Documentaries are a powerful means to mobilize audiences to advocate for much needed societal transformations. Our climate, our environment, our health and our democracies are in crisis; however, there’s a vast amount of people, movements and initiatives that are creating the solutions we have been asking for and dreaming of. In this article, you’ll find 5 documentaries filled with a multitude of ideas, tools, and practices that have potential to turn us into active agents of change who can pave the way to a truly regenerative future. 

1.     2040

While watching this film, I found myself thinking “how cool people are!” - a sentiment quite contrary to that which usually takes hold of me after I watch documentaries. 2040 – Join the Regeneration is a unique, uplifting documentary film written, directed and starred by actor and director Damon Gameau. Motivated by concerns about the planet his 4-year-old daughter would inherit, Damon embarks on a global journey to meet innovators and change-makers in the areas of economics, technology, civil society, agriculture, education and sustainability. Drawing on their expertise, he seeks to identify the best solutions, available to us now, that would help improve the health of our planet and the societies that operate within it. From marine permaculture to decentralized renewable energy projects, Gameau discovers that people all over the world are taking matters into their own hands. He shows us what the future could look like by the year 2040 if we simply embraced the best solutions already available to us to improve our planet and shifted them rapidly into the mainstream. It is a truly inspiring and incredibly well-executed film, that is more than worth your time. Find out more about the film and about how you can ‘Join the Regeneration’ here.

2.     Kiss the Ground

“Planet Earth. Home to a growing number of Homo sapiens and a whole lot of other species. It’s a great place to live. When it comes to the future of our small planet… There is so much bad news about our planet, it’s overwhelming. The fear that we’re headed for a cliff puts most of us into a state of paralysis. (…) But what if there was another path? This is the story of a simple solution, a way to heal our planet and keep our species off the extinction list. In fact, the solution I am talking about is right under our feet, and it is as old as dirt.”

This is the opening statement made by Woody Harrelson, the renowned American actor who narrates this inspiring film. Kiss the Ground is a full-length documentary directed by Rebecca Tickell and Joshua Tickell, whose purpose is to shed light on the revolutionary “new, old approach” to farming called “regenerative agriculture.” In conversation with a group of activists, scientists, farmers, and politicians, we are shown how the global movement of regenerative farming has the potential to balance our climate, replenish our vast water supplies and feed the world in a way that upholds nature in a renewed sense of value and is healthier to all. If you’re interested in understanding how food truly is the basis of life, this one is an absolute must-watch. Find out more about the film and the movement it is inspiring here.

3.     Tomorrow

Tomorrow is a 2015 French documentary film directed by Cyril Dion and Mélanie Laurent that, against the backdrop of the climate breakdown we are facing, focuses on nurturing hope. Confronted with a future that scientists say is a great cause for concern, the film has the distinction of not giving into catastrophism. Optimistically, it identifies initiatives across various different countries that have proven themselves to be concrete and constructive examples of solutions to various of the environmental and social challenges of the twenty-first century. In a fun, engaging and inspiring way, Tomorrow showcases alternative and creative ways of viewing some of the most fundamental sectors of society, such as agriculture, economics, energy and education. It reminds us that hope is truly our most transformational tool, and that there is much out there to be hopeful about. Find out more on the documentary’s official website.

4.     Que Estranha Forma de Vida (What a Strange Way of Life)

Directed by Pedro Serra, this 2015 Portuguese documentary explores three different community initiatives that practice ways of life parallel to society as we know it. This is, lifestyles which seek to live in harmony with the planet, guided by a vision of the future that is based on sustainability and cooperation between human beings, animals and nature. Throughout the film, we closely follow members of the ecovillage Cabrum, a community in northern Portugal, and the philosophies and ideas that have fueled its creation; the Cooperativa Integral Catalana, in Barcelona, which practices self-management with its own coin – the Eco; and finally, the self-sustaining and widely-known community, Tamera, located in the South of Portugal, whose research on peace, free love, as well as various innovating scientific, agricultural and community-building tools have made it into a pioneer in the field of intentional communities. These projects show some of the various local solutions that already exist to our global problems, embodying the promise of true alternatives. It manages to demystify the idea of living a life closer to nature, making it a transition that becomes much more tangible to the eyes of the viewers. Watch the trailer to the documentary here.

5.     A Simpler Way: Crisis as Opportunity

A feature-length documentary directed by Jordan Osmond and Samuel Alexander, A Simpler Way: Crisis as Opportunity takes us to Gippsland, Australia, where residents have fully embraced the notion of a simpler existence far from the maddening crowds and stress-inducing cityscapes. Part of a 12-month experiment known as ‘The Simpler Way Project,’ the inhabitants of this community all share a common commitment to social change and environmental preservation. Through interviews with some of today’s most interesting speakers on these subjects, including permaculture co-originator David Holmgren, filmmaker and activist Helena Norberg-Hodge, climate change activist David Spratt and many more, the film documents the community’s learning process of what a regenerative life may look like while, at the same time, exploring the global issues that are mobilizing people towards alternative lifestyles. You can watch the documentary for free here.

Article by Helena Leonardo

Helena is a freelance educator and writer, trained in the fields of sociology and cultural studies. Her current mission is to take part in the advancement of the regenerative development paradigm through theoretical, empirical and active investigation and participation on the transformational potential of intersectional ecofeminism, community-building and the ecovillage movement.

Primal Gathering is an environmentally, socially, and psychologically regenerative gathering empowering people with skills to be self-sustainable in their day-to-day lives. Our mission is to restore people, forests, and ecosystems all over the world. Leaving both people and places better than how we find them. Join us at the next Reforestation Gathering here or sign up and receive more content like this in a monthly newsletter here