Video can be one of the most powerful and moving means for enlightening us and motivating us to take action. Each year there are dozens of films worth seeing for those of us passionate about working toward a just, compassionate, healthy world for all. We at IHE have narrowed the list down to 12 suggested must-see movies of 2011.

1. Born to Be Wild (40 min)
   An IMAX 3D film that documents orphaned orangutans and elephants and the extraordinary people working to save them.
2. The Bro Code: How Contemporary Culture Creates Sexist Men (58 min)
   Dissects a range of media that glamorize and promote sexism, violence against women, and certain very specific definitions of “American manhood”  and looks at how these cultural forces help shape young men to dehumanize and disrespect women.
3. Buck (88 min)
   A powerful film about a man who recovered from years of abuse to become an acclaimed horse whisperer.
4. Forks Over Knives (90 min)
   Puts to the test the idea of food as medicine & explores the power of a healthy, plant-based diet
5. Farm to Fridge (12 min)
   A brief but powerful look behind the closed doors of industrial animal agriculture facilities.
6. Hot Coffee (88 min)
   An eye-opening look at how big business influences the civil justice system.
7. I Am (76 min)
   A bad bike accident leads a filmmaker around the world to explore 2 questions: “What’s wrong with our world?” and “What can we do to make it better?”
8. The Interrupters (125 min)
   Powerful and moving stories of three “violence interrupters” who work to protect and transform their Chicago communities.
9. The Last Mountain (95 min)
   Highlights the devastating damage of mountaintop removal mining and the conflict between the coal industry and the people fighting for healthy, sustainable communities.
10. Miss Representation (85 min)
    Exposes and challenges mainstream media’s portrayal of women and girls.
11. Project Nim (93 min)
    Details a heart-breaking experiment from the 1970s in which a chimpanzee was taken from his mother and raised as a “human” to see if chimps could learn language.
12. Vegucated (76 min)
    Follows three meat-loving New Yorkers who agree to adopt a vegan diet for 6-weeks and take on a quest to explore the impact of animal agriculture.

What are your must-see additions to our list?

Image courtesy of neeta_lind via Creative Commons.