Two films of women making a difference for the environment
The Seeds of Vandana Shiva
How did the willful daughter of a Himalayan forest conservator become the world’s most powerful opponent of Monsanto? The Seeds of Vandana Shiva, a feature-length documentary, presents the remarkable life story of the Gandhian eco-activist and agro-ecologist, Vandana Shiva. A classic David versus Goliath tale, the film shows how Vandana, a brilliant scientist, became Monsanto’s worst nightmare and a rock star of the international organic food movement. Vandana Shiva is a modern-day revolutionary, and for forty years has been fighting a heroic battle on behalf of humanity and the ecologically besieged natural systems that support us. Production of the film has finished, and the filmmakers still need to fundraise for distribution costs. You can help by donating here. If you’re interested in hosting a community screening, contact jim@becketfilms.com. Watch the trailer here, and learn more about the film here.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai
Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai is a documentary about the Green Belt Movement of Kenya and its founder Wangari Maathai, the first environmentalist and first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Professor Maathai discovered her life’s work by reconnecting with the rural women with whom she had grown up. They told her they were walking long distances for firewood, clean water was scarce, the soil was disappearing from their fields, and their children were suffering from malnutrition. “Well, why not plant trees?” Maathai suggested. These women found themselves working successively against deforestation, poverty, ignorance, embedded economic interests, and government corruption, until they became a national political force that helped to bring down Kenya’s 24-year dictatorship. Taking Root captures Maathai’s thirty-year journey of courage to protect the integrally connected issues of the environment, human rights, and democracy. Watch the film online here.