GREEN SCHOOL TOURS
in partnership with
The 9th annual Green School Tours will run April to June 2022
Since 1999, Planet in Focus has played a significant role in helping to raise awareness about the state of our planet through the power of film in schools and communities across Canada. Planet in Focus Teachers’ Guides are now available for selected titles. These guides provide background on the topics covered in the films, as well as additional resources like news coverage, helpful videos and websites for further research.
Due to current circumstances, Planet in Focus is now offering the free Green School Tours program virtually to your classrooms! A curated list of environmental films are available online, and include teachers guides or filmmaker Q&A sessions.
The first 3 schools in each region will receive a free in-school film festival
- Brantford
- Chatham-Bluewater
- Hamilton
- North Eastern GTA
- Thunder Bay
If you do not qualify for a free program, please email schools@planetinfocus.org for alternative options.
Canadian Film 
Teacher’s Guide available 
Filmmaker Q&A available 
HUMANS AND THE NATURAL WORLD
The Wilderness Within
Jason van Bruggen | Canada | 12 min
Themes: ecology, Toronto
A realist’s assessment of the declining health of urban wilderness and our fleeting opportunity to restore it. This is the story of one man’s obsessive quest to re-wild Toronto’s ravines by bringing the offspring of ecological elders, or mother trees, back to their natural homes. It is a call to arms for nature lovers around the world.
WhateverTree
Isaac King | Canada | 11 min
Themes: technology, natural connections
A dead tree goes viral, attracting wildlife, a nature lover, and a crowd of online followers. Animated entirely outside, “WhateverTree” examines our connection to nature in the age of social media, screens, and selfies.
Toxic Neighbour
Colin Scheyen | Canada | 23 min
Major themes: nuclear energy, health
Eugene Bourgeois had no concerns about nuclear energy when he built his farm next door to the world’s largest nuclear facility in 1974. Over that time, he and his wife Ann ran a successful wool business and taught generations of people around the world the art of knitting. They really believed they had found paradise.
INDIGENOUS PERSPECTIVES
Wochiigii Lo: End of the Peace
Heather Hatch | Canada | 90 min
Major themes: extractive industries, water pollution
Shot over five years by Haida filmmaker Heather Hatch, this is a stirring chronicle of resistance and environmental stewardship, pitting First Nations people against the British Columbia government. At issue is the ongoing construction of Site C, a multi-billion-dollar mega-dam along the province’s Peace River. If completed, the project will flood thousands of acres of agricultural land, threaten critical habitat, and endanger a way of life that has been sustainably practiced for millennia—even as official assessments suggest the dam’s potential benefits are difficult to discern.
The Water Walker
James Burns | Canada | 14 min
Major themes: community movements, water rights
The Water Walker is a short documentary, tracing the roots, passion and perseverance of young Autumn. We follow her story as she prepares to speak at the United Nations. Autumn is an influential figure in the Indigenous and global youth-led environmental movement. In 2019, 14-year-old Autumn was named the chief water commissioner by the Anishinabek Nation, a position previously held by her late Great Aunt Josephine Mandamin, an elder and founding member of the water protectors movement.
Joe Buffalo
Amar Chebib | Canada | 15 min
Themes: addiction, mental health
Joe Buffalo is an Indigenous skateboard legend. He’s also a survivor of Canada’s notorious Indian Residential School system. Following a traumatic childhood and decades of addiction, Joe must face his inner demons to realize his dream of turning pro.
ACTIVISM AND CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY
YOUTH v GOV
Christi Cooper | USA | 107 min
Themes: government, climate change
Given the threats to life and liberty posed by the climate emergency, it stands to reason that the United States Constitution should offer Americans some safeguard against this accelerating menace. This, broadly, is the argument of the plaintiffs in Youth Vs. Gov, 21 brave and outspoken young claimants (initially aged eight to 19) who have brought suit against one of the world’s most powerful governments.
The Gig is Up
Shannon Walsh | Canada | 88 min
Themes: corporate responsibility, human rights
A very human tech doc, THE GIG IS UP uncovers the real costs of the platform economy through the lives of workers from around the world for companies including Uber, Amazon and Deliveroo.
Humanity Has Not Yet Failed
Norma V. Toraya and Jared P. Scott | USA | 8 min
Themes: politics, media
Climate activist Greta Thunberg juxtaposes the absurdity of political inaction with the straightforward high-stakes of the climate emergency.
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