• The River, 1938. Directed by Pare Lorentz.


• Troubled Waters, 1963 (Water Pollution Report of the US Senate Committee on Public Works)


• The Gifts, 1972. Directed by Robert McBride and Robert Richter.

Produced in 1970, this documentary commissioned by the U.S. Department of the Interior is reminiscent of the classic 1930s Government-produced films like Pare Lorentz's The River. An examination of the causes and effects of air and water pollution in 1970s America, The Gifts uses sparse but lyrical narration to stress how the nation's legacy of clean water, pure air, and virgin land is threatened by industry, mismanagement, and waste. Narrated by Lorne Greene. Music by Skitch Henderson. Published by DOI's Federal Water Quality Administration.

• Rivers and Tides, 2001. Directed by Thomas Riedelsheimer.

About the British artist Andy Goldsworthy, who creates intricate and ephemeral sculptures from natural materials such as rocks, leaves, flowers, and icicles.  The music was composed and performed by Fred Frith.

• Up the Yangtzee, 2007. Directed by Yung Chang.

• Watershed: Exploring a New Water Ethic for the New West, 2012. Directed by Mark Decena.

As the most dammed, dibbed, and diverted river in the world struggles to support thirty million people and the peace-keeping agreement known as the Colorado River Pact reaches its limits, WATERSHED introduces hope.  Can we meet the needs of a growing population in the face of rising temperatures and lower rainfall in an already arid land? Can we find harmony amongst the competing interests of cities, agriculture, industry, recreation, wildlife, and indigenous communities with rights to the water?  Sweeping through seven U.S. and two Mexican states, the Colorado River is a lifeline to expanding populations and booming urban centers that demand water for drinking, sanitation and energy generation. And with 70% of the rivers’ water supporting agriculture, the river already runs dry before it reaches its natural end at the Gulf of California. Unless action is taken, the river will continue its retreat – a potentially catastrophic scenario for the millions who depend on it.   The Redford Center created WATERSHED as a inspirational social action tool for people who want to engage. Promoting personal water conservation pledges of 5% – symbolic of the small amount of the rivers’ flow required to reconnect the river to its delta – and garnering donations to help purchase the water rights necessary to restore the connectivity, WATERSHED is a central tool in a larger grassroots effort focused on saving the Colorado River and supporting the communities throughout the river basin.

• Lost Rivers, 2012. Directed by Caroline Bacle. (Canada)

Once upon a time, in almost every industrial city, countless rivers flowed. We built houses along their banks. Our roads hugged their curves. And their currents fed our mills and factories. But as cities grew, we polluted rivers so much that they became conduits for deadly waterborne diseases like cholera, which was 19th century's version of the Black Plague. Our solution two centuries ago was to bury rivers underground and merge them with sewer networks. Today, under the city, they still flow, out of sight and out of mind... until now. That's because urban dwellers are on a quest to reconnect with this denigrated natural world. LOST RIVERS takes us on an adventure down below and across the globe, retracing the history of these lost urban rivers by plunging into archival maps and going underground with clandestine urban explorers. We search for the disappeared Petite rivière St-Pierre in Montreal, the Garrison Creek in Toronto, the River Tyburn in London, the Saw Mill River in New in New York, and the Bova-Celato River in Bresica, Italy. Could we see these rivers again? To find the answer, we meet visionary urban thinkers, activists and artists from around the world. 

• Watermark, 2013. Directed by Edward Burtynsky & Jennifer Baichwal.

Canadian documentary film by Jennifer Baichwal and Edward Burtynsky brings together diverse stories from around the globe and explores our relationship with water and how it shapes humanity.  It concerns the history and use of water. Burtynsky was previously the subject of Baichwal's 2006 documentary, Manufactured Landscapes. The film features water use practices around the world, including multiple scenes in China and the United States, as well as segments shot in eight other countries. In China, the film chronicles the building of the Xiluodu Dam and flooding of its reservoir.  The film was recorded in various international locations using ultra high definition equipment, including a prototype RED Epic that was hand assembled.  It won the Rogers Best Canadian Film Award at the 2013 Toronto Film Critics Association Awards and was named Best Feature Length Documentary at the Canadian Screen Awards.

• Return of the River, 2014. Directed by John Gussman & Jessica Plumb 

http://www.elwhafilm.com/

Return of the River follows a group of strong-minded committed people as they attempt the impossible: to change the public opinion of a town and eventually the nation to bring a dam down. The community comes to a consensus, setting the Elwha River free and showing the way to more sustainable future. Amid grim environmental news, Return of the River is a film infused with hope.  "Return of the River vividly portrays the epic story of the freeing of Olympic National Park's mighty Elwha River from two salmon-blocking dams. The Elwha Klallam people, scientists, fishermen, politicians, enviros, and townsfolk all add their voices to a film that is visually dazzling, lyrically evocative, and fluid as mountain snowmelt." - Tim McNulty

• River Blue, 2014. Directed by David McIlvride 

http://riverbluethemovie.com/

Mark Angelo, a passionate storyteller and river advocate, has possibly paddled more rivers in his lifetime than anyone else on this planet. Having paddled globally for well over 40 years, he has sadly watched the decline of the rivers he loves. RiverBlue documents an unprecedented adventure as Mark travels down some of the world’s most pristine rivers, as well as the most devastated. Along the way, he discovers and unveils the source of much of the destruction of our waterways; the fashion industry and, in particular, jeans manufacturing.  Through harsh chemical manufacturing processes and the irresponsible disposal of toxic chemical waste, one of our favorite iconic products has destroyed rivers and impacted the lives of people who count on these waterways for their survival. This single industry often serves as the worst case scenario, showing how mankind can, at times, show little regard for what nature has given us. RiverBlue will not only bring awareness to the destruction of a some of the world’s most vital rivers through the manufacturing of Jeans, but will also act as a rallying cry to demand significant change in the textile industry from the top fashion brands that can make a difference.