Future Now
The IFTF Blog
Karim Ahmad introduces Future States
On Tuesday, David Evan Harris hosted a visit from Karim Ahmad of ITVS to share his work on FUTURESTATES, an online series of short films - each made by a different filmmaker - that explore current social issues in the form of speculative narratives set in the future. With two seasons spanning themes of climate change, the societal role of technology and the transformation of political systems, stories include the future of surrogate pregnancy, the "re-migration" to urban centers, and the lives of environmental refugees.
The films each take a unique approach to dramatizing the future, but all focus on conveying what the lives and experiences of people might look like in a context of plausible social, technological, or environmental transitions - a vision that is fantastical but also recognizable.
Karim discussed his goal of tackling complex and often controversial topics often not seen on public TV, as well as the potential to engage new audiences across a wider range of platforms. As he explained, the films have the power to act as jumping off points for further public exploration of these issues - through other channels such as interactive online dialogue, lesson plans built around the series, or even community screenings and panel discussions.