The films will not be online, but in the Mabee Library Auditorium on the UIW San Antonio campus.

Except both the film and study guides can be found Home - The Letter (theletterfilm.org)         

The Letter

In 2015, Pope Francis wrote Laudato Si', a letter to every single person in the world, confronting the looming calamity of human impact on Earth and ourselves. It is one of the most ambitious and revolutionary papal statements in history since it is directed not just to Catholics, but to everyone on the planet and it outlines the most critical environmental and social issues that we collectively face. There are four 'voices' that Pope Francis calls specifically for in Laudato Si₂: the Voice of the Poor, the Indigenous, the Youth, and Wildlife. Voices are too often not listened to in today's world. We witness a series of Letters exit the Vatican, traveling across the globe, to Senegal, Brazil, India, and Hawaii. These are invitations to five remarkable human beings to an unprecedented dialogue with the Pope. A dialogue where we become caretakers of this planet we call home.

Plastic wars

Did the plastic industry use recycling to sell more plastic? With the industry expanding like never before and the crisis of ocean pollution growing, FRONTLINE and NPR investigate the fight over the future of plastics.

City on the water

For many years, the Hudson River, like so many waterways across the U.S., was treated like an infinite waste barrel, a receptacle for poisonous chemicals, hazardous waste and trash of all descriptions. During the past forty years, thanks to a committed group of environmentalists and their agencies, the river has become markedly cleaner, a far more welcoming place for small business and community investment. While the river is still an under-utilized natural resource, increasingly it is used by boaters, kayakers, even swimmers as a recreational playground. But the river, in the words of Riverkeeper's John Lipscomb, the Hudson River, from Troy to Manhattan, has "had a foot on its neck" for more than one hundred years due to all that pollution and unmonitored industrialization. So, despite all of the improvements the river and valley have witnessed thanks to the coordination of some of the savviest environmentalists in the country, there are still environmental risks and concerns. 

A plastic tide

Only five percent of plastics are effectively recycled. Much of the rest ends up in our seas and oceans, where it's eaten by marine creatures and ends up in our food chain. Scientists don't yet know what effects it has on our health.

Cooked: survival by zip code

Chicago suffered the worst heat disaster in U.S history in 1995, when 739 residents--mostly elderly and black--died over the course of one week. As COOKED links the deadly heat wave's devastation back to the underlying manmade disaster of structural racism, it delves deep into one of our nation's biggest growth industries: Disaster Preparedness.

Toxic Art

On a mission to clean up Ohio's leaking, abandoned coal mines, Ohio University Art Professor John Sabraw teams up with an environmental engineer to develop a process that turns the toxic runoff pollution into paint. John’s artwork has been shown all over the world and proceeds have helped numerous environmental organizations and projects, including a new water treatment plant on the Sunday Creek watershed in southeastern Ohio.  

Kings of the Kenai

The Kenai River Sportfishing Association (KRSA) was founded 30 years ago by Bob Penney with a strong and clear mission: sustain the local King salmon population in order to preserve the Kenai’s status as the greatest sportfishing river in the world. Over the years the organization has grown, developing numerous conservation and sustainability projects to support the health of this one-of-a-kind waterway – several of which are explored in the film.

Mr. Trash Wheel

Over the past eight years, Mr. Trash Wheel and his fellow “trash interceptors” have gobbled up over 2,300 tons of trash in the Baltimore Harbor. Created by engineer and sailor John Kellet and loved by all, the trash wheels use renewable energy and are placed in strategic locations in the harbor – like river mouths – where the natural flow brings trash to them.

Common Ground

Celebrities investigate the link between global soil health and human issues, while independent farmers showcase traditional indigenous methods that could transform agriculture and help save the planet. 

Study Aboard

Every April, 60 college kids from around the country attend Living Lands and Waters’ unique “Alternative Spring Break” program – trading happy hours and beach tans for spending a week on McKellar Lake with founder Chad Pregracke and his inspiring river rat crew as they clean up the Mississippi River’s waterways and learn about river-related careers.  

Keepers of the North

The inaugural project of Rivers are Life, reflecting the dedication to protecting global river ecosystems.