2040 (film)

Last updated

2040
2040 film poster.jpg
Directed by Damon Gameau
Written byDamon Gameau
Produced byNick Batzias
Anna Kaplan
Damon Gameau
Virginia Whitwell
Starring
  • Damon Gameau
CinematographyHugh Miller
Edited byRyan Wade Howard
Jane Usher
Music by Bryony Marks
Production
company
Good Thing Productions
Distributed by Madman Entertainment
Release dates
Running time
92 minutes
CountryAustralia
LanguageEnglish
Box office$942,937 [1]

2040 is a 2019 Australian documentary film directed by and starring Damon Gameau. The film looks at the effects of climate change over the next 20 years and what technologies that exist today can reverse the effects.

Contents

Synopsis

2040 follows Gameau's imagining of a future for his four-year-old daughter Velvet, where climate change has been solved. Described as “an exercise in fact-based dreaming” the film is structured as a letter to his daughter whereby Gameau travels around the world investigating numerous solutions that can contribute towards climate mitigation and imagining what a future would be like where they have been implemented at scale. In choosing what to feature in the film, Gameau restricted it to solutions that are either already available or have a realistic potential to greatly contribute to reversing climate change by the year 2040. The film features interviews with numerous academics, ecological experts and entrepreneurs and covers five broad areas.

It examines how renewable energy, like rooftop solar, have enabled micro-grids to form in Bangladesh enabling communities to produce, own and trade their own energy. The film addresses mobility and how a move away from car-ownership through self-driving cars and ride-sharing can enable the redesign of urban areas by promoting green spaces and more livable cities.

It also examines the role of agriculture and how a shift towards regenerative agricultural practices can not only reduce greenhouse gas emissions but also contribute to carbon sequestration while enabling greater resilience, such as through increased water retention. The climate benefits of adopting plant-rich diets are also discussed.

The film also looks at the many uses of seaweeds and how bringing seaweed ecosystems to the open ocean through Marine Permaculture can enable the sustainable harvest of seaweeds and fish to help guarantee food security while regenerating marine life and sequestering carbon.

Finally, Gameau considers the cascading societal benefits of the empowerment of women and girls, notably through education, as it enables women to have greater control over their life-decisions thereby providing a non-coercive, human-rights based means to reduce population growth.

Cast

Along with Gameau, the film features interviews with Paul Hawken, Kate Raworth, Tony Seba, Neel Tahmane, Eric Toensmeier, Genevieve Bell, Brian Von Herzen, Amanda Cahill, Colin Seis and Helena Norberg-Hodge.

Reception

2040 received a positive response from critics. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported as of October 2021 that 100% of 22 film critics had given the film a positive review, with a rating average of 7.1/10. The site's critics' consensus reads: "With 2040, documentarian Damon Gameau entertainingly surveys possible solutions to the climate change crisis, offering an unusually optimistic way forward." [2]

In his review for The Guardian , Luke Buckmaster was generally positive, saying "Damon Gameau’s upbeat documentary predicts our best selves saving the planet but would have been better as a TV series". [3] Although doubtful of Gameau's on-screen persona, Ben Kenigsberg of the New York Times was mostly positive describing it as an “accessible, informative and optimistic look at solutions to the climate crisis”. [4] In a review oriented towards parents, Sandie Angulo Chen of Commonsense Media was also positive, giving the film a four-star review in a review that emphasised its educational value and positive messaging. [5]

The film received international attention, having been selected for the Seattle, Stockholm, Berlin and Gold Coast film festivals. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mariculture</span> Cultivation of marine organisms in the open ocean

Mariculture or marine farming is a specialized branch of aquaculture involving the cultivation of marine organisms for food and other animal products, in enclosed sections of the open ocean, fish farms built on littoral waters, or in artificial tanks, ponds or raceways which are filled with seawater. An example of the latter is the farming of marine fish, including finfish and shellfish like prawns, or oysters and seaweed in saltwater ponds. Non-food products produced by mariculture include: fish meal, nutrient agar, jewellery, and cosmetics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rotten Tomatoes</span> American review aggregator for film and television

Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang. Although the name "Rotten Tomatoes" connects to the practice of audiences throwing rotten tomatoes in disapproval of a poor stage performance, the direct inspiration for the name from Duong, Lee, and Wang came from an equivalent scene in the 1992 Canadian film Léolo.

<i>Thunderstruck</i> (2004 film) 2004 Australian film

Thunderstruck is a 2004 Australian film directed by Darren Ashton and starring Stephen Curry, Damon Gameau, Ryan Johnson, Callan Mulvey, and Sam Worthington. The title was taken from the AC/DC song of the same name. Its plot concerns five AC/DC fans who make a promise that if one of them died, the other four would have him buried next to grave of their idol, Bon Scott. When one of them dies, the remaining four embark on a road trip to fulfill their promise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Damon Gameau</span> Australian actor

Damon Gameau is an Australian actor, director, and producer, known for his documentaries That Sugar Film and 2040. Gameau has also appeared in a number of award-winning TV shows and films, such as Love My Way, The Tracker and Balibo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seaweed farming</span> Farming of aquatic seaweed

Seaweed farming or kelp farming is the practice of cultivating and harvesting seaweed. In its simplest form farmers gather from natural beds, while at the other extreme farmers fully control the crop's life cycle.

<i>Cool It</i> (film) 2010 American film

Cool It is a 2010 documentary film directed by Ondi Timoner. It is based on the book Cool It: The Skeptical Environmentalist's Guide to Global Warming by Danish statistician Bjørn Lomborg. The film stars Lomborg, best known for authoring The Skeptical Environmentalist, and explores his views on global warming and criticisms of conventional mitigation approaches. It premiered in Canada at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival and had a theatrical United States release on November 12, 2010.

<i>Patrick</i> (2013 film) Australian film directed by Mark Hartley

Patrick is a 2013 Australian supernatural horror film directed by Mark Hartley and a remake of the 1978 film of the same name. It had its world premiere on 27 July 2013 at the Melbourne International Film Festival and received a limited theatrical release on 14 March 2014, followed by a DVD release the following month. Its Canadian theatrical premiere was at the Lost Episode Festival Toronto on 5 July 2014.

<i>That Sugar Film</i> 2014 Australian film

That Sugar Film is a 2014 Australian documentary directed by and starring Damon Gameau. The film looks at hidden sugar in foods and the effect it can have on the human body.

<i>Take Care</i> (film) 2014 American film

Take Care is a 2014 comedy-drama film directed by Liz Tuccillo. The plot involves a woman who, after getting hit by a car, realizes who her true friends are who don't want to care for her as she heals. She then forced to enlist the help of her ex-boyfriend, whom she believes owes her since she had taken care of him when he was hurt during their relationship.

<i>A Month of Sundays</i> (2015 film) 2015 Australian film

A Month of Sundays is a 2015 film starring Anthony LaPaglia.

<i>How to Let Go of the World and Love All the Things Climate Cant Change</i> 2016 American film

How to Let Go of the World (And Love All the Things Climate Can't Change) is a 2016 environmental documentary by Josh Fox that premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival.

<i>Breaking Through</i> 2015 American film

Breaking Through is a 2015 American-English dance drama film written and directed by John Swetnam and starring Sophia Aguiar.

<i>Apartment Troubles</i> 2014 American film

Apartment Troubles is a 2014 American comedy-drama film written, directed by, and starring Jess Weixler and Jennifer Prediger. The film marks the screenwriting and directorial debut of both Weixler and Prediger.

<i>Endgame</i> (2015 film) 2015 American film

Endgame is a 2015 American biographical drama film starring Rico Rodriguez, Justina Machado, Efren Ramirez and Ivonne Coll. It is based on the true story of real life teacher Jose Juan "J.J." Guajardo.

<i>VHYes</i> 2019 American film

VHYes is a 2019 American comedy film directed by Jack Henry Robbins, written by Nunzio Randazzo and Henry Robbins, produced by Delaney Schenker, and starring Mason McNulty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marine permaculture</span>

Marine Permaculture is a form of mariculture that reflects the principles of permaculture by recreating seaweed forest habitat and other ecosystems in nearshore and offshore ocean environments. Doing so enables a sustainable long-term harvest of seaweeds and seafood, while regenerating life in the ocean.

<i>Dream Big: Engineering Our World</i> 2017 American film

Dream Big: Engineering Our World is a 2017 American documentary short about modern engineering and its significance. It was directed by Greg MacGillivray and narrated by Jeff Bridges.

<i>Dr. Birds Advice for Sad Poets</i> 2021 American film

Dr. Bird's Advice for Sad Poets is a 2021 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Yaniv Raz and starring Lucas Jade Zumann, Taylor Russell, Chase Stokes, Lisa Edelstein, David Arquette and Jason Isaacs. It is based on the novel of the same name by Evan Roskos.

<i>Polar Bear</i> (film) 2022 American nature documentary film about polar bears

Polar Bear is a 2022 American nature documentary film about polar bears directed by Alastair Fothergill and Jeff Wilson. Narrated by Catherine Keener, it is the sixteenth nature documentary to be released under the Disneynature label. The film was released as a Disney+ exclusive on Earth Day April 22, 2022.

A Girl Like Grace is a 2015 coming of age drama film directed by Ty Hodges. It stars Ryan Destiny, Meagan Good, Raven-Symoné, Garcelle Beauvais, Romeo Miller and Paige Hurd.

References

  1. ↑ "2040 (2019)". The Numbers . Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  2. ↑ "2040 (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango . Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  3. ↑ Buckmaster, Luke (4 April 2019). "2040 review – an idealist's vision of a healthy Earth". The Guardian . Archived from the original on 4 April 2019. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  4. ↑ Kenigsberg, Ben (4 June 2020). "'2040' Review: Tools to Fix the World, Already at Hand". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 4 June 2020. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  5. ↑ Chen, Sandie Angulo. "2040: Movie review". Common Sense Media. Archived from the original on 11 June 2020. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  6. ↑ "Australian filmmaker Damon Gameau tackles climate change with new upbeat doco 2040". 3 May 2019. Archived from the original on 3 May 2019. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.