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The bees are dying. Across America, beekeepers are waking up to find that the colonies they have cared for are missing. Honey isn't the only industry suffering. Bees pollinate one-third of the country's fruits and vegetables. This phenomenon, known as Colony Collapse Disorder, is the focus of a documentary by New York-based filmmakers Carter Gunn and Ross McDonnell. The two shuffled through news articles looking for a unique subject worthy of a full-length feature. The bee issue kept floating to the surface.

"When we actually started doing research and discovered this world of beekeeping on a massive commercial scale, we decided that was the story to go with," says Gunn, a Fairfax native.

In "Colony," Gunn and McDonnell present all sides of the issue. Environmentalists, beekeepers and even the pesticide companies that take most of the blame have a chance to tell their story. This objectivity has become a source of criticism within the green film community.

"As a journalist, you're trying to figure out what is going on as far as the big picture goes," Gunn says. "That's the reason we criss-crossed the country, talking to scientists who came from different backgrounds and had different opinions on what was the actual issue concerning Colony Collapse Disorder."

The film is one of five new documentaries showing at Silver Spring's AFI Silver Theatre as part of the Environmental Film Festival in the Nation's Capital. There are a handful of similar festivals, but this 13-day event takes advantage of the District's strong global presence. Between now and March 28, 156 films will show at venues ranging from the Goethe-Institut to the Embassy of Finland and the National Geographic Society.

"That's a part of the festival that's very important to us," says Executive Director Peter O'Brien. "We're able to work with a number of different organizations that do international work. We make a point of choosing films from a wide selection of countries."

Now in its 18th year, the festival has seen a recent spike in entries that O'Brien attributes to the Green Movement.

"The festival grows incrementally each year," he says. "We've definitely noticed in the last couple of years, especially this past year, a change in the amount of interest and number of submissions."

"Colony" isn't the only film at AFI that explores a relationship between humans and beasts. "Sweetgrass," a documentary by the husband and wife team of Lucien Castaing-Taylor and Ilisa Barbash, revolves around the few remaining ranchers who guide sheep through the mountains of Montana.

"We were working as college professors at the University of Colorado-Boulder and were very interested in land rights issues," Barbash says. "We wanted to find something that touched on the diversity of the West."

Initially, Barbash thought it would be a good idea to take her two young children into the wilderness during production. Then she learned about the grizzly bears. Heavily protected by law, they roam freely without a threat from people. Killing one, even in self-defense, could mean heavy fines or jail time.

"Bears are wonderful, beautiful creatures, but they're also dangerous and scary if you're up there," she says. "For Lucien, that was one of the biggest obstacles."

Barbash often stayed home in Boulder with their children while Castaing-Taylor lugged cameras up and down the rocky trails. The goal wasn't to expose Americans' failure to connect with nature; it was to capture the life of the last true cowboys.

"The whole idea of somebody in the United States hanging on to a tradition and being the last person in his area to be doing something so tremendous seemed really interesting to document," says Barbash. "We were really interested in animals and the human-animal relationship we ended up bringing out in the film."

Barbash grew up in New York and Castaing-Taylor is from Liverpool, England, so production gave both a chance to discover the openness of the West. The couple now works at Harvard.

"I grew up watching ‘Bonanza' and ‘Gunsmoke,' Barbash recalls. "I sort of felt like all of that was in the past, and [those shows] are about the past. However, once we got there, we discovered that some people do speak a little bit like John Wayne. People carry guns and wear cowboy hats."

Other films deal more directly with either man or nature. Nick Stringer offers a sneak preview of "Turtle: The Incredible Journey." Narrated by actress Miranda Richardson, the documentary follows the path of the loggerhead turtle. Mai Iskander's "Garbage Dreams" goes in the other direction. It focuses on the Zaballeen (Arabic for "Garbage People") who live in the world's largest garbage village on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt. For generations, its inhabitants have been collecting the city's trash, recycling 80 percent of what they find. But in 2003, the local government stepped in to privatize sanitation services. While possibly cleaner, the decision threatens the livelihood of 60,000 people who know no other way of life.

"As a filmmaker, I quickly saw potential for a documentary in this David vs. Goliath tale, but it was the teenage students and their personal stories that really drew me," Iskander says. "The desire of the teenage boys to gain knowledge, to develop their trade and to succeed in life through diligence, determination and persistence was quite inspirational."

Over the course of four years, Iskander immersed herself in the culture, and found the beauty behind the mounds of garbage.

"The trash-piled streets where the Zaballeen live, which initially seemed terrifying and dirty to me, started to look like the site of a community eminently worthy of preservation and admiration," she says.

The film tackles cultural issues as well as environmental concerns. The three teenage boys propel the story of a dying lifestyle. The directors chose them for their colorful personalities and desire to break free into the modern world.

"These kids were also facing typical teenage concerns — fashion, pop music and their workout routine, and their aspirations to be the coolest and most popular," notes Iskander. "Over time, I saw more of myself in them and was reminded of our shared humanity."

Although half a world away, Iskander hopes audiences find the beauty like she did and appreciate the fine example the boys set for those hoping to save the planet. Similar groups of Zaballeen clean up the streets of cities like Calcutta, Manila and Mexico City.

"I hope ‘Garbage Dreams' will encourage people to reexamine the true value of what they throw away each day and the real cost of throwing out the expertise of [the] Zaballeen," says Iskander. "I hope that everyone who sees the film sees beyond the hardship and poverty of the Zaballeen and discovers the riches they possess — the depth of their love and the strength of their community."

See "Colony" Thursday at 7:15 p.m., "Sweetgrass" Saturday at 3 p.m., Turtle: The Incredible Journey" Sunday at 3 p.m. and "Garbage Dreams" March 27 at 4:30 p.m. All films will be screened at the AFI Silver Theatre, 8633 Colesville Road, Silver Spring. Tickets range from $6 to $10. Call 301-495-6720 or visit afi.com/silver. For a complete schedule of films around the Washington area, visit dcenvironmentalfilmfest.com.