As the planet warms, mountain glacial melt threatens people downstream. The people of the small kingdom of Bhutan engage in a valiant race against time to prevent an environmental disaster high in the Himalayan mountains, and find economic opportunity in the process. For production of this short Global Environment Facility documentary, Arrowhead Films traveled to the high-altitude worksite where construction to prevent a GLOF (glacial lake outburst flood) is underway. This program screened at the international 2010 Global Environmental Conference, and was included in Himalayan Meltdown, a feature-length documentary that is part of the Discovery Asia “Revealed” series.
U.S. Marine Donald Matocha returned to American soil 38 years after his death in the Vietnam War. In this condensed version of the Telly Award winning Discovery Military Channel documentary film, see how the United States Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command brings its fallen home, no matter how long it takes to do so. From the spirit of dignity and perseverance that characterize JPAC’s mission of bringing America’s missing back home, to the riveting revisit of the Marines’ return trek to the battlefield, An Ocean Away reveals the valor of America’s Armed Forces and the heavy price too often paid by their loved ones. And it shows us that, sometimes, healing can come from the most unexpected places.
The earth’s rainforests are critical to the planet’s health. They clean the air, cool the planet and provide habitat for thousands of species of flora and fauna. These ecosystems benefit humans as well; they currently provide sources for one-fourth of today’s medicines, and 70 percent of the plants found to have anti-cancer properties are found only in the rainforest. The rainforest and its immense undiscovered biodiversity hold the key to unlocking tomorrow’s cures for devastating diseases.
And yet, one and one-half acres of rainforest are lost every second with tragic consequences for both developing and industrial countries. Experts estimate that the last remaining rainforests could be consumed in less than 40 years. It is estimated that we are losing 137 plant and animal species every single day… 50,000 species a year. Nearly half of the world’s species of plants, animals and microorganisms will be destroyed or severely threatened over the next quarter century due to rainforest deforestation.
The Global Environmental Fund wants to change that. GEF is investing in projects to help protect the Amazon Rainforest ecosystems to the benefit of local communities and the entire planet. Arrowhead Films traveled to remote areas of this vibrant, critical, and – yes, rainy – region to film this documentary short that captures the splendor of the Amazon Rainforest, and the efforts being made to protect it. The program was screened for a global environmental conference to help bring attention and support to these initiatives.
The largest land-based mammal is disappearing. Only 350 desert elephants remain in the deserts of Gourma, but investments in local economic opportunities and grassland preservation by the Global Environment Facility are helping to save this magnificent endangered species. For this short documentary produced for a global environmental conference, Arrowhead Films visits remote Mali villages – and the migration routes of the incredible elephants – to illustrate how GEF investment in the planet is paying off for both people and animals.
