Mar 16, 2016

90 Inspiring, Visionary Films That Will Change How You See the World in Profound Ways

By Tim Hjersted / filmsforaction.org
90 Inspiring, Visionary Films That Will Change How You See the World in Profound Ways

The world today is in crisis. Everybody knows that. But what is driving this crisis? It's a story, a story that is destroying the world. It's a story about our relationship to the world and to other humans, but we take this story for granted. We don't even see it as a story but rather as a self-evident truth about our existence

Climate change, political corruption, corporate power, war, racism, sexism, environmental destruction - these are all symptoms of the cultural story we are enacting. To address the symptoms, we must go to the root, and that means we need a new story about our existence. We need a new story to belong to.

The old story of empire and dominion over the earth has to be looked at in the full light of day - all of our ambient cultural stories and values that we take for granted and which remain invisible must become visible.

Most of all, we need to see the promise of the new story (which is also a very ancient story). We need to be able to imagine new exciting ways that people could live, better than anything that the old paradigm could ever dream of providing.

And all of this knowledge and introspection, dreaming, questioning, and discovery is essential for a cultural transformation that addresses root causes. This knowledge is vitally necessary. Taken together, this knowledge can offer us the wisdom for humanity to live in profoudly beautiful new and ancient ways.

This knowledge is vast and unlimited, but I wanted to share a small sliver of what I have discovered over the last 10 years watching thousands of videos online, the best of which I have helped to catalog on this website

The 90 films below offer inspiring visions of other ways of seeing the world, being in the world, and imagining the possible. 

Ecological consciousness. The revolution of values. The Great Turning. The liberation of the mind. Indigenous wisdom. The university of nature. These are just a few of the themes that interweave through these films. Dive into them over the coming days and they will plant seeds of beauty deep within your dreams, and inspire you to create the world your heart knows is possible.

We are being called to remember - to reimagine, to dream, to vision, to see the world and ourselves in entirely different ways.

 

A New Story for Humanity: Change the Story, Change the World
102 min · A New Story For Humanity presents a beautifully and sensitively woven tapestry of the rich diversity that is the human family. Featuring interviews on the essential topics of our time: from cosmology to ecology, from ancient wisdom to...
Charles Eisenstein: The Two Great Stories That Give Meaning to Our Lives
6 min · What matters in life? Who are we? Every culture has answers to these questions. And the way we answer them has profound effects on the health of people and planet. This is a consciousness-shifting clip from the excellent film "Occupied...
A New Story of the People | Charles Eisenstein
8 min · The old story of our culture is losing its meaning for more and more people. Perhaps almost everyone can feel it these days. But a new story is emerging too - one that recognizes some long forgotten truths about who we are and our...
The Great Turning: From Empire to Earth Community
51 min · David Korten’s inspiring and extensively illustrated presentation of his book The Great Turning: From Empire to Earth Community. David says we are at a defining moment in all of human history.
The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know Is Possible - Charles Eisenstein
5 min · "There is a vast territory between what we're trying to leave behind, and where we want to go - and we don't have any maps for that territory." - Charles Eisenstein
The Evolution of Ecological Consciousness | Andrew Faust
109 min · Permaculture designer Andrew Faust gives us an inspiring and heady narrative about the evolution of all life and human consciousness on Mother Earth. 
The Global Brain | Peter Russell
35 min · Peter Russell’s award-winning video, based on a live audio-visual presentation in 1983. He explores the idea that the Earth is an integrated, self-regulating living organism and asks what function humanity might have for this planetary...
There's Gonna Be a Voice That Tells You It'll Be a Waste of Time. Don't Listen.
2 min · Motivational speaker Les Brown gives a powerful talk on how each and every one us can 'make a difference' in changing this world for the better.
How Nature Has The Power to Liberate
13 min · Nature is the great teacher. The more you embrace nature, the more you feel free.
Imagine The Most Beautiful Future: What Do You See?
5 min · "Trust is the basis on which life heals. There is no deeper vision than the vision of a world in which trust reigns between all beings."
Occupy Love
85 min · Join acclaimed director Velcrow Ripper on a journey deep inside the global revolution of the heart that is erupting around the planet. Humanity is waking up to the fact that the dominant system of power is failing to provide us with...
Capitalism Is Just a Story - Rise Up and Create a New One
6 min · How many of us have a sneaking suspicion that something pretty fundamental is going wrong in the world? We keep hearing about the potentially devastating consequences of climate change but we are pumping more carbon dioxide into the...
The Choice Is Ours
98 min · This film series explores many aspects of our society. To rethink what is possible in our world, we need to consider what kind of world we want to live in. Although we refer to it as civilization, it is anything but civilized. Visions...
The Economics of Happiness
65 min · Economic globalization has led to a massive expansion in the scale and power of big business and banking. It has also worsened nearly every problem we face: fundamentalism and ethnic conflict; climate chaos and species extinction...
The Revolution Is Love! Our Movement is for the 100%
4 min · "Love is the felt experience of connection to another being. An economist says 'more for you is less for me.' But the lover knows that more of you is more for me too. If you love somebody their happiness is your happiness. Their pain is...
PLANETARY
81 min · We are in the midst of a global crisis of perspective. We have forgotten the undeniable truth that everything is connected. PLANETARY is a provocative and breathtaking wakeup call, a cross continental, cinematic journey, that explores...
Today I Rise: This Beautiful Short Film Is Like a Love Poem For Your Heart and Soul
4 min · "The world is missing what I am ready to give: My Wisdom, My Sweetness, My Love and My hunger for Peace." "Where are you? Where are you, little girl with broken wings but full of hope? Where are you, wise women covered in wounds? Where...
Crossroads: Labor Pains of a New Worldview
65 min · Crossroads: Labor Pains of a New Worldview is a documentary exploring the depths of the current human condition and the emergence of a worldview that is recreating our world from the inside out. Weaving together insights and findings...
What Could Save This Planet, If Not Love?
3 min · In Terra Nova: Global Revolution and the Healing of Love, Dr. Dieter Duhm presents a vision for a new global culture – a world without war, a society without violence, love free of lies, and a life free of fear. Preview the book here...
The Right To Be Me
7 min · Elder, healer and leader in the Maori community Rangimarie Turuki Rose Peri tells her story and shows us the true meaning of self-acceptance.
This Is The "Living on Earth 101" Primer Every Human Needs To See. And It's Only 52 Seconds.
1 min · This Wombat has some simple instructions for living on Earth. A great reminder for sure!
The One Simple Truth about Our Existence That Everyone Needs to Know
3 min · If humanity came to understand this - everything would change.
Carl Sagan - Who Speaks for Earth?
7 min · "We have heard the rationales offered by the super powers. We know who speaks for the nations. But who speaks for the human species, who speaks for Earth?" - Carl Sagan​
David Suzuki: An Elder's Vision for Our Sustainable Future
106 min · At 74, and coming the end of his scientific and broadcasting career, David Suzuki mused on the notion: "If I had one last lecture to give, what would I say?" The result is a very special talk full of humour, warmth, insight and passion.
Watch a Giant Suction Tube Gobble Up The Earth In This Brilliant Video about Our Economy
7 min · Modern production is based on extraction from the planet, and modern finance is based on extraction from the many for the benefit of the very few. What would a new economy look like and how can we rethink our relationship to resources...
Rose Pere: We Believe In The Oneness of Everything That Exists
2 min · At her home just north of Tuai, a small town in the mountains of the North Island of Aotearoa New Zealand, Dr. Rangimarie Turuki Rose Pere shares some of the beliefs of her culture. Rose welcomes people from all over the world into her...
When You are Seeing Visions of the World in 2048, Remember: One Act of Courage Can Change the World
4 min · This is an excerpt from The Fifth Sacred Thing, an upcoming feature film based on the best selling novel by Starhawk, and is set in 2048, where an ecotopian San Francisco defends itself from invaders using nonviolence and healing.
Money & Life
86 min · Money & Life is a passionate and inspirational essay-style documentary that asks a provocative question: can we see the economic crisis not as a disaster, but as a tremendous opportunity?  
For The Next 7 Generations
84 min · In 2004, thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers from all four corners, moved by their concern for our planet, came together at a historic gathering, where they decided to form an alliance: The International Council of Thirteen Indigenous...
How a Land High in the Western Himalayas Can Help Us Understand The Crisis of The Modern World
9 min · This is a clip from The Economics of Happiness. Watch it here (skip to the 10-minute mark to pick up where this clip ends)
The Sacred Balance
2 min · Based on David Suzuki's best-selling book of the same name, and filmed on five continents, THE SACRED BALANCE celebrates a new scientific worldview, an inclusive vision of nature in which we human beings are intimately connected to all...
The Bloom Episode 2: Practicing The New World
51 min · Part II of The Bloom explores how Transformational Festivals have become incubators and spaces for “Practicing The New World”, where the festivals are produced using a model of CO-CREATION, utilizing an ethos of PARTICIPATION to create...
The Bloom Episode 3: New Ways of the Sacred
70 min · Part III of The Bloom “New Ways of The Sacred” looks at how Transformational Festivals are venues for an active engagement with ancient, universal themes of MYTHOS, RITUAL and THE SACRED, exploring ways which both honor the traditional...
Unity: Not The Same, But Equal
99 min · Seven years in the making, UNITY is a new documentary that explores humanity’s hopeful transformation from living by killing into living by loving. It is a unique film about compassion for all beings, or all “expressions of life,” and...
Gross National Happiness Is a Profound Alternative to How Our Failing Economy Measures Progress
3 min · Bhutan is a living example that it is possible to develop in a different way, and is creating a caring economy based on the values of altruism, compassion and collaboration.  It is clear to the billions still living in poverty today...
Culture in Decline #6: Tale of Two Worlds
32 min · This is a tale of two worlds: The first exploring the current trends that just may lead us all into vast new levels of decline; The second showing what the world could be...if anyone actually gave a damn to make it happen. ;)
You Are Me
4 min · The cosmos is One interconnected and indivisible Whole. You Are the Cosmos, and All That Is. Therefore, You Are Me!
Earth Pilgrim
49 min · A spiritual journey into the ethereal landscape of Dartmoor with Satish Kumar, the world-renowned ecologist & creator of Resurgence magazine. Through changing seasons, Satish walks the moor and explores ancient woods and rivers, home to...
Dada Krsnasevananda on "The Role of Spirituality in Modern Society"
15 min · "Imagine what it would be like if, instead of branding us by our brains or looks, our schools and televisions described the divinity and greatness inside each one of us, and taught us the means to realize it. If, instead of idolizing...
Incredible Speech by Charlie Kaufman Reminds Us: Things Don't Have To Be This Way
5 min · This is an excerpt from an incredible speech made by Charlie Kaufman during BAFTA's 2011 Screenwriters' Lecture Series. The video touches on how the world is built on consumerism. It serves to distract us, killing the human in side of...
How The Elite Stay In Power
5 min · In this video we break down in simple terms the only way "those in power" can stay in power. It's not as complex at it may seem. They need us more than we need them.
To Change Everything, Start Everywhere
8 min · To Change Everything, Start Everywhere! The case for complete self-determination—a guide for the furious, the curious, and the pure of heart.
2012: Time For Change
85 min · This film presents an optimistic alternative to apocalyptic doom and gloom. Directed by Emmy Award nominee João Amorim, the film follows journalist Daniel Pinchbeck, author of the bestselling 2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl, on a quest...
Jacque Fresco - A Story of Change
13 min · "Every action and decision we take - or don't - ripples into the future. For the first time we have the capability, the technology, and the knowledge to direct these ripples."
Morgan Freeman Narrates the Greatest Story of Our Generation
6 min · This 6 minute short film tells the story of the human journey at this critical moment in time. Of all the stories to belong to, this is the story to be a part of. Don't watch it from the sidelines. Don't wait for the experts to...
Within Reach: Journey to Find Sustainable Community
87 min · Within Reach explores one couple's pedal-powered search for a place to call home. Mandy and Ryan gave up their jobs, cars, and traditional houses to 'bike-pack' 6500 miles around the USA seeking sustainable community. Rather than...
Inhabit: A Permaculture Perspective
92 min · Humanity is more than ever threatened by its own actions; we hear a lot about the need to minimize footprints and to reduce our impact. But what if our footprints were beneficial? What if we could meet human needs while increasing the...
The System Is Failing. We All Know It. It's Time to Start Talking about What's Next
4 min · Growing inequality, political stalemate, and climate disruption prompt an important insight. When the old ways no longer produce the outcomes we are looking for, something deeper is occurring. It is time to explore genuine alternatives...
This Video Dispels a Great Myth about Human Nature that Will Restore Your Hope in Humanity
10 min · Do you despair for the world? Does it seem like human nature will doom our society to violence and war without end? Take heart! This 10-minute video will give you hope.   Watch the full documentary this clip is taken from here. 
Neil Turok - The Universe Within
8 min · "My goal is to get people thinking and trying to wrap their heads around the amazing things that have been achieved and to dream about what will be achieved."
Freedom Ahead: Democracy Does Not Offer Freedom, Nature Does
60 min · Never before in history have so many people relied on so few for the basic essentials of life.
Paul Hawken: Regeneration
29 min · Paul Hawken is a visionary social entrepreneur, the award-winning author of multiple landmark books including Blessed Unrest, The Ecology of Commerce and Natural Capitalism (co-author), and the Co-Founder of OneSun, a radically...
Arise (2013) (trailer)
2 min · On every continent, women are taking the lead to protect and restore the natural environment, and are empowering others to respect the earth. Arise presents the stories of a diverse group of 13 women in five countries who have initiated...
Neil deGrasse Tyson: What We Are
4 min · Mind = blown.
Joanna Macy: From The Great Unraveling to The Great Turning
2 min · Prayer for the Great Turning May the turning of the Earth save us.
Awaken the MOTHER Mind: Powerful message from Zulu healer Credo Mutwa
2 min · Zulu Sangoma (healer) Vusamazulu Credo Mutwa calls on all human beings to awaken the mother mind, that part of human consciousness that feels what is happening in the world.
Alan Watts: What is Wrong With Our Culture
5 min · Thought-provoking 5 minutes on the state of the world from the late, great Alan Watts - a man far ahead of his time.
It's The Greatest Drama of All Time and You Just Might Be Missing It
6 min · When you're glued to the latest series of a show like Game of Thrones, caught up in the drama, the twists and turns of the plot, you may be missing the most intricate, massive drama imaginable; the one happening all around you, in real...
Earth Democracy
3 min · Vandana Shiva explains the concept of a deeper democracy called "Earth Democracy."
Reconvergence (2012) (trailer)
2 min · "An epic rumination on the nature of modern human existence." -Maryland Film Festival At the core of humankind's ethos is an ongoing struggle to come to terms with the impermanence of self. Reconvergence offers an intriguing...
Self-Organisation Beyond Hierarchy
74 min · This series of six short films look beyond hierarchy at two approaches to self-organisation. Traditionally, many of us are used to having someone at the top, but times are changing and we are seeing a paradigm shift in how people...
In Transition 2.0: A Story of Resilience & Hope in Extraordinary Times
66 min · This film is an inspirational immersion in the Transition movement, gathering stories from around the world of ordinary people doing extraordinary things. There are stories of communities printing their own money, growing food...
Animate Earth: Science, Intuition and Gaia
1 min · In this film Stephan Harding explores the history of science, the world of nature and Gaia Theory. He believes that to tackle the current ecological crisis, we need an expanded science that cultivates intuition alongside conventional...
Paul Hawken: The World's Largest Social Movement Has No Name
6 min · Paul Hawken speaking about the world's largest social movement, consisting of hundreds of thousands of grassroots organizations that address social and environmental justice. Hawken's explores how this movement came into being and why...
What the World Needs Is An Evolution of Spirit
5 min · Sometimes there's not much use in telling people what the problems are. The best thing you can do is lead by example. Just show people how this awareness and knowledge has had a positive impact on your life, and people will take...
This Short Film Plays Out Like an Epic Movie That Will Shake Your Soul - But the Movie Is Real, and We are The Actors
6 min · For next year, we need a resolution capable of confronting the crisis we face, and making a future worth fighting for.
The Wisdom To Survive: Climate Change, Capitalism & Community (trailer)
3 min · Climate change is taking place. Will we have the wisdom to survive? The film features thought leaders and activists in the realms of science, economics and spirituality. The focus: how we can live creatively and even joyfully in the...
There Are No Shortcuts, You Find Your Path By Walking It
2 min · Tavis Smiley dictates a letter to a young American with inspiration from his late friend, Maya Angelou. No matter how much you seek the answers to life from external sources, the truth you seek can only be found within you. You must...
Russell Brand - Awakened Man
11 min · This is an inspirational compilation of clips trimmed from hours of loving and pure truth interviews Russell has been involved in throughout the last year (2013).
All Revolutions Begin As Revolutions of Consciousness
3 min · Important reflections for everyone hoping to affect change in the world. This is a clip from "UnVeiled & Lifted," which was released online for free by the film-makers in 2013. Watch the full film here.
It Takes More Than One Person to Change The World
5 min · Want to change the world? Show people that it is already happening. (An inspirational primer on how to get started.)
Beyond Elections: Redefining Democracy in the Americas
95 min · From Venezuela's Communal Councils, to Brazil's Participatory Budgeting; from Constitutional Assemblies to grassroots movements, recuperated factories to cooperatives across the hemisphere -- this documentary is a journey, which takes...
Forget Shorter Showers: Why Personal Change Does Not Equal Political Change
11 min · Would any sane person think dumpster diving would have stopped Hitler, or that composting would have ended slavery or brought about the eight-hour workday; or that chopping wood and carrying water would have gotten people out of Tsarist...
I Am Not Black. You Are Not White: We Are Not the Racial Labels Elites Invented to Divide Us
4 min · Racism is real but race is not. "Black" and "White" were labels invented in the 15th century - made up to divide us. Is it time to let these labels go? ​Prince Ea believes the answer is yes.
Visualizing a Plenitude Economy: The Secret To Creating Jobs
5 min · This fun animation provides a vision of what a post-consumer society could look like, with people working fewer hours and pursuing re-skilling, homesteading, and small-scale enterprises that can help reduce the overall size and impact...
Join the Empathy Revolution!
10 min · Introspection is out, and outrospection is in. Philosopher and author Roman Krznaric explains how we can help drive social change by stepping outside ourselves.
Nonviolent Communication Basics
275 min · The Basics of Nonviolent Communication with Marshall Rosenberg, Phd, is a recorded presentation of a 1-day workshop held in San Francisco, CA in April 2000.  "The purpose of Nonviolent Communication is to help you learn what you already...
Casa De Paz: House of Peace
6 min · In the Fruitvale area of Oakland, California, residents are opening their doors and their hearts, fostering peace in their neighborhood—one block at a time. Casa de Paz is one of several houses joined by a common backyard/ farm, where...
Transition From Caterpillar to Butterfly as Analogy for Social Change
4 min · An exceprt from Crossroads: Labor Pains of a New Worldview in which Dr. Bruce Lipton talks about the fractal nature of reality and compares the current global awakening and the evolution of humanity to imaginal cells in a dying caterpillar.
Pretty, Pretty, Pretty Funny Intro to Participatory Economics
7 min · This is a short animated introduction to Participatory Economics. It's made about 10 times more hilarious and enjoyable to watch thanks to the laugh track and frequent jokes.
Here and Now
18 min · Here and Now weaves together social justice, land conservation, human history, and scientific knowledge into a cohesive and moving story about what’s possible by working together. We learn about four innovative partnerships between...
PROUT's Concept of Economic Democracy
10 min · 10 minutes of plain-spoken awesome. Economic Democracy is the BIG IDEA of our time. Make sure you don't miss the awesome moment starting at 2:30 that goes until 3:25! 
Redesigning Cities Could Solve Our Biggest Problems. But We're Hardly Talking About Them.
4 min · Cities are the biggest thing we create. But when we talk about sustainability, there is still surprisingly little discussion about how our cities are designed as a whole.
Desmond Tutu: Did You Know This?
1 min · Desmond Tutu shares a simple and important message for us all - in 19 seconds.
Another Way Of Seeing: We Don't Own the Land. The Land Owns Us.
6 min · Bob Randall, a Yankunytjatjara elder and traditional owner of Uluru (Ayer's Rock), explains how the connectedness of every living thing to every other living thing is not just an idea but a way of living. This way includes all beings as...
Bill Hicks: It's Just a Ride
2 min · The world is like a ride in an amusement park. And when you choose to go on it, you think it's real because that's how powerful our minds are. And the ride goes up and down and round and round. It has thrills and chills and it's very...
We Societies
5 min · Thom Hartmann describes a society based on cooperation and the idea that we're all in this together. Compares our current "me" society with a potential "we" society.
Occupy Spirituality: A Radical Vision for a New Generation
2 min · The Occupy Wall Street movement and protest movements around the world are evidence of a new era of intergenerational activists seeking deeper spiritual meaning in their quest for peace and justice.
ENOUGHNESS: Restoring Balance to the Economy in the Most Awesome Way Ever
5 min · How we see the world determines how we act. Western thought sees us at war with each other over resources. In Indigenous philosophy, we are all related as individuals in balance with nature. This video juxtaposes these two world views...

 

Articulated above is a new and powerful story about our relationship to the world that personally inspires me. It draws from the wisdom and knowledge of cultures both ancient and new. It is a story worth belonging too.

I believe it is a story so compelling that, as the world hears this new story, will begin enacting it. And as we begin to enact the new story in our every day lives, all those problems that stem from the old story will begin to lose their sway over the world.

From changed hearts and minds will spring forth enumerable actions, solving our myriad crisis at its root, through billions of diverse and vibrant ways of being.

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