Movies Similar to Diyam Wala: Water and Life in Kalfou Cameroon

School of Hope(2020)

In the vast expanse of desert East of Atlas Mountains in Morocco, seasonal rain and snow once supported livestock, but now the drought seems to never end. Hardly a blade of grass can be seen, and families travel miles on foot to get water from a muddy hole in the ground. Yet the children willingly ride donkeys and bicycles or walk for miles across rocks to a "school of hope" built of clay. Following both the students and the teachers in the Oulad Boukais Tribe's community school for over three years, SCHOOL OF HOPE shows students Mohamed, Miloud, Fatima, and their classmates, responding with childish glee to the school's altruistic young teacher, Mohamed. Each child faces individual obstacles - supporting their aging parents; avoiding restrictions from relatives based on traditional gender roles - while their young teacher makes do in a house with no electricity or water.

Raja, rai(2025)

Five residents of a tiny village in Catalonia decide to make a report on the drought it is suffering from. A group of young filmmakers accompany them for a day.

Shatfon - Das Erbe der Frauen(1987)

The film tells the story of three women from the sultan's harem in an African kingdom, from three different generations, and documents 100 years of change: interventions of Islam and Europeans, tensions and contradictions between traditional identity and the lifestyle of today's black bourgeoisie.

The Water(2018)

The water is a metaphorical view of life in the drought of the people living in Pustec by Prespa Lake.

Death in Geneva - The Poisoning of Félix Moumié(2007)

Felix Moumié was a rebel leader in Cameroon. He was poisoned by thallium in October, 1960 in Geneva. After nearly fifty years, no one has been charged with his death, though many suspect the French and Swiss governments played a part in his death.

Cruel Famine Continent(1973)

Cruel Famine Continent documents the Great Sahelian drought in West Africa and its effect on the people. The production was an attempt to pivot Toei's output from yakuza films and Toei Porn towards "global issues" and "whatever makes money", as stated by then-Toei president Shigeru Okada. Theatrical proceeds were to be shared as relief funds through the Japanese Red Cross, though the box office returns are unknown. Footage shot for the documentary by Yoshimitsu Banno would later be reused in the 1974 Toho production Prophecies of Nostradamus.

Green Lions: Cameroon 90(2022)

Green Lions tells the story of a team of amateurs who became heroes. Young men, and one veteran, who dared to dream, achieved the impossible and inspired a generation around the globe.

Marching in the Dark(2024)

In a drought-struck region in India, suffering from climate change and a high suicide rate amongst farmers, a group of resilient women farmers, who recently lost their husbands, is coming together with a local psychologist to learn counselling and help others in grief.

Anamocot(2025)

After a 20-year long fruitless search in the Cameroonian forest, Frenchman Michel Ballot is on the verge of giving up his lifelong quest to find the mysterious creature known as the Mokélé-Mbembé. Turning to local initiates for help, and torn between ancestral wisdom and scientific evidence, he embarks on a final journey into powers, knowledge and the unseen.

Gimme Green(2007)

Gimme Green is a humorous look at the American obsession with the residential lawn and the effects it has on our environment, our wallets and our outlook on life. From the limitless subdivisions of Florida to sod farms in the arid southwest, Gimme Green peers behind the curtain of the $40-billion industry that fuels our nation's largest irrigated crop-the lawn.

Without Water(2019)

A resilient crop-farmer endeavours to preserve his land, legacy and way of life in the face of Australia’s ongoing ‘big dry’.

Kenya - Gardiennes des éléphants(2024)

In the Namunyak Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya drought is a menace to both humans and animals. This documentary follows two Elephant Guardians in their tireless work to protect this endangered species.

The Bastard King(2022)

The Bastard King chronicles the life of a lion from cub to King - battling against an unimaginable enemy that is ravaging a world where blood is becoming easier to find than water. This unique story challenges traditional storytelling - serving as an allegory for endangered species - and our very own fate

Cadillac Desert: Water and the Transformation of Nature(1997)

Documentary on water usage, money, politics, the transformation of nature, and the growth of the American west, shown on PBS as a four-part miniseries.

Monga ma loba - Der Götterberg(1938)

The film documents the ascent of Monga ma loba, the mountain of the gods in the Cameroon Mountains, and a visit to the town of Buea. The material was shot on an expedition to Cameroon in 1934.

Trois oiseaux bleus(2024)

Ferial has lived in La Dauphine, an old Provençal countryside located on the foothills of the Alps, with Philippe and their three sons for over 20 years. Daughter of a German woman and a Palestinian man, born in Jordan, Ferial sees in this place where she lives today the realization of a strange dream she had when she was still living in Jordan with her parents many years ago. In this dream, Ferial found herself isolated on a small island lost in the middle of the ocean. On this island, there was a blue tree on which three blue birds were perched. She never forgot this dream.

Baka: The People of the Rainforest(1989)

Intimate story of a Baka family living a traditional life in the rainforests of Cameroun.

Water and the Dream of the Engineers(1983)

Documentary where rich social history frames a spirited debate on the development of water infrastructure throughout the USA.

Baka: A Cry from the Rainforest(2012)

Phil Agland revisits the Baka Pygmy family he filmed 25 years ago in his BAFTA award winning documentary 'Baka: People of the Rainforest'. An extraordinary journey into the heart of the rainforest in Cameroon, where the past of the Baka revisits them through watching the old film projected in the forest - raising questions about their old life in the forest and what is happening to them now.

La Théorie du Boxeur(2024)