FUTURESTATES Premieres 7 Science Fiction Films, Now thru 6/5
By: Movies News Desk Apr. 24, 2013
ITVS has announced that FUTURESTATES, the acclaimed online series of genre-bending science fiction short films returns for a fourth season of forward-thinking, no-holds-barred explorations into the future of American society. Seven filmmakers envision the world at a crossroads, where discrimination, environmental catastrophe, visitors from the future, and even other worlds test the bonds of humanity. This year's series of seven shorts will debut online with a new film every Wednesday from tonight, April 24 - June 5, 2013.
"From gender identity to illegal immigration, from cyber attacks to internet privacy issues to alternative energy, this year's films bring forward under-represented perspectives on the most controversial social and political topics in the headlines today," said Karim Ahmad, Senior Programming Manager, Independent Television Service (ITVS). "It's so poignant to see how our filmmakers extend those issues into the not-so-distant future, imagining how they will play out. Where are we headed as a society? Is this the future we want?"Elliot King Is Third (April 24, 2013)
By Rose Troche
In 2024, gender is identified by microchip implant, and trans people like Elliot are classified "third." But can he change his identity in an attempt to build a safer life?
Refuge (May 1, 2013)
By Mohammad Gorjestani
A cyber attack on the United States Immigration database puts Sonia at risk of being deported back to Iran. But remaining in the U.S. may come at a greater price than she's willing to pay.
Promised Land (May 8, 2013)
By Joe Turner Lin & Justin Marshall
Refugees from the dystopian future are immigrating to the past, and citizen watch groups have formed to stop them. On his first "border patrol," teenage Jackson must choose between his father's principles and his own sense of humanity.
http://futurestates.tv/episodes/promised-land
Return to Elektra Springs (May 15, 2013)By Christopher Munch
Retired inventor Will Friedrich and his son are forced to evacuate their home during a tsunami. As they make their way east, they encounter a pioneering Community that leads Will to consider returning to his work in free energy.
http://futurestates.tv/episodes/return-to-elektra-springs
The Living (May 22, 2013)
By Julian Breece
Organ Harvesting Initiative surgeon Isaac North visits a Colorado refugee town where quadriplegic Luther Hillman has signed up to be euthanized in return for his family's medical care, his organs harvested for more "productive" citizens.
http://futurestates.tv/episodes/the-living
Hollow (May 29, 2013)By Lisa Robinson
The web is no longer secure, but NeuroLock can encrypt data using the human brain. Iris struggles to choose between unemployment and a job as a "neuro-messenger," a career with unwanted side effects.http://futurestates.tv/episodes/hollow Children of the Northern Lights (June 5, 2013
By Andrew Okpeaha MacLean
Two astronauts on a prospecting mission to find a new supply of energy crash land on a distant planet, where alien beings offer a chance at survival -- but at great cost.
http://futurestates.tv/episodes/children-of-the-northern-lights
Produced by ITVS and created by established filmmakers such as Rose Troche, Andrew Okpeaha MacLean, and Christopher Munch, as well as new emerging talents,FUTURESTATES will be available to stream for free at futurestates.tv and simultaneously onpbs.org, and PBS iPhone and iPad apps.
FUTURESTATES was developed by ITVS in 2008 to support the development of independent fiction filmmaking and to address the lack of distribution opportunities for fictional narrative content on public television. Filmmakers are invited to submit proposals, from which a select group of projects are chosen for script development and production.
For more information on all seven episodes and to watch previous seasons and trailers, visit:futurestates.tv.
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