Artwork by Vanessa Pesarini for ArtistsForClimate.org
land rights in the movies & shows we love
Grab your popcorn. We've got the perfect recs for movie night...
Documentaries aren't the only place you'll find land rights on the screen. A good land rights drama, comedy, soap opera, action, or adventure are just a click away. Next time you're aimlessly browsing your streaming platforms, try your luck with one of the land rights titles suggested below.
Check back often as we collect popular titles of movies and tv shows written about and by women, youth, peasants, farmers, forest dwellers, fisher folk and Indigenous Peoples who have one thing in common - the fight for their right to land.
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Artwork by Jordan Schiffer for ArtistsForClimate.org
Have you watched ...
THE GRAB
FROM THE SAME PEOPLE WHO BROUGHT YOU BLACKFISH, AN INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST UNCOVERS THE MONEY, INFLUENCE, AND ALARMING RATIONALE BEHIND COVERT EFFORTS TO CONTROL THE MOST VITAL RESOURCES ON THE PLANET: LAND, FOOD AND WATER. ALSO KNOWN AS “THE HOLY SH*T DOCUMENTARY OF THE YEAR.”
WHALE RIDER
A YOUNG MAORI GIRL, PAI, BECOMES THE LEADER OF HER TRIBE. WHILE BREAKING GENDER ROLES, SHE ALSO NAVIGATES HER RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LAND AND HER ANCESTORS. HER TRIBE HAS A DEEP CONNECTION TO THEIR LAND AND OCEAN. PAI ALSO LIKES WHALES A LOT, AND SHE RIDES THEM. WE DON‘T HAVE ROOM TO EXPLAIN HOW SYMBOLIC THAT IS, SO WATCH THE MOVIE.
EVEN THE RAIN
A DRAMA ABOUT A FILM CREW FROM SPAIN THAT GOES TO BOLIVIA TO MAKE A MOVIE ABOUT CHRISTOPHER COLOMBUS. THEY STUMBLE UPON THE COCHABAMBA WATER WAR -- WHERE COMMUNITIES FIGHT BACK AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT’S DECISION TO PRIVATIZE WATER. INDIGENOUS RESISTANCE AND LAND RIGHTS IN BOTH MODERN-DAY AND COLONIAL TIMES ARE EXPLORED
Killers of the Flower Moon
OKLAHOMA 1920s
TRUE STORY! INDIGENOUS OSAGE NATION IS FORCIBLY RELOCATED TO WHAT IS CONSIDERED WORTHLESS LAND IN OKLAHOMA. THEY DISCOVER OIL, BECOME WEALTHY AND MURDER TARGETS.
ROBERT DE NIRO PLAYS MAN WHO MARRIES INTO AN INDIGENOUS FAMILY AND ORCHESTRATES KILLINGS TO CONTROL INDIGENOUS LAND.
Pom Poko
A GROUP OF FOREST-DWELLING TANUKI (SHAPE-SHIFTING RACOON DOGS) HOMES AND BIODIVERSE ENVIRONMENT COME UNDER ATTACK BY A HUMAN HOUSING PROJECT. THEY FIGHT TO PROTECT THEIR LAND AT ALL COSTS. WATCH THEM CONFRONT POLICE WITH THE HELP OF THEIR MAGICAL TESTICLES, WHICH TURN INTO PUNCHING BAGS.
LEMON TREE
PALESTINE
A PALESTINIAN WIDOW, SALMA, CULTIVATES HER FAMILY’S LEGACY AND FUTURE THROUGH HER LEMON GROVE UNTIL THE ISRAELI DEFENSE MINISTER BECOMES HER NEXT-DOOR NEIGHBOUR AND DECIDES HER TREES MUST GO. HER LEMONS, APPARENTLY, THREATEN HIS SECURITY? SALMA FIGHTS TO PROTECT HER LAND RIGHTS, AND LEMONS.
FEAR OF THE WALKING DEAD
DESPERATE TO SURVIVE, INHABITANTS OF A POST-APOCOLYPITCIC LOS ANGELES FIGHT TO CONTROL LAND AND RESOURCES. IN SEASON 3 THE HOPI TRIBE, A GROUP OF LOCAL NATIVE AMERICANS, FIGHTS HUMANS AND ZOMBIES FOR LAND TAKEN FROM THEM. EXPECT GUT-WRENCHING DECISIONS ABOUT INDIVIDUAL SURVIVAL OR COLLECTIVE WELLBEING AND ZOMBIES
LAND GIRLS
A WWII SERIES ON THE WOMEN’S LAND ARMY IN THE UK. THE WOMEN CULTIVATE AND MANAGE LAND OWNED BY RICH PEOPLE WHO DO NOT WANT TO WORK ON IT THEMSELVES. MEANWHILE THE MEN ARE BUSY FIGHTING EACH OTHER. UNSURPRISINGLY, THE WOMEN ARE GOOD AT IT, RAISING THE QUESTION, WHY DON’T WOMEN OWN MORE LAND?
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PANDORA, 2154
PANDORA, A LUSH HABITABLE MOON OF POLYPHEMUS IN THE ALPHA CANTAURI STAR SYSTEM IS INHABITED BY INDIGENOUS NA’VI, 10 FT TALL, BLUE, SAPIENT HUMANOIDS THAT LIVE IN HARMONY WITH NATURE.
ENTER GREEDY HUMANS WHO COME TO MINE VALUABLE MINERAL OFF THEIR LAND. A FUTURISTIC NOT-SO-GREEN TRANSITION?
Australia
AUSTRALIA 1942
A LOVE STORY WHERE NICOLE KIDMAN PLAYS WOMAN WHO INHERITS CATTLE RANCH IN AUSTRALIA AND GOES ON A CATTLE DRIVE ACROSS MILES OF HARSH TERRAIN TO SAVE HER RANCH. HAS THEMES OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES AND WHITE SAVIOR COMPLEX. EXPECT INTENSE WWII BOMBING SCENES.
The Motorcycle Diaries
BUENOS AIRES 1952
MEET CHE GUEVARA BEFORE HE BECOMES THE SUBJECT OF REVOLUTIONARY BALLADS AND NOT-SO-REVOLUTIONARY T-SHIRTS.
AS THE YOUNG ERNESTO TRAVELS THROUGH LATIN AMERICA, HE WITNESSES LAND INJUSTICES, INCLUDING AN INDIGENOUS PERUVIAN KICKED OFF HIS LAND BY CORPORATE MONOPOLIES ONLY TO BE CRIMINALIZED BY THE GOVERNMENT.