Films & Videos

This pristine Canadian river has legal personhood, a new approach to conserving nature

This magnificent documentary, created by a Canadian filmmaker, was aired as part of the CBC’s The Nature of Things. It tells the story of the fight by the local Innu community to protect the mighty Magpie River of northern Quebec by giving the river legal personhood status, part of a movement called Rights of Rivers. Available on CBC GEM.

Standing up to Enbridge over Line 5 pipeline

Line 5 is an ageing and controversial pipeline owned by Canadian oil giant Enbridge that brings crude oil from western Canada to Eastern Canada through the Great Lakes. It passes under the environmentally sensitive Straights of Mackinac that connects Lake Michigan to Lake Huron. Many environmental groups and Indigenous communities in both Canada and the US are calling for the pipeline to be shut down as a spill would be catastrophic to the Great Lakes. This new documentary tells the story of the Bad River American Native Band, and their historic fight to protect their waters from Line 5.

When the Well Runs Dry

This is a 2023 three-part series on the global water crisis from Germany’s public broadcaster, DW. It tells the story of how the climate crisis, combined with water abuse and over-extraction, is impacting people and communities all over the world. Filled with information and expert testimony. Deeply disturbing but hopeful as well.

A Global Solution to Plastic Pollution

This is a short 2024 video that tells the story about the campaign for a global treaty to stop plastic pollution. Excellent to create political awareness in students. It was created by The Story of Stuff, an American non-profit that also produced the full length documentary, The Story of Plastic, available on their web site.

Eight Actions We Can All Take to Save Water

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has prepared this short video to show us how we can all save water in our day to day lives. Great discussion starter for kids of all ages.

The Story ~ Regenerating Life

This is a documentary by an American filmmaker who posits that our treatment of water, soil and forests is major contributor to the climate crisis and must be addressed if we are to save the planet. The three-part series tells how water cools the planet, the importance of protecting biodiversity and the promise of regenerative farming.

The Water Brothers

The Water Brothers are two Canadian filmmakers and explorers who search out vital stories about water carried by TV Ontario. Into Season Five, you can go back and look at many of their exciting and informative docs on all aspects of the fight to protect water.

Killer Water: The toxic legacy of Canada’s oil sands industry for Indigenous communities

From Indigenous filmmakers comes this powerful full-length documentary on the toxic impact of the Athabasca tar sands on local water sources and how it is leaving a legacy of illness and death for the Fort Chipewyan people downstream. Courtesy of Real News, an independent media network.

On the Road: Empty

A reporter with the Calgary Herald made a short video of his journey to the Oldman River Dam in Alberta and was very disturbed by what he saw. A great discussion starter with students.