This film list has been adapted from a variety of sources. We have tried to focus on more contemporary works in many cases. Asterisks represent drama/fiction films. Where appropriate we have indicated the ideological stance of the films. Clearly many of these films fall into multiple categories, but we have tried to situate them in only one topic tab. This is an idiosyncratic list. We welcome other suggestions.
*= fiction/drama
| Category | Film Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| General Globalization | Ropa Americana (Academic video Online) | (2003) Follows a t-shirt from its donation to a Goodwill in Toronto to its end use–worn by a woman in Costa Rica. |
| Journey of a Rose | (2007) Follows the cut flower industry in Ecuador. Subtitled | |
| Trade Not Aid | (2009) Pro-globalization & trade | |
| Corruptable | (2007) Big questions posed by young South Africans visiting the UK | |
| Economic Globalization | The End of Poverty? | (2008) Superb global intro with subtitles; strong left of center focus |
| Inside Job | (2010) economic crisis, economic “hitmen,” multi-nation examples and scholarly narrative; strong left of center focus | |
| A Game of No Rules | (2018) costs and benefits of trade globalization | |
| Freightened: the Real Price of Shipping | (2017) supply chain dynamics | |
| The Spider’s Web: Britain’s Second Empire | (2018) Legally available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=np_ylvc8Zj8&feature=youtu.be | |
| Panama Papers – The Shady World of Offshore Companies | (2016) | |
| Cultural Globalization | The Way Home | (2002) Korea lesson plan available at https://www.edutopia.org/blog/films-teaching-about-globalization-modernization-eileen-mattingly |
| The Cup | (1999) Tibetan monks and soccer | |
| Manufactured Landscapes | (2006) Rise of global manufacturing and effects on regions | |
| Mondovino | (2004) Effects of globalization on wine industry | |
| John and Jane | (2005) Call centers and cultural imperialism | |
| Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Odyssey, Foreign Correspondent series | (July 24, 2015) Freely available online. This documentary looks at the experience of refugees in Greece. | |
| Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Homeland. Foreign Correspondent | (August 28, 2018) This documentary looks like at the lives of Jews moving to Berlin. It is freely available online. | |
| Asia | The Chinese World Order | (2016) |
| BBC – K-Pop: Korea’s Secret Weapon? | (2016) | |
| UNWomen – For Good: Stories of Return to The Philippines (YouTube) | (2012) | |
| Shadows Of Empires | Inventing Southeast Asia | (2016) | |
| Latin America | La jaula de oro* | (2013) Fiction. The plot focuses on emigration to the United States from Latin America. |
| También la lluvia * | Fiction. Bolivian Water Privatization | |
| Roma* | Fiction. Domestic work, Mexico 1970s. | |
| Manchuca* | (2004). Fiction. Chile in ‘73. | |
| Cautiva* | (2003). Fiction: the children of disappeared in Argentina. | |
| Romero* | (1989). Fiction. El Salvador in 80s. | |
| Harvest of Empire | (2013) US intervention in Latin America + immigration | |
| Middle East | Yossi & Jagger* | (2002) Israeli film about soldiers at the Israel-Lebanon border |
| Children of Heaven* | (1997) Iranian children; lesson plan available at https://www.edutopia.org/blog/films-teaching-about-globalization-modernization-eileen-mattingly | |
| Frontline – The Children of Syria (PBS Frontline Website) | April 19, 2016 | |
| Africa | Uganda: A Little Goes A Long Way | (2006) Microcredit in Uganda http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/uganda601/video_index.html |
| I’m a Subsistence Farmer: Get Me Out of Here | (2007) Ghana: https://www.cultureunplugged.com/documentary/watch-online/play/5497/I-m-a-Subsistence-Farmer–Get-Me-Out-of-Here- | |
| Milking the Rhino | (2009): Docuseek; cultural upheaval related to wildlife tourism | |
| Europe | Australian Broadcasting Corporation. There’ll always be an England. | (2015). This film examines how the English viewed their identity and the European Union before the Brexit vote. There is a transcript at the bottom of the ABC website. |
| Development | Mister Johnson | (1990) interaction of colonials, local Muslim infrastructure, “been-tos” |
| The Shape of Water | (2006) complex examination of women in development | |
| Disaster Capitalism | (2018) focus on Haiti, Afghanistan, and Papua New Guinea | |
| When China Met Africa | (2011) Global South/Global South development | |
| Security | The New Barbarianism | (2017) intersection of healthcare and humanitarian intervention and security |
| Foreign Correspondent, Australian Broadcasting Corporation: Ukraine: Republic of Nowhere | (September 22, 2015) | |
| Foreign Correspondent, Leave No Dark Corner, Australian Broadcasting Corporation website | (September 18, 2018) | |
| Environment | Princess Mononoke* | A girl raised by wolves in a battle of nature vs technology. Princes Mononoke helps her animal spirits stay alive while the Iron erra is taking over and destroying the forest. |
| The Age of Stupid* | (2009) A broad-based climate change exploration. A mix of fiction with contemporary video. | |
| Apash Outsiders | (2011) Amazon, stakeholders, and destruction | |
| Costa Rica: Land for Sale | (2010) stakeholders + the Environmental Tribunal:https://www.cultureunplugged.com/documentary/watch-online/play/6119/Costa-Rica–a-Land-For-Sale | |
| Before the flood | (2016) | |
| Mining | Gold Fever | (2014) Guatemala |
| Empires of Gold | (2017) Sahel (Ghana, Mali, Songhai) | |
| Mined to Death | (2006) Bolivia (Potosi) | |
| Children of the Silver Mountains | (2007) Bolivia (Potosi) | |
| Health | Fed Up | (2014) Sugar and chronic diseases |
| Death by Design: The Dirty Secret of Our Digital Addiction | (2016) Health and environmental costs | |
| Frontline, The Virus: What went wrong | (June 16, 2020). Note: Frontline may not work outside of the United States. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/the-virus/ | |
| Frontline, PBS. Fighting Ebola in a Congolese War Zone | (December 2019) Please note that Frontline may not be available outside the United States. Freely available at: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/watch-fighting-ebola-in-a-congolese-war-zone/ | |
| Energy | Here Comes the Sun | (2008) Energy alternatives in Europe |
| The Breakthrough in Renewable Energy | (2016) | |
| Shale Cowboys | (2017) pro-fracking film | |
| Food | Okja | (2017) |
| Food Inc. (agribusiness) | (2008) | |
| Victims of Cheap Coffee | (2002) | |
| When Bananas Ruled | (2017) | |
| Underhand Tactics: Food Globalisation | (2013) dubbed from French | |
| Darwin’s Nightmare | (2004) Overfishing in Tanzania | |
| The Dark Side of Chocolate | (2010) http://www.cultureunplugged.com/documentary/watch-online/festival/play/4809/The-Dark-Side-of-Chocolate | |
| Bitter Aftertaste | (2005) Fair Trade and chocoholics: https://www.cultureunplugged.com/documentary/watch-online/play/5447/The-Bitter-Aftertaste- | |
| Wasted! The Story of Food Waste | (2017) | |
| Foreign Correspondent, Australian Broadcast Corporation, Vanilla Slice | (January 22, 2019) This documentary is freely available online. Please note that there is also a transcript at the bottom of the page. |
In addition to the above list, the Australian TV program Foreign Correspondent has a continually updated list of good documentaries. You can find these here: https://www.abc.net.au/foreign/. Because these videos are added regularly, you can also find good contemporary material for your class.
The website Films for Change includes detailed action recommendations. This list of films is not by topic but by title: https://www.localfutures.org/action-resources/films-for-change/
We also like to use Frontline videos. They may, however, be behind a firewall for people outside of the United States. You can find frontline videos here: https://www.pbs.org/show/frontline/