A River Runs Through Us, by International Rivers (Carla Pataky), 2011 (10:31). Attendees at the Rivers for Life 3 meeting in Mexico share how they are addressing climate change effects; dams; communities displaced by large dams; and solutions that preserve our watersheds and meet our energy and water needs. NWNL has photos from its Omo River Basin expeditions in this film, also available in English with Spanish subtitles. (More information about this video on NWNL’s Educational Tools page.)

Biodiversity 2010, by the International League of Conservation Photographers, 2010 (3:22). This video was part of the GEF (Global Environment Facility) celebration of the Year of Biodiversity – 2010. Our planet’s biodiversity is represented by amazing images of flora, fauna and ecosystems and indigenous cultures living within nature. The piece warns that poverty, habitat loss, inequality and extinction is fraying the fabric of these inter-relationships. Every species in this video is part of a watershed and plays a role in protecting and developing our freshwater resource. Biodiversity is critical to maintaining the health of our watersheds! (More information about this video on NWNL’s Educational Tools page.)

Cholera for Sale in New York! (Dirty Water Vending Machine), by The Dirty Water Campaign, 2009 (3:02). Many children in developing countries die of water related diseases, and millions of people around the world lack access to clean water resources. What if someone bottled the water that those people drink every day and sold it on the streets of New York?

During World Water Week (March 22–29), New Yorkers were offered bottles of DIRTY WATER for a dollar each, with choices like YELLOW FEVER, HEPATITIS, MALARIA, CHOLERA or even TYPHOID DIRTY WATER. Though no one drank Dirty Water, many did donate to the cause. This idea of “selling” dirty water was inspired by UNICEF’s promise that every dollar donated would provide safe drinking water to 40 children for a day.

A Conversation with Peter Gleick, by Circle of Blue (Aaron Jaffe), 2008 (2:36). Peter Gleick, president of the Pacific Institute, discusses redefining how nations address water issues. Acknowledging solutions for the water crisis, Gleick notes that the missing piece for a better future is the political and social will to change.

Circle of Blue Trailer, by Circle of Blue, 2008 (2:28). Circle of Blue unites journalism, science, watershed data, and communications design because the more we see and know, the more we can respond. As stated, death by water is just as final as death by a gun.

Extreme Ice Survey in Action, by James Balog, 2008 (3:47). Extreme Ice Survey documents glacial melting in Glacier National Park (headwaters for both the Columbia and Mississippi River Basins, both NWNL case-study watersheds), Greenland, Iceland and Alaska. Time-lapse photography dramatically records how global warming is causing rising sea levels, flooded coastal communities and cities, and salt-water intrusion into fresh-water estuaries.

Flow, by Irina Salina, 2008 – Trailer for the 1 hr-24 min film (2:21). “Flow” dives into US water resources — the world’s third-largest industry — to find pollution, scarcity, human suffering and corporate profit. This film examines the tug of war between public health and private interests. Looking at tap water possibly laced with rocket fuel to the unpoliced contents of bottled brands (one pumping from near a Superfund site), the movie contests assumptions about water safety and government oversight.

Fresh Water: The Essence of Life, by iLCP and Conservation International (Peter Stonier, Becca Field, John Martin), 2011 (4:50). Honoring the sacred aspects of water with which we’ve lost touch, this film documents the loss of wetlands and species, the increase of deadly waterborne diseases, the lack of sanitation and water scarcity. Solutions include better management and reduced consumption.

Salmon in the Trees, by Amy Gulik, 2010 (2:57). This trailer for the book of the same name tells the remarkable story of Alaska’s Tongass rain forest, “where trees grow salmon, and salmon grow trees.” (This video is also featured on NWNL’s Educational Tools page.)

Urban Water Efficiency: Securing Water Abundance, by MIYA Arison Group, 2010 (1:29). Facts explain urban water loss. One-third of the world’s drinking water supply is lost before it reaches the consumer. By 2007 more than half of the world’s population lived in urban areas. In many developing countries over 30% of the water is lost, sometimes 80%. Only 10% of leaks are visible; the rest are below ground.

Water-Drop at 2000 frames per Second, Discovery Channel’s ‘Time Warp’ series (2:30). MIT scientist Jeff Lieberman and digital-imager Matt Kearney use high-speed photography to turn never-before-seen wonders into a beauty that explains the physics of “coalesce.”

Imagine, by Water 1st International, 2010 (4:00) This film asks us to imagine carrying every drop of water your family needs and our toilet being emptied into our drinking water. Then it asks us to imagine a world where everyone has safe water and where every girl has the opportunity to attend school.

Water Views, by Aaron Jaffe for Circle of Blue, (2009 (3:26). Stockholm’s World Water Week 09 discussions center on how Malthusian principles and surveys showing that when concerns become people’s top priority, that’s when the political will is created - in both industrialized and developing nations. Public pressure is what will force governments to face water management issues.

Why? by Ron Denham of Water and Sanitation Rotarian Action Group (for TEDxDU), 2010 (12:01). Rotary International is helping the UN Millennium Development Goal effort to achieve its goal of a 50% reduction in the number of people with insufficient access to safe water and sanitation by 2015. This crisis now claims more than two million lives each year, mostly children.