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Josh Tickell’s Shortlist

Published on April 28, 2011

The Shortlist article series is your opportunity to learn about the films that inspire intellectual, artistic and activist leaders—leaders like Josh Tickell. We asked Josh to share his favorite films and his thoughts on the power of documentary to change the world.

So what films make Josh’s Shortlist? Keep reading to find out.

Josh Tickell
Photo by A. Karno Photography

Who is Josh Tickell?

The author of two books on alternative energy, Josh Tickell has worked on environmental issues for over twenty years. His career spans a unique mixture of science, political activism, investigative journalism and filmmaking. Having grown up amongst the oil refineries in Louisiana, Tickell experienced the impacts of dirty oil processing at a young age. After watching his mother suffer from pollution related sickness, Tickell began to search for sustainable, clean energy sources. His directorial debut film, FUEL, is the 2008 Sundance Audience Award-winning documentary that investigates the possible replacement of fossil fuels with renewable energy. For his rescue mission in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana, Tickell’s nonprofit organization was selected by President Bill Clinton as an inaugural part of his Global Initiative on Climate Change. As a film director he has worked with actors such as Woody Harrelson, Amy Smart, Michelle Rodriguez and Peter Fonda. Tickell and his wife, Rebecca Harrell Tickell (a producer of ‘FUEL’) live in Venice Beach, California.

Josh Tickell on the Power of Film

For me, film is the medium through which we in the West have learned to dream. Our hopes, fears, joys, universal stories and collective visions are expressed through our movies. If you sit back and think about it clinically, from the perspective of an alien witnessing human beings for the first time, it would be strange to watch a group of humans pile into a room to watch a two dimensional facsimile of life. Yet, for us, film is simply a new incarnation of the process of establishing identity and group. We are driven to find our place in the world, our stories give meaning and context to that place, and film is the medium in which our stories now live. Thus, the film has the power to react to, inform, question, and even dictate the path of a society. Ever watch an old episode of Star Trek? Notice the Tricorder is now an everyday device – an iPhone or Android. Ever see Blade Runner? Billboards that light up and change are now part of our landscape. Film has the power to shape our collective vision, to focus our human ingenuity, and to bring amorphous dreams to life. As the men and women on Madison Avenue have known for decades, we are impressionable beings. Brain scientists now tell us that our memories do not distinguish between what we have watched on a screen and what we have experienced. To then hold a theater of people’s consciousness and sub-consciousness in their most malleable state is incredibly powerful. Until recently, and with some exception, this power has largely been misused, discarded and not utilized to its highest potential. I believe that is changing, however, as filmmakers realize their power to shape and shift society toward higher orders of consciousness and patterns of partnership-based behavior rather than the behavior of competition and domination.

Josh Tickell’s Shortlist

An Unreasonable Man
Ralph Nader is perhaps one of the greatest unsung heroes of the post-WWII, pro-capitalist era. He is an example of radical adherence to his own principles. He is uncompromising. His integrity is at times shocking and at times inspirational. A true David against Goliath, in whose eyes you can see the knowledge that to fight for what you believe in is to live, and to abstain from resilience because of circumstances is to wither and die. This film is courageous.

Koyaanisqatsi
We live in a cultural trance. But sometimes to understand the trance is to step outside – way out – and look into our world from a large lens. This film radically shapes our worldview. For me, this film is the closest I’ve been to seeing our world from the perspective of an ant – and another planet. To open your mind, you’ve got to open your eyes. Shift your perspective and you shift your reality.

Roger & Me
This is still my favorite Michael Moore movie (sometimes I think perhaps Sicko vies for first place, but then I see this film and every time it blows me away). What I like about this film is how genuinely angry and down to earth it is. It’s so connectible, so real, so visceral. If you don’t think you can make a difference but you want to as a filmmaker, watch this film again. Remember, this was made on a VHS – yes, a VHS video camera. Content is what drives great films and this is a quintessential movie that proves that point.

Other picks:

Harry Potter (the entire series)
Yes. I am a convert. Young people today deal with myriad complex issues from sexuality to family structures that look like DNA molecules to moral issues that don’t fit neatly into a religious or fairy tale context. Mr. Potter deals with these issues in a way that is often relevant and empowering. Know your own power and respect authority, but know when your morals and your heart take precedence over rules. Listen to your heart and your intuition; you are magical no matter what people or circumstances say. Always love your friends and family and keep that love sacred; stand strong against your enemies but do not let them compromise your principles - and so on. I knew few other modern myths so powerful and with such vast reach in their messaging.

WALL-E
This movie is a brilliant social treatment on how fat, lazy, lethargic, disconnected and completely insane modern consumer culture has become. If you don’t cry at the end of the movie, you need to seriously do some soul searching. This movie is so reaffirming of humanity’s potential to rise above its hubris.

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