The seven short films collected in If Not Us Then Who? chronicle sustainable practices in the forests of Indonesia, Costa Rica, and Brazil. While many environmental documentaries focus on the devastation humankind inflicts upon the world, these seven films demonstrate resilience and hope for the future.
Part One: Indonesia
Sungai Utik: The fight for recognition (21 min)
The first film in “If Not Us Then Who?” is Sungai Utik: The fight for recognition. At 21 minutes, this is the longest film in the collection. Sungai Utik profiles a Dayak community that follows sustainable practices passed down by their ancestors to protect forest lands. While outsiders see the financial gain in exploiting the forest’s resources, the Sungai Utik take only the resources they need and repay the earth for what they take by planting new trees. The film follows their quest to receive legal protection and fair treatment from the government.
Building a Longhouse as a Cultural Center (12 min)
The second film in the collection follows the Sungai Utik people as they build a traditional longhouse for the first time in fifty years. This building acts a cultural center where the community can gather, attend school, make food, and live together. The indigenous filmmaker of Building a Longhouse as a Cultural Center emphasizes the community effort that makes this construction possible and pays particular attention to the elders in the community.
The Dyak Iban Way of Farming (13 min)
This documentary short discusses traditional Dayak Iban farming methods. Their process involves rotating farmlands and utilizing carefully controlled burning. Although this is a traditional technique, the government has deemed controlled burning illegal due to pollution and forest fires. However, the true environmental damage is caused by massive palm oil plantations. The Dyak Iban Way of Farming demonstrates the cultural and ecological value of maintaining traditional practices.
Homecoming: Indigenous youth return to the land (8 min)
Homecoming: Indigenous youth return to the land focuses on Indigenous youth and how crucial this generation is to environmental activism. While many youths choose to leave their communities to study and work in cities, this documentary examines those who choose to return in order to help their communities by integrating tradition with sustainable planning.
Part Two: Costa Rica/ Brazil
A Sustainable Solution: Environmental tax to maintain forests in Costa Rica (7 min)
This documentary short highlights the impact Indigenous people have made in reducing logging in Costa Rica. A government program called Payment for Environmental Services supports sustainable practices and motivates communities. A Sustainable Solution proves that government intervention can have a positive impact on the environment.
Brazil's Warrior Women: Women’s movement wins access to babassu oil (8 min)
In Brazil, 400,000 women harvest nuts from the babassu palm in order to maintain a living. However, some ranchers and farmers pose a threat to these women, threatening to physically ban the women from the fields. Brazil's Warrior Women follows the passing of a law that allows these women to remain in the fields and provide for their families.
A Tribute to Dona Dije, Babassu Woman Warrior: An interview with the leader of the babassu movement (4 min)
A Tribute to Dona Dijé, Babassu Woman Warrior pays special tribute to Dona Dijé, a central organizer of the Babassu movement. In this interview, she reflects on how the movement has impacted both the protection of women as well as the Amazon.
These seven documentary films are unique in their emphasis on how Indigenous communities influence environmental conservation. “If Not Us Then Who?” champions perspectives that are often not shown on screen. These inspiring stories would be welcome in both high school and college classrooms.
What academic subjects would this film be suitable for?
This film would be suitable for students and library patrons interested in environmental studies, public policy, political science, and global studies.
How does this film contribute to a discussion of environmental or climate justice, and/or to environmental literacy?
If Not Us Then Who? contributes to discussions of climate justice by demonstrating solutions for environmental issues, and prioritizing indigenous voices.
What type of library programming could use this title?
These short films would be perfect for library programming events focused on sustainable solutions for the future.
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Teacher's Guide
Curator | Laura Miller
Applied Ethicist and Instructor, Southwestern Illinois College, St. Louis Community College, Fontbonne University, and Webster University
Why I selected these films
These films are unique because they highlight victories for the Indigenous people in their countries. In this series of seven films, we see the impact of the women’s movement on the women of the Babassu forest, traditional teaching by the elders of the Sungai Utik people, and success in claiming ownership of the forest that they call home. It is important to me to show that Indigenous peoples are not helpless victims but instead are empowered to act as advocates for themselves in standing up to government entities, corporations, and threats. Here we see Indigenous peoples’ will, strength, and determination that should be celebrated.
Please download the teacher's guide containing maps, background information, suggested subjects, questions and activities for the series.
To date, the award-winning Global Environmental Justice collection consists of 48 films and teacher's guides. Use these links to read 12 reviews or browse the full collection of 48 films and download teacher's guides.
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The Global Environmental Justice Documentaries project is supported by the Henry Luce Foundation, the Global Reporting Centre, Face to Face Media, and by subscriptions from colleges like yours. Subscriptions are US$ 395/year based on a 3-year subscription or US$ 495 for one year. Canadian libraries can request a 25% discount to offset currency charges. Online academic streaming is provided by Docuseek2. To learn more about the Global Environmental Justice Project and Collection go to https://gej.docuseek2.com/.
Contact: Elena Wayne | sales@docuseek2.com | +1-847-537-0606 • Gary Marcuse | GEJ@globalreportingcentre.org | +1-604-251-0770