Can films save the world?

Nalaka GUNAWARDENE and Vindana ARIYAWANSA

Can a well made film - factual or fictional - change the world? Yes. We have seen how certain well made movies have influenced public opinion and changed the course of politics and society.

Can films also save the world from environmental problems and lead us to a cleaner and safer world for all of us? Some film makers think so, and keep producing documentaries and feature films with green or brown environmental themes.

Today's Wiz Quiz highlights recent films as well as some all-time favourite films that had strong environment and sustainable development messages.

1. Al Gore was the 45th vice president of the United States under President Bill Clinton but he is better known worldwide as an author and environmental activist. He has founded a number of non-profit organizations, including the Alliance for Climate Protection, and in 2007 shared Nobel Peace Prize for his work on climate change. In 2006, he was the 'star' of a documentary film directed by Davis Guggenheim about his campaign to educate citizen about global warming. It won the Oscar for best documentary feature. What was the film's name?

2. The Great Warming is the name of another major global documentary film on climate change that came out in 2006, the same year that Al Gore released his climate film. This Canadian-made documentary - with far more compelling story telling power -- reveals how a changing climate is affecting the lives of people everywhere. Using breathtaking visuals filmed in eight countries on three continents, this production 'taps into the growing groundswell of public interest in this topic to present an emotional, accurate picture of our children's planet'. The Great Warming had its own star power: it was hosted and co-narrated by two Canadian-born stars.

One was singer-songwriter, guitarist, record producer and actress Alanis Morissette. Who was the other?

3. The 11th Hour is a major documentary film released in 2007 that focused on several major problems faced by our planet's life systems: global warming, deforestation, mass species extinction and depletion of the oceans' habitats among them. The film's premise was that the future of humanity is in jeopardy. It proposed potential solutions to these problems by calling for restorative action by the reshaping and rethinking of global human activity through technology, social responsibility and conservation. Name the leading Hollywood actor who produced and narrated this documentary.

4. On World Environment Day (June 5 ) 2009, a major environmental documentary was released simultaneously in cinemas across the globe, on DVD, Blu-ray, broadcast television, as well as on YouTube, opening in 181 countries. Called HOME it was almost entirely composed of aerial shots of various places on planet Earth.

It shows the diversity of life on Earth and how humanity is threatening ecological balance of our planet. It was filmed for 18 months in over 50 countries by a French photographer, journalist, reporter and environmentalist who has specialised in photographing the world from the air.

This has led to popular photo exhibitions, books, a TV series and finally, this feature-length documentary. Who directed HOME?

5. In 2009, British documentary filmmaker Franny Armstrong directed a drama-documentary-animation hybrid film on the climate change theme. It starred the late Pete Postlethwaite as a man living alone in a climate-devastated world of 2055 AD, who is watching archive footage from the mid-to-late 2000s and asking "Why did not we stop climate change when we had the chance?" Shot in seven countries over a period of three years, the film features six separate documentary stories, archive footage and lots of animation. What is its title?

6. Fast Food Nation is a 2006 American/British drama film directed by Richard Linklater. Through a dramatized story, it examines the local and global influence of the American fast food industry. The film was loosely based on the 2002 book 'Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal' which was an account of the evolution of fast food and how it has coincided with the advent of the automobile. Name the investigative journalist who authored the book, who also co-wrote the screenplay of the film.

7. A major new documentary film released in May 2012 highlights the urgency of the global water crisis as the central issue facing our world this century. It exposes the defects in the current system and shows communities already struggling with its ill-effects of water scarcities. Featuring environmental activist Erin Brockovich, water experts including Peter Gleick, Jay Famiglietti and Robert Glennon and social entrepreneurs championing revolutionary solutions, the film argues that we can manage this problem -- if we are willing to act now. What is the title of this film, directed by Jessica Yu?

8. Erin Brockovich-Ellis is an American legal clerk and environmental activist who, without a formal law school education, built up a case against the Pacific Gas and Electric Company of California in 1993 saying they knew the water in Hinkley area was contaminated and did not do anything about it. Her story was turned into a feature film in 2000. Named Erin Brockovich , the lead character was played by Julia Roberts, who the Academy Award, Golden Globe and BAFTA for Best Actress. The film itself was also nominated for Best Picture and Best Director at the 73rd Academy Awards in 2001. Who directed this film, one of the best environmental dramas made?

9. An American drama film made in 1998 starred John Travolta as plaintiff's attorney Jan Schlichtmann, based on a true story of a landmark court case about environmental pollution that took place in Woburn, Massachusetts, USA, in the 1980s. The real case as well as the movie revolved around the issue of trichloroethylene, an industrial solvent that leaked and contaminated a local aquifer. A lawsuit was filed as commercial operations appeared to have caused fatal cases of leukemia and cancer, as well as a wide variety of other health problems, among the citizens of the town. The film was based on a book by Jonathan Harr. What was the name of the book and movie based on it?

10. "Youth is such a wonderful thing. What a crime to waste it on children!" The writer and satirist who wrote these words was well known for his wit, sarcasm and ability to sum up life's dilemmas in a few simple words. Whose words are these?

11. Located in the eastern Karakoram range in the Himalaya Mountains, this glacier is being claimed by both Pakistan and India. At 70 km (43 miles) long, it is the longest glacier in the Karakoram and second-longest in the world's non-polar areas. It is called the highest battleground on Earth, where India and Pakistan have fought intermittently since April 1984. Both countries maintain a permanent military presence in the region at a height of over 6,000 m (20,000 ft). What is this glacier called?

12. 'The Elders' is an independent group of global leaders who work together for peace and human rights. They were brought together in 2007 by Nelson Mandela, who is not an active member of the group but remains an Honorary Elder. The Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi is also an Honorary Elder. As at June 2012, this eminent group consists of 12 leaders (10 active, and two honorary). Who chairs The Elders?

13. The first rubber plant in Sri Lanka (Ceylon) was planted in Gampaha in 1867. In which botanical garden can this original rubber tree still be seen?

14. Science fiction author Ray Bradbury, who died aged 91 in early June 2012, was a prolific writer who produced a large body of creative work in print, on stage as well as for TV and cinema. One of his best known is Fahrenheit 451 is a dystopian novel published in 1953 which depicts a future American society where books are outlawed. He insisted that the novel is not about censorship, but a story about how television destroys interest in reading literature. Name the influential French film critic and filmmaker who made a film adaptation of the novel in 1966, it being his first English-language film.

15. Author Ray Bradbury wrote many short stories and novels, including a trilogy of novels inspired by his childhood in Waukegan, Illinois, USA. The first, titled Dandelion Wine came out in 1957, and was followed by Something Wicked This Way Comes (1962) . What was the title of his last novel published in 2006?