The Future Is Now!

1h 31min

A journalist meets “Man of Today” who, while a responsible citizen, is disengaged from greater society. He believes once he’s dead nothing more matters. As an experiment to see if she can turn his pessimistic view around, the journalist sends him on a journey of enlightenment to prove that the future does matter. Travelling the globe, he finds himself in surprising encounters with great minds in the arts and sciences. Starting with an unexpected poetry reading and conversation with experimental poet Christian Bök, Man of Today engages with architect Shigeru Ban, activist Francis Dupuis-Déri, philosopher Alain de Botton, artist Marlene Dumas, novelist Rivka Galchen, leading scientists and a ghost. Will the journalist succeed in turning a cynic into an optimist? Will it matter? What can one person do?

Production Companies

Burns Film Ltd.

ONF | NFB

Cast

Paul Ahmarani

Paul Ahmarani

Man Of Today
Liane Balaban

Liane Balaban

Woman Of Tomorrow
Alain de Botton

Alain de Botton

The Philosopher
Shigeru Ban

Shigeru Ban

The Architect
Marlene Dumas

Marlene Dumas

The Artist
Rivka Galchen

Rivka Galchen

The Author
Richard Dawkins

Richard Dawkins

The Scientist
J. Craig Venter

J. Craig Venter

The Scientist
Jean-Paul Sartre

Jean-Paul Sartre

The Existentialist
Dan Beirne

Dan Beirne

Young Man
Elysa Chan

Elysa Chan

Receptionist
Vanessa Matsui

Vanessa Matsui

Grad Student Activist

Release date

24th Jun 2011

Status

Released

Spoken languages

English