions, electrical cables, toys, clothes, batteries and IV tubes, they weave the very fabric of life for consumer nations. They also confront labor violations, toxic waste dumps, and the unhealthy conditions in the colonias where they live.
Riverblue: Can fashion save the planet? (Kanopy; licensed through July 22, 2022) by David McIlvride and Roger Williams
Publication Date: 2017

Docuseek GEJ Teacher's Guide
Following international river conservationist, Mark Angelo, Riverblue spans the globe to infiltrate one of the world's most pollutive industries, fashion. Narrated by clean water supporter Jason Priestley, the groundbreaking documentary examines the destruction of our rivers, its effect on humanity, and the solutions that inspire hope for a sustainable future.