Online Videos & DVDs
End of Suburbia: Oil Depletion and the Collapse of The American Dream - a well presented film on the likely impact that the peaking of oil production will have on contemporary society. As its title suggests, the DVD is based around the American model of suburbia, but the relevance of the message to all aspects of our modern life is obvious. The message can appear frightening and shocking, a wake up call for our time. More information can be found at the film’s website. In the UK a copy can be purchased from Powerswitch.
DVDs
An Inconvenient Truth - the winner of an Oscar for best documentary, for me this film main service has been to really put the issue of Climate Change out there. As the credits rolled up while Melissa Etheridge sung “I Need to Wake Up” I sat in my seat reflecting on what we had been presented with. Al Gore has predicted the inevitable critics, but to me they are wasting their energy. I saw Gore speak last year in the UK at The Hay Festival, and his passion and belief was very evident. The film’s website is here.
The Power of Community - after the collapse of the former Soviet Union, a major source of oil imports for Cuba disappeared almost overnight. Following a period of hardship Cuba has successfully transitioned to a post oil lifestyle, something that we will all have to learn to cope with one day. This film documents the problems that Cuba had to deal with and shows the solutions that it has adopted. The DVD was produced by The Community Solution, a site which further discusses the peaking of oil production. The DVD website is here.
THOMAS BERRY: The Great Story - “We don’t understand the Earth as a sacred reality...the Earth is a communion of subjects, not a collection of objects,” (Thomas Berry). A film examining the life and work of Thomas Berry...Catholic Priest, cultural historian and ecotheologian. A powerful and inspiring film, where Berry encourages to see the creation of the Universe as a story, a cosmic liturgy and something to make relevant for our time. Our old creation myths create confusion in a world of scientific discoveries. We need to re-sanctify the story of the Universe in the light of our modern knowledge. Available from GreenSpirit Books in the UK and Bullfrog films in the US.
Joanna Macy: The Work That Reconnects - a great companion to “Coming Back To Life” (see above). Joanna Macy presents oral teachings and experiential methods on The Work That Reconnects. Inspiring to hear Joanna teach and demonstrate, in a workshop setting, the Work that she has developed over the last 30 years. The DVD can be ordered from here. It is also available for online viewing or download from here.
A Crude Awakening - The Oil Crash - a valuable addition to the films on the peaking of oil production and its consequences. The film looks at the subject from a global perspective, containing interviews with a wide variety of people - those well known in the ‘peak oil’ world and those less so - all offering informed views. Broken up into convenient chapters, exploring the history of oil production, the amazing substance that oil is and investigating various implications of a world running low on this resource while trying to keep business as usual. More information can be found at the film’s website. A UK website is here.
Online Videos
Crude - the incredible journey of oil - a beautifully crafted film describing the life story of oil. How it was created on the Earth, how we use it and the finite amount available to us on this Earth. All told from the perspective of a carbon atom. Climate change and peak oil are not mentioned but the viewer is left to draw their own conclusions. A good resource of interviews with experts in the oil and peak oil field also available. - http://www.abc.net.au/science/crude/
Future Shock - a program produced for Ireland’s National Television and Radio Broadcaster, RTÉ. Future Shock looks at the consequences of Peak Oil on the nation of Ireland. I can imagine that few who watch this program will have a comfortable feeling afterwards. Filmed in an almost dark way, it tackles the subject of Peak Oil head on, looking at the effects that it could have on an island nation so dependent on the outside world for its needs. - http://www.rte.ie/tv/futureshock/av_20070618.html
What A Way To Go: Life at the End of the Empire - this film is at once a beautiful essay on one man’s journey and awakening to the global challenges that we face today, and at the same time an uncomfortable but honest presentation of what those those challenges are. In doing so, Tim Bennett presents questions that many or all us are grappling with at the moment - whether we are being present with those questions, or trying to push them away into the depths of our consciousness. I believe that this film needs to be watched not because it presents any answers, it doesn’t, but because of those deeper questions that it asks. In Bennett’s honest, intimate and challenging enquiry is an enquiry for the whole world. A trailer to this film can be found on this site - here. The website for the film is here.
