Looking for films to show at your Transition Town or climate change group? Or just to watch yourself? Here's a selection of good environmental films, in no particular order. Feel free to suggest others...

Green movies

Age of Stupid - great documentary about climate change

Bag It - documentary looking at the environmental impact of plastic

The Economics of Happiness - argues the case for localisation and community

End of the Line - about overfishing

A Sea Change - on ocean acidification - if you don't know what it is, watch this.

Power of Community - doco about Cuba's organic food revolution, inspiring for local food groups, community gardeners, etc

Australia Pumping Empty - peak oil from an Australian perspective.

The Future of Food - a critical look at GM food.

The Real Dirt on Farmer John - a quirky but engaging US film about community supported agriculture.

Gasland - explores the natural gas boom and environmental implications of "fracking".  An award-winning US film but with implications for Australia, rich in natural gas.

Home - stunning, inspiring photos of planet Earth from the air.

Koyaanisqatsi and Baraka - amazing, epic, wordless montages of images of Earth, nature and human activity with pounding soundtracks. Cinematic landmarks.

A Crude Awakening - documentary about peak oil.

The Corporation - companies as psychopaths… an interesting perspective.

Who Killed The Electric Car what happened to GM's first electric car?

Strange Days on Planet Earth - shown on ABC, a very good National Geographic 4-part series looking at environmental issues.

The Eleventh Hour - Leonardo Di Caprio narrates this climate change doco. 

The End of Suburbia - examines the unsustainable nature of suburbs.

In Transition - sort of "Transition Towns: The Movie"

Food Inc - a cold hard look at the industrialised food industry

Addicted to Plastic - documentary about plastic and what happens when we throw it away.

No Impact Man - follows a New Yorker aiming to reduce his environmental footprint.

The Garden - doco about a US inner-city community garden, and it's fight for survival.

Oceans - beaufifully photographed nature doco about life in the oceans.

Out of Balance: ExxonMobil's Impact on Climate Change - how the oil giant tries to influence debate on climate change.

How to Save the World (One Man, One Cow, One Planet) - inspiring documentary about biodynamic farming in India.

Trashed - the story of rubbish 

A Hard Rain and Blowin' in the Wind - Australian filmmaker David Bradbury investigates uranium mining and the use of depleted uranium.

Radiant City - I haven't seen this but it's described as "End of Suburbia meets Spinal Tap".

Manufactured Landscapes - photographic documentary exploring the impact of industrialisation on the natural world.

A Convenient Truth: Urban Solutions from Curitiba, Brazil - about a Brazilian city implementing environmental solutions.

The Cove - shocking documentary about dolphin slaughter in Japan.

Our Seeds / Yum Blumi - doco about seedsaving in Australia and the Pacific.

The Seedhunter - an Australian biologist travels the world looking for rare seeds to protect agricultural biodiversity

Short films (15-20mins)

The Power Down Show - an Irish series of 20-minute programs on Transition Town themes.

Think Global Eat Local - 15 minute film exploring community food networks

The Story of Stuff - short, sharp, witty little film about the environmental problems of consumerism. Free download from website. Website also has downloads of other "Story of..." titles such as The Story of Cosmetics, of Bottled Water, of Cap and Trade. 

A Good Home Forever - eco-home renovation advice.

Where to buy green movie DVDs

New Internationalist online store

Sustainable Insight

Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk - check the DVD format is suitable for Australia

"Do we need permission to show this movie?"

It varies. Some film-makers encourage free use, other request a small licence fee. Look on the websites or DVD packaging for information, or email the producers or national distributor, if listed, for details. Of course, it is unlikely most film-makers will find out about a small community screening of their movie in somewhere like Australia, so in that sensee it's up to you, but licence fees help support independent film-making. Free screenings are often considered "educational" and exempted from licence fees.