Tomorrow

PLEASE NOTE: This film will be screened with DUTCH subtitles.

An encouraging roll-up-your-sleeves documentary about how ordinary people with limited means still can make a big difference. In spite of, or maybe due to, the alarming news that humanity is well on its way to destroying itself and the planet, all kinds of small-scale initiatives have sprung up in the area of sustainability, alternative fuels and local food production. French movie star Melanie Laurent travels all over the world with a group of friends to chart these alternatives.

The journey by Melanie Laurent and five of her friends is inspired by the alarming scientific publication by Stanford biologist Elizabeth Hadly and Anthony Barknovsky, palaeontologist at UC Berkeley. They argued in an article for Nature magazine that the planet stands on the brink of the precipice: the speed with which we deplete our natural resources, the rising temperatures and the growth of our population are many times faster than our ecosystem can sustain. Their conclusion: if we don’t act now, we are doomed.

A serious start to a still optimistic feel-good documentary. Because the group of thirty-somethings strike out to film in nine countries how communities are taking action to turn the tide. From urban farming to alternative sources of energy, from local currency to revolutionary, modern educational systems, this movie shows how small-scale initiatives can have big consequences. We see a wide variety of projects that all seem to have one thing in common: these are local groups of people who offer an alternative system to a failing economic model that is focused on growth, thus trying to reduce the power of megalomaniac, all-consuming multinationals.

Tomorrow is part of Climate at Stake: a programme at the Movies that Matter Festival 2017, presented by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign affairs.

What happens abroad affects the Netherlands and vice versa; climate change is the ultimate example. In cooperation with the Dutch ministry of Foreign Affairs we host Climate at Stake, on 26 March, with two compelling documentaries about the impact of climate change: Before the Flood (National Geographic) and Sea Blind, plus Tomorrow, a feel-good movie about actions developed by citizens around the world to protect the environment. The screenings will either be preceded by an introduction or followed by a debate. The festival’s guest of honour, Mary Robinson, will kick off the day with an introduction about Climate Justice.

Combined tickets for the day are available for €19.50 (or EUR 29.50 including lunch).