A new short documentary, Damocracy, highlights the battles over monster dam projects imperiling local people and wild rivers. Examining the Belo Monte dam in Brazil and the Ilisu dam in Turkey, the documentary argues that such hydroelectric projects cannot be deemed “green” energy as they overturn lives, livelihoods, and ecosystems.
Developing countries are turning to massive dam projects worldwide—over 150 dams alone are planned in the Amazon alone—creating conflicts between people who depend on rivers and governments that want cheap energy, often to fuel large-scale extractive industries. Such projects, often forced on communities, raise the question of development for whom?
Trailer of new short documentary Damocracy.
Full documentary Damocracy.