Few film festivals can claim to be as suited to the crazy times we live in as Transitions Film Festival, which returns online and IRL with its 'visions for a better world' in February and March.
Climate, sustainability, the environment and artificial intelligence are the focus here in a program of documentaries as well as the odd dramatic feature such as Ecocide. This one is a legal drama that is set in 2034 and puts forward the very reasonable scenario of a prominent politician (in this case former German chancellor Angela Merkel) put on trial for failing to act on climate change. In a similar vein the doco Youth vs Gov follows the US kids who have been suing the US government for failing to protect them.
The Danish people have set an ambitious benchmark of 70 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 – find out if they can achieve it in 70/30. Meanwhile Barricade looks at Germany's 'forest defenders' who have literally set up camp in the trees to defend them from destruction.
Also from Germany is Dream On: Yearning for Change, homing in on five quirky and inspirational humans on their search for brighter futures, including makers of tiny houses, zeppelins and floating islands made from trash.
There is a feature-length session of Australian Shorts to watch as well, on topics such as bushfire resilience, ocean health and sustainable food systems.
In 2014, American neurologist Phil Kennedy shocked the scientific community when he put an implant into his own brain for research and almost incapacitated himself for life. Exactly why he did this is the subject of Father of the Cyborgs.
TV like Black Mirror and Years and Years have peddled an alarmist view of what's in store for us but the reality is more nuanced and complex, and the better we understand it the better equipped we'll be to deal with it. Join the movement for a brighter future with tickets ranging from a single screening ($9-$12) to a full festival pass ($130-$160). You can find out more here.