In recognition of Earth Month, our focus on the environment continues. Today, we look at the voice of film and television and our influence on important issues that face humanity, including the condition of our planet.  

The cultural, creative, and social significance and impact of film and television provides a unique opportunity to bring important issues to audiences around the world.  At Broadway Stages, we are dedicated to build a strong and sustainable television and film culture in New York - one that brings mutual value to our clients, our operations, our community and our environment. Our commitment to environmental sustainability is a cornerstone of our business philosophy, from remediating brownfield sites and repurposing them for economically beneficial soundstages, to the installation of 50,000 square feet of solar panels, and over 55,000 square feet of garden rooftops, we support green initiatives that help improve the air, make our buildings more temperate, reduce stormwater runoff and broaden environmental education.  We are proud to be part of an industry that realizes that critical role it plays in responsibly making its voice heard on issues of significance.  We are equally proud of the role we play in the creation of productions that bring important environmental issues to light.

As part of this year's Earth Day celebrations, we compiled a list of films and television programs that highlight environmental issues, promote sustainability, and/or warn of the consequences of ignoring the growing climate crisis. Hopefully these films and programs inspire you to make a difference today.

Anthology Series

Broadway Stages is proud to work with the cast and crew of the upcoming drama anthology series "Extrapolations," which will explore how climate change impacts people across the planet. Apple TV+ has not announced a release date yet, but we can report that the star-studded cast will include Oscar winners Meryl Streep, Forest Whitaker, and Marion Cotillard, as well as Tobey Maguire, Edward Norton, Diane Lane, David Schwimmer, Kit Harington, and Daveed Diggs.

Documentaries

In 2019, Netflix released "Our Planet," a British documentary series narrated by David Attenborough. Each of the eight episodes focuses on how climate change is affecting different regions of the planet. Episode two "Frozen Worlds" highlights the plight of polar bears and penguins, and other episodes focus on the seas and oceans, deserts, grasslands, and forests.

The American documentary series "Years of Living Dangerously" (2014-2016) ran for 17 episodes over two seasons and featured celebrity hosts including Harrison Ford, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and executive producer James Cameron. The series explored the effects of climate change and also sought solutions from experts around the world.

Additional documentaries worth checking out are 2020's "I Am Greta," about teenage activist Greta Thunberg, 2019's Turkish-language "Honeyland," and 2006's Oscar-winning "An Inconvenient Truth."

Films Based on True Stories

Tragically, there have been many real-life cases involving large corporations contaminating the water supply of small towns. Hollywood has put out multiple films about the inspirational people who stood up to these businesses. Most recently, Mark Ruffalo starred in 2019's "Dark Waters," about attorney Robert Bilott's case against DuPont on behalf of residents of a small town in West Virginia. Two decades ago, Julia Roberts won an Oscar for her portrayal of environmental activist Erin Brockovich, who helped build a case against Pacific Gas & Electric Company involving groundwater contamination in a town in California. In 1998, John Travolta starred in "A Civil Action," based on the novel by Jonathan Harr about a water contamination case in Massachusetts.

Films for the Whole Family

In 2008, Disney released Pixar's genuinely touching film "WALL-E" about a robot roaming a post-apocalyptic wasteland that was once Earth. All the humans have fled to starliners floating around space, and WALL-E (Waste Allocation Load-Lifter: Earth-Class) spends his time compacting garbage and stacking the trash cubes into skyscrapers. Cockroaches are his only form of company until he meets EVE (Extraterrestrial Vegetation Evaluator), a robot sent to Earth in search of signs of life. The robots must team up to save the planet and the human race.

Another family-friendly option is 2012's "The Lorax," an adaptation of Dr. Suess's popular book of the same name. Older children and teens may like the 1997 Japanese anime film "Princess Mononoke."

Comedies:

Netflix released "Don't Look Up" earlier this year, and the dark comedy broke the streaming service's record for weekly viewership, with more than 152 million viewing hours in a week. While reviews were mixed, the film also managed to nab a nomination for Best Picture at the Oscars.

Directed by Adam McKay and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Timothée Chalamet, Cate Blanchett, Meryl Streep, and many others, "Don't Look Up" tells the story of two astronomers trying to warn the world about an approaching comet that will destroy the planet. The impending doom is an allegory for climate change, and the film satirizes the indifference many politicians and others show toward the climate crisis.

Fantasy and Science-Fiction

In 2019, Bong Joon-ho took the world by storm with "Parasite," a film that tells the story of two families, one rich and one poor, and the violent consequences of societal inequality. He explored similar themes of sustainability and economic disparity six years earlier with "Snowpiercer."

In a not-so-distant future, a failed attempt to stop global warming has launched a new ice age, and the last surviving humans circumnavigate the globe on a train. Chris Evans stars as a lower-class passenger living in squalor at the rear of the train who leads a rebellion against the wealthy passengers at the front. Both the movie and TNT's popular series of the same name are based on the 1982 graphic novel "Le Transperceneige" by Jacques Lob.

Many science-fiction and fantasy films predict the end of the world, and in many instances it is due to mankind's inability to act sustainably or control climate change. Other films with similar themes include 2015's "Mad Max: Fury Road," 2014's "Interstellar," 2009's "Avatar," 2004's "The Day After Tomorrow," and the 1973 cult classic "Soylent Green," which incidentally takes place in what was then the future year of 2022.

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Consider what you can do to protect the earth and our local environment, and remember that every little bit helps – reduce, reuse, recycle, conserve, sow, advocate, and so much more. Join us this month and throughout the year as we take action to celebrate and cherish our earth.