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Stories of Tomorrow Shorts Program

We are Homo sapiens. But a more accurate description might be Homo narrans — “humankind the storyteller.” Stories convey culture and values, providing canvases to imagine ourselves differently. They also shape the futures we believe possible for society. If we want a sustainable future, what stories do we need to tell to inspire, to frighten, or to motivate? These nine shorts offer visions of different futures while touching on the issues of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (97 min).

Unravel

(2012, Dir. Meghna Gupta, India/U.K., 14 min.)

When the West’s clothes are no longer wanted, they travel to Panipat, India. Here, Reshma and her friends wonder about the lives of the people who lived in those clothes.

Watch for FREE!

SDG 12

Sweet Crude Man Camp

(2013, Dir. Isaac Gale, U.S., 11 min.)

Visions of a bright future are drawing thousands of dreamers to the oil boom in North Dakota. But what are the social costs of this bonanza to the fabric of a community?

Watch for FREE!

SDG 1

Collards in the Cafeteria

(2018, Dir. The Lee Brothers, U.S., 6 min.)

Gaston County, North Carolina schools are sourcing 10% of their produce locally. Students love fresh strawberries and watermelons, but how about collards?

Watch for FREE!

SDG 3

That Which Once Was

(2011, Dir. Kimi Takesue, U.S., 20 min.)

In the future, being an environmental refugee displaced by a climate disaster will be common. To recover, orphan Vicente needs helps from someone who understands.

Watch for FREE!

SDG 10

Papiroflexia

(2007, Dir. Joaquin Baldwin, U.S., 2 min.)

From the Spanish word for origami, an animated vision of harmony and peace emerging from a reality of noise and distraction.

Watch for FREE!

SDG 16

The World of Tomorrow

(2015, Dir. Don Hertzfeldt, U.S., 17 min.)

An affecting Academy Award Nominee, the story of Emily meeting herself provides a satirical lens on the Internet, global disparities in wealth, and our quest for immortality.

Watch the trailer!

SDG 9

Tubelight

(2018, Dir. Vinamra Pancharia, India, 5 min.)

Grand prize winner of the UN’s Picture This Festival for the PlanetTubelight asks whether we can make access to education a universal right.

Watch for FREE!

SDG 4

For Flint

(2017, Dir. Brian Schulz, U.S., 18 min.)

In 2014, changes to Flint, Michigan’s water supply created a health nightmare for a city that’s already lost 50% of its population. But quiet heroes are giving Flint a second chance.

Watch the trailer!

SDG 11

Three Seconds

(2016, Dir. Spencer Sharp and Richard Williams, U.S., 4 min.)

Winner of the 2016 Connect4Climate short film contest, this spoken word poem helps put it ALL in proper perspective.

Watch for FREE!

SDG 13