EcoFilms Forum

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GreenFest Philly presented a free, day-long series of four recent documentary films that explore environmental themes. Hosted by Richard Biddle, director of Political Economics at the Henry George School.  

The Future of Food (2004), directed by Deborah Koons. 88 minutes.          

Most people don’t realize that genetically engineered foods have quietly slipped into much of the American food supply, mostly from corn and canola. They’re in an estimated 60 percent of all our processed foods. Koons wants us to understand the risks while there’s still time.

The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil (2006), directed by Faith Morgan. 53 minutes.

After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1990, Cuba lost more than half of its oil imports– and survived. This moving film documents Cuba’s transition from industrial to sustainable society. Cuban farmers, scientists, and engineers tell their own stories of cooperation and triumph. This film gives hope to the developed world as it wakes up to the consequences of being hooked on oil.

 Who Killed the Electric Car? (2006), directed by Chris Paine. 91 minutes.

In a film with all the elements of a murder mystery, Paine looks at the hopeful birth and untimely death of the electric car: an environmentally friendly, cost-saving salvation to some, but a profit barrier to others. Car companies, the oil industry, bad ad campaigns, consumer wariness, and the U.S. government’s lack of commitment all come under Paine’s scrutiny.

The End of Suburbia: Oil Depletion and the Collapse of the American (2004), directed by Greg Greene. 78 minutes.

How sustainable is the American Dream? With brutal honesty and a smart sense of irony, this film explores the future of our suburban lifestyle, as global demand for fossil fuels begins to outstrip supply. Scientists and policy makers discuss what we can do now to protect ourselves tomorrow.