Live Earth Short Films: Presented by ABSOLUT

JASON ARCHER & PAUL BECK: Cough, Cold and High Fever

How do you cure an ailing earth? In this animated polemic framed as a child’s bad dream, the Earth (pictured here as a man with a globe head, almost like this) encounters a wide variety of ecological hurdles. He is stifled and suffocated by plastic bags and hacks up power plants during a coughing fit. Penguins and polar bears wander out of their habitats, and animals flee incoming floods that smother the planet. Directors Jason Archer and Paul Beck offer up a film that is at once imaginative and cautionary.

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AIRSIDE/AL MCCUISH: Beginner's Guide To Giving A Damn

Raising your awareness around climate change isn’t as exhausting as you’d think. Living In An ABSOLUT World requires us to act locally and think globally. In this comical animated series, directors Airside and Al McCuish break down how to start saving the planet in several “small positive everyday acts.” With the help of a biking raccoon and a breakdancing brown bear, A Beginner’s Guide to Giving a Damn is a bright and snappy exploration of mother nature at her best.

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AMY BERG: Polarized

As temperatures rise across the world due to global warming, the village of Shishmaref, Alaska is facing its own unique and pressing crisis. Located on an island on the eastern tip of the state and built on a foundation of now-melting permafrost, changes in the local temperature affect its residents’ ability to feed their families, preserve meat, and protect their homes from the elements. Currently the village is sinking and eroding into the sea. Director Amy Berg captures how the climate crisis is endangering the inhabitants’ long-practiced Arctic way of life.

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SOPHIE KELLER & OLI BARRY: Bob And Harry

In a post-glacial age, can polar bears really survive? In this dark comedic series (starring Harry Shearer and Rip Torn) the last two polar bears on earth try fitting into a world that isn’t quite right for them anymore. Whether at a skytop realty agency hoarding the world’s last glacier, an endangered species dating agency, or a fancy restaurant where seafood dishes have very little sea or food in them, these two bears consistently find themselves way out of luck and, sadly, far from home.

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SOPHIE MULLER: Sunny Day

In this beautifully-framed and message-driven piece, acclaimed music video Sophie Muller (see this and this) invites us to ditch our energy-zapping tumble dryers and return to the easy and breezy clothesline. Muller’s musical interpolation of a variety of household and outdoor sounds (dryers, electricity currents, and even birds chirping) makes for a forceful melodic reminder to get back in (clothes)line. When the sun is shining, give your clothes (and our power supply) a breath of fresh air.

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SUZANNE DEAKIN: Round And Round

The worst thing about bad habits is that they often spawn, well, more bad habits. In this brilliant Suzanne Deakin one-shot animated short, bad environmental habits (mixed with the hazards of hyped-up media coverage) can create a web of negative effects that become normalized into our daily routines. Taking a step back to see how one bad habit begets another is the first step to breaking this toxic cycle and making a change for the better. Deakin (of Monkey Dust fame) demonstrates just how we can imagine and create a healthier and more colorful world.

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MAC CARTER & SEAN WELSH: Dave

Meet Dave. Dave is on a personal mission to show drivers how they can lessen their dependency on gasoline, and use biodiesel to power their cars instead. Dave likes to eat out for lunch (several times a day in fact) and instead of a doggy bag, he asks restaurants for their leftover cooking oil, which he gladly accepts and then converts to biodiesel. As quirky as he is hopeful, Dave shows us how to help save the planet -- one order of Pad Thai at a time.

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JOE COLE: Light Bulb

How many aspiring environmentalists does it take to screw in an eco-friendly light bulb? While the task of purchasing and screwing in an energy-efficient light bulb is far from difficult, writer/director Joe Cole hilariously takes us through the process step by step in this campy instructional clip. From a living room to the hardware store and back, Light Bulb's suburban protagonists need a bit of help along the way but end up a-okay. "That wasn't so hard, was it?"

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MARCOS PRADO: Waste

In Jardin Gramacho -- Latin America' largest landfill, located outside of Rio De Janeiro --waste is currency for Brazil's poorest. It’s also a major source for the country’s methane pollution problem. In this powerful documentary, director Marcos Prado juxtaposes video clips from the landfill with a montage of black and white photographs of the people who work the grounds. He captures life on the landfill for the tens of thousands of people who subsist off of the “waste,” and offers a greater context for why such landfills exist. Waste combines grim footage with ideas for a better tomorrow.

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RICHARD CARROLL: Out Of Sight

Every day we toss out tons of waste and filmmaker Jonathan Carroll wants us to open our eyes to see the damage that it’s doing to our planet. In a beautifully-framed series of shots from some of the most unsightly places, this film visits dump yards and landfills to remind us that even when we throw something away, it has a life beyond our use. Only 20% of our waste is recycled -- just one pointed fact shared in the piece that prizes reuse over refuse.

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JOSE PADILHA: SUV

This gripping documentary exposes the truly global implications of driving an SUV. Jose Padhila's documentary exposes the multi-layered effects the production and consumption of such super-sized vehicles have on our planet, and flips the script on what dependency really means. Starting his film's critical exploration in Brazil’s Amazon Rainforest and focusing on the impoverished lives of the charcoal people, and then moving onward to a car dealership, this is a must-see for all drivers and passengers.

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MATT MAHURIN: H2 Uh Oh

What does our future hold? Will global warming bring about the melting of glaciers and flood coastal cities, or will it alter our climates and make waterways disappear? In this film, director Matt Mahurin tries both doomed scenarios on for size. Set in the near future, we learn that both outcomes are flip sides of the same coin -- and aren't as far-fetched as we might believe. No real need for umbrellas here. If we don't wise up, this is just the tip of the iceberg.

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ED ROE & DOUGAL WILSON: Rubbish

What's in your dumpster? A young man who is too lazy to recycle tries to impress the attractive woman who moves in next door by pretending his green-minded neighbor doesn't recycle. This pick-up trick slowly unravels as the man is forced to improvise to his would-be sweetheart on the art of recycling. Starring Martin Freeman (from Britain's The Office) and written/directed by BAFTA-nominated team Ed Roe & Dougal Wilson, this film takes a humorous look at sorting recyclables and shows how fun going through your neighbor's trash can truly be.

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INIGO GILMORE: The Village Green

It takes a village to protect the environment. For the residents of Ashton Hayes in Cheshire, England, not only have they turned their conservative village into a conservationist's oasis, but they have also become England's first carbon-neutral locale. From changing out old light bulbs to developing solar and wind power to elementary school chants about recycling -- Ashton Hayes sets a great example of how to come together and make a community green.

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CHAD LOWE: Taking America's Temperature

Emmy-Winner Chad Lowe takes us on a scenic road trip to hear from Americans on how the climate crisis impacts them and their communities. The personal is political here; sounding off on everything from homeland security to how people can pitch in to help, Lowe assembles an eclectic chorus of commentators with plenty of insights (set against a stunning backdrop of American landscapes) and cuts through the rhetoric to put the pressing concerns of Americans to the forefront.

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CHRIS BRAN: Switch On. Switch Off.

By reminding us to shut down our appliances when not in use, director Chris Bran guides us on a rhythmic and visual tour of how to conserve energy in our homes. He creatively advocates we turn it, click it, press it, buzz it, eject it and turn off our gadgets when we aren't using them. If 5% of our domestic energy is spent on appliances left in standby mode, then rocking out to Switch On, Switch Off should push our power buttons and inspire us to think twice about leaving the lights on.

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DAVID HANDLEY: Can One Person Make A Difference?

When an imaginary cosmic doctor (voiced by Simon Callow) pays a visit to Earth, we are all prescribed the opportunity to think about how to improve our planet. Turning our "environmental turmoil" around requires us to stop blindly consuming and start giving back. With a brief history lesson on Thomas Midgely Jr, whose many scientific discoveries (like leaded gasoline and refrigerator freon) are far from eco-friendly but have become ingrained in our daily lives, this animated ditty uses a wry tone to deliver a serious message.

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AIRSIDE: Penguin In A Pickle

Forget marching -- in this graphic animated short, we follow a traveling penguin floating across the ocean on an ever-shrinking piece of broken-off glacial ice. Drifting, without any signs of life or inhabitation in sight, he finally abandons the ice patch and decides to take a plunge. Under the surface of the water he comes across a bleak discovery of decayed urban life. It’s a take on global warming that definitely gives you the chills.

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HEIDI EWING & RACHEL GRADY: One Less Car

To bike to work or not to bike to work in New York City – it doesn't seem like much of a question after seeing this film by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady (behind 2007's critically-acclaimed Jesus Camp). With congestion, pollution, accidents, and high costs associated with commuting through the city by car, the choice to bike through New York’s five boroughs seems clear. Rather than simply adding more lanes to roadways or building more cars to replace those sent to the junk yard, this film offers a fresh take on an old idea: cycling can't be beat.

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MATT TOMASZEWSKI: The Rewind

Oceans cover two-thirds of the entire planet and are an abundant source of life and sustenance. In The Rewind, award-winning filmmaker Matt Tomaszewski juxtaposes beautiful underwater scenes of life with depictions of an imagined apocalyptic environmental future. This contrast highlights the effects of pollution on the complex systems of life found around coral reefs in this stunning and cautionary visual evolutionary timeline. Tomaszewski lets us know that the choice is ours to make a change.

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JOHAN RENCK: Cow

A stomach churning look at where our meat comes from, and what toll it takes on the air we breathe and our natural world. Directed by Johan Renck, this scatological take on the environment gives us a very up-close and personal look at how the waste produced by livestock affects the ozone, climate, and natural resources in more profound ways than other pollutants, including cars and trucks. One of the only films that is as grimy as the pollution it describes -- not for the weak-stomached environmentalist.

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BIG T.V.: Polarbearman

Global warming really hits home for one man in this stirring short film made by directorial team Big T.V. (Andy Delaney and Monte Whitebloom). Set against the backdrop of a documentary about the looming extinction of polar bears playing throughout the clip, the unnamed protagonist (played by Lee Pace) is slowly flooded out of the ground floor of his home as he drinks tea and irons his pants. He calmly ascends each adjacent level as the water rises, only to finally be surprised by his ultimate fate.

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BEN & JOE DEMPSEY: School Run

In an ABSOLUT World, driving an SUV would be a crime. In this film directed by prolific commercial and music video directing team Joe and Ben Dempsey, they try that scenario on for size, and show us what it would be like to make driving while under a low MPG rate a criminal act. For the driver, a mother picking up her daughter from school in a 4x4, getting a polar bear-induced guilt trip from a police officer who pulls her over gives her a good scare.

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SARAH MILLER & CELESTE MORENO: Inconvenient Ruth

Come along with Ruth, a feisty nine year old, who seriously loves the planet and isn't afraid to show it. She teaches us how we can all pitch in to help the environment, all the while crushing on a hunky Al Gore and talking shop with a banjo-playing "refugee" penguin. Created and written by Sarah Miller and Celeste Moreno, in this clip watch out for gaseous emissions of all kinds in this animated short, and any other toxic materials that might be blowing in the wind.

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RUPERT JONES: Think

What Does It Take To Change A Habit? In this film, BAFTA nominated director Rupert Jones takes a farcical look at an everyday situation where planning ahead can make an impact not just on the environment, but on your relationship with your grocer. Even though using a different plastic bag every time you visit your grocery store might be a little more convenient for you, reducing the amount of plastic bags you use is a lot better for the environment.

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CHEL WHITE: The Wind

Set to a poem by Antonio Machado and narrated by Alec Baldwin, visual effects master Chel White uses time lapse photography to simultaneously display the majesty of nature and the destruction of humanity'€™s footprint. This hauntingly beautiful film shows what we stand to lose if we continue to put the environment second to progress, but also shows that it is possible to put technological progress hand in hand with environmental preservation.

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VERNIE YEUNG: Earth 2.0

We have become so accustomed to technology making consumer goods and information available to us instantaneously that we often fail to notice things that develop slowly—like the deterioration of the environment. Filmmaker Vernie Yeung takes the damage being done to the environment and translates it into the fast paced format we have become accustomed to.

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