8 films about the environment to use in class during the month of June

June is a special time to reinforce the importance of caring for the environment. Celebrated in many countries around the world, it is a period in which we become aware of the need to preserve and protect nature, and reflect on the impact of our actions on the planet. In this text, we will talk about the reasons why June is considered the month of the environment and highlight some initiatives we can take to contribute to the health of our common home. Finally, we recommend 10 short films that can help discuss the subject inside and outside the classroom.

Origin of the month of the environment

June 5 was established as World Environment Day by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972, the date of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, in Stockholm. Since then, the month of June has been associated with various activities and events related to environmental preservation.

The importance of awareness: June is a period dedicated to raising people’s awareness of the need to adopt sustainable practices in their daily lives. It is a time to expand knowledge about environmental problems and seek collective solutions to preserve biodiversity, combat climate change and protect natural resources.

Global mobilization

June is also a time of global mobilization, with many demonstrations and protests in defense of the environment. Social movements, NGOs and activists use this period to demand concrete action from governments and companies to combat environmental degradation and promote climate justice.

Individual actions

The month of the environment reminds us that small individual actions can have a significant impact. We can start by reducing unnecessary consumption, reducing waste production, encouraging recycling practices, saving energy and water, using more sustainable transport and supporting companies that care about sustainability. It is a time to evaluate our habits and seek more sustainable alternatives, recognizing that the preservation of the planet depends on collective effort. Caring for the environment is a commitment we must take on every day, not just in June, but celebrating this month is an opportunity to join forces and inspire positive change for the benefit of future generations. Let us take this occasion to reflect on our role as agents of transformation and act for the sustainability of our planet.

To think about these actions, we have gathered films that touch on different ways of thinking about our relationship of use and care with the environment.

10 films about the environment to screen in class

Xupapoynãg

2012• 15′ • color • MG • directed by Isael Maxakali

Synopsis: Otters invade the village to avenge the exploitation and death of their relatives, hunted and devoured by humans. It is up to the women to wage a battle to expel the invaders.

Para onde foram as andorinhas? (Where have the swallows gone?)

2015 • color • digital / 22 min. • Documentary • All ages
Direction: Mari Corrêa
Screenplay: Paulo Junqueira and Mari Corrêa
Co-production: Instituto Catitu and Instituto Socioambiental

Synopsis: The climate is changing, the heat is rising. The Indigenous people of the Xingu observe the signs that are everywhere. Trees no longer bloom, fire spreads burning the forest, cicadas no longer sing announcing the rain because the heat has cooked their eggs. The crops are spoiling before they grow. Looking at the devastating effects of these changes, they wonder what the future of their grandchildren will be like.

Sou Maraguá

2018 • color • digital / 4 min. • Music video • All ages

Filming: Flora Suzuki and Simon Knoop. Music video for the song “Sou Maraguá”, by Everaldo Ape, made from footage recorded during audiovisual workshops with the Maraguá people, in the Kayauézinho and Terra Preta villages, in Amazonas.

Recomeço Brumadinho

2020 • color • digital / 31 min. • documentary • All ages
Direction: Cristiano Trad and Nathália Marçal

The collapse of the Córrego do Feijão dam, controlled by Vale S.A., in Brumadinho, on January 25, 2019, left hundreds dead and affected the lives of thousands. The Association of Public Defenders of Minas Gerais (ADEP-MG) presents the documentary “Recomeço Brumadinho” (Brumadinho: A New Beginning). The film shows stories of survivors of the tragedy who, with the support of the Public Defender’s Office, are restarting their lives safely. The documentary is produced by ADEP-MG, with support from the Public Defender’s Office and production by Árvore Filmes.

Amazônia 4.0

2020 • color • digital / 29 min. • Documentary • All ages

Direction: Alan Teixeira

For decades, the debate on the development of the Amazon has been divided between two opposing visions of land use: on one side, the vision of setting aside large stretches of forest for biodiversity conservation, called the “First Way”. On the other side, the vision of development based on the intensive exploitation of natural resources, mainly through agriculture, energy and mining, called the “Second Way”. The “Amazon Third Way” Initiative proposes to create an innovative alternative to these opposing visions. With an implementation strategy called Amazônia 4.0, this “disruptive” initiative was conceived with a view to new opportunities for research, technology and learning to value and protect Amazonian ecosystems and to serve equally the interests of local populations, Indigenous and traditional peoples, who are their keepers. It aims at the development of a “green economy”, equitable and socially inclusive, oriented towards biodiversity, harnessing the value of nature through sustainable products from standing tropical forests, with flowing rivers.

A Espera de uma Decisão (Waiting for a Decision)

2011 • color • digital / 13 min. • Documentary • All ages

Direction: Vinicius Ferreira

After an oil spill in Paranaguá Bay in 2001, the fishermen of the Paraná coast try to survive on fishing, their only source of income.

O Velho, o Mar e o Lago (The Old Man, the Sea and the Lake)

2000 • black and white • 35mm / 21 min. • Fiction • All Ages

Direction: Camilo Cavalcanti

The old man is all of us. The sea is life. The lake, solitude.

A Menina do Mar (The Girl from the Sea)

2010 • color • digital / 14 min. • Documentary • 10+

Direction: Mauro D’addio

In a small fishing community, everyone is caught by surprise when they hook a strange girl in the sea.