American Wasteland

Cadbury at Easter: Secrets of the Chocolate Factory(en)

A behind-the-scenes look at the confectioner that has been crafting Easter eggs since 1875, producing approximately 500 million each year. The program covers the origins of the Easter egg and how George and Richard Cadbury were pivotal in making them a Victorian-era sensation, up to the collaboration with Domino's Pizza to create Creme Egg cookies, a concoction that has stirred up the chocolate and pizza world.

Fuel(en)

Record high oil prices, global warming, and an insatiable demand for energy: these issues define our generation. The film exposes shocking connections between the auto industry, the oil industry, and the government, while exploring alternative energies such as solar, wind, electricity, and non-food-based biofuels.

Merton: A Film Biography(en)

In his lifetime, Thomas Merton was hailed as a prophet and censured for his outspoken social criticism. For nearly 27 years he was a monk of the austere Trappist order, where he became an eloquent spiritual writer and mystic as well as an anti-war advocate and witness to peace. Merton: A Film Biography provides the first comprehensive look at this remarkable 20th century religious philosopher who wrote, in addition to his immensely popular autobiography The Seven Storey Mountain, over 60 books on some of the most pressing social issues of our time, some of which are excerpted here. Merton offers an engaging profile of a man whose presence in the world touched millions of people and whose words and thoughts continue to have a profound impact and relevance today.

What Would Jesus Buy?(en)

A serious docu-comedy about the commercialization of Christmas. What Would Jesus Buy? follows Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping Gospel Choir as they go on a cross-country mission to save Christmas from the Shopocalypse: the end of mankind from consumerism, over-consumption and the fires of eternal debt!

Nicola: Mussels, Kebab & Coca Cola(it)

Antonio, a filmmaker running out of ideas, has a vision of the city's patron, St. Nicholas, who asks him to make a film about his true story. So Antonio sets out on a journey in the myth's footsteps, crossing all the countries where the saint is revered. Turkey, Belgium, Holland, France, Russia, all the way to the United States, where he is better known as Santa Claus, i.e., Santa Claus. A journey in the midst of a melting pot of popular cultures and traditions, with all their contradictions, a journey through colors and religious rigor mixed together giving life to a sacred figure who is, at the same time, a consumerist model.

The Basque Ball: Skin Against Stone(es)

An attempt to create a bridge between the different political positions that coexist, sometimes violently, in the Basque Country, in northern Spain.

Miyazaki, Spirit of Nature(fr)

A documentary that focuses on Hayao Miyazaki’s deep connection to nature and the environmental themes expressed through his films.

2050, faudra-t-il vraiment se passer de viande ?(fr)

Beautiful Things(it)

A symphonic journey into our obsessive consumption. The many objects we accumulate begin their production journey in silent secluded industrial site where borderline men work in isolation without any interference. These men trigger, unconsciously, the long chain of creation, transport, commercialization and destruction of the objects feeding our bulimic lifestyle.

Surplus: Terrorized Into Being Consumers(en)

Swedish documentary film on consumerism and globalization, created by director Erik Gandini and editor Johan Söderberg. It looks at the arguments for capitalism and technology, such as greater efficiency, more time and less work, and argues that these are not being fulfilled, and they never will be. The film leans towards anarcho-primitivist ideology and argues for "a simple and fulfilling life".

Liquid Love(es)

A critique of liquid love through sarcasm and crude humor. With the desire that the viewer empathize with the protagonists and reflect on the ephemerality of sexual-affective relationships in modern society. At the end of the short film, the transformation of people into mere consumer goods will be clear, which, once they have been used, are discarded

Small Mall(is)

A Eurovision singer, Iceland's strongest woman, a male model, a plumber who wants to direct movies. They all work in the shopping mall that this documentary focuses on ... most of them want to get out, even just to the bigger mall down the road.

Marco Unedited: From Pannella's Last 100 Days(it)

The last days of Marco Pannella’s life - indomitable and disruptive protagonist over 60 years of Italian political life - shown through never before seen repertory materials, as well as unpublished interviews and illustrious interventions. A deserved portrait, dedicated to one of the most independent figures of the 900 Italian.

Cargos - Dans les soutes de la mondialisation(fr)

Hotel Chocolat at Christmas(en)

In the lead-up to the festive bonanza, an exclusive look inside the chocolate-maker's inventing room, and its 'chocolate imaginarium' too. Prepare for special choc drinks and cranberry treats.

Generation Wealth(en)

Over the past 25 years, Lauren Greenfield's documentary photography and film projects have explored youth culture, gender, body image, and affluence. Underscoring the ever-increasing gap between the haves and the have-nots, portraits reveal a focus on cultivating image over substance, where subjects unable to attain actual wealth instead settle for its trappings, no matter their ability to pay for it.

The Light Bulb Conspiracy(fr)

Once upon a time... consumer goods were built to last. Then, in the 1920’s, a group of businessmen realized that the longer their product lasted, the less money they made, thus Planned Obsolescence was born, and manufacturers have been engineering products to fail ever since. Combining investigative research and rare archive footage with analysis by those working on ways to save both the economy and the environment, this documentary charts the creation of ‘engineering to fail’, its rise to prominence and its recent fall from grace.

Extrême droite, la nouvelle garde(fr)

On June 9, 2024, during the European elections, over half a million young voters backed Jordan Bardella, while others turned to Marion Maréchal. A new generation of leaders is emerging, reshaping old ideological foundations. From the youth wing of the Rassemblement National to student unions and Reconquête’s activists, we followed these key figures as they campaigned their way to the gates of power.

Buy Now! The Shopping Conspiracy(en)

This subversive documentary unpacks the tricks brands use to keep their customers consuming — and the real impact they have on our lives and the world.

Czech Dream(cs)

Two students from the Czech Film Academy commission a leading advertising agency to organize a huge campaign for the opening of a new supermarket named Czech Dream. The supermarket however does not exist and is not meant to. The advertising campaign includes radio and television ads, posters, flyers with photos of fake Czech Dream products, a promotional song, an internet site, and ads in newspapers and magazines. Will people believe in it and show up for the grand opening?