Demain UK Premier
Transition Network is delighted to announce that it will be co-ordinating the community-led distribution of the French film ‘Tomorrow’ (known as ‘Demain’ in France). Tomorrow has been a phenomenon in France. Launched in December 2015, it has been watched by over 1.5 million people, won ‘Best Documentary’ at the Cesar Awards (the French Oscars), been shown to communities, schools, at the United Nations, the European Parliament, in board rooms and local governments. A recent European study ‘Generation What?’ found that the major concern of people between 18 and 34 years old is now ecology, rather than employment, a shift attributed largely to the film.
The film tells the story of its co-producers, Cyril Dion and Melanie Laurent. Cyril Dion is a French activist, author and journalist, who has led an NGO for seven years. In 2012, he discovered a study that was the most alarming yet: ‘Approaching a state shift in the Earth’s biosphere’ published in the journal Nature. It said that humankind could disappear between 2040 and 2100 if we don’t drastically change our way of life. He shared his worries with his friend, actress and filmmaker Mélanie Laurent, who for several years has been involved in his NGO and Greenpeace. Cyril has two children, Mélanie has just had a baby, and they don’t see how they can remain idle faced with this information.
With a small film crew, the pair then set off on a road trip around the world in search of solutions. The film is arranged in 5 chapters, food, energy, economics, democracy and education. Three initiatives are visited in the UK. In 2014, the production team launched a crowdfunding campaign on KissKissBankBank in order to raise €200,000 to finance the film. In just 2 months, the contributions of 10,266 contributors meant that they actually raised €444,390, a record for a film crowdfunder. The film premiered in Paris during COP21.
Dion and Laurent start the film by visiting Totnes, meeting Rob Hopkins and Ben Brangwyn of Transition Network. They also go to Todmorden to learn about Incredible Edible from Pam Warhurst, Mary Clear and Nick Green, and to Bristol to meet Mark Burton and Ciaran Mundy of the Bristol Pound. The rest of their journey takes them to places such as the US, India, Finland, and Denmark.
The UK rollout of the film will begin on the night of January 24th with simultaneous screenings in Totnes, Todmorden and Bristol, with Cyril Dion attending the Totnes one and introducing it virtually to the other screenings. After that, communities will be invited to arrange their own screenings, and to use the film to create big events to promote their work. The UK is the first country to use such a model for distribution. If successful, it is hoped that it could be rolled out elsewhere in the same way. The aim is to get this film screened in every community in the UK.
Tomorrow is a hugely positive, affirming and inspirational film, exploring creative solutions in the fields of food, energy, transport, economics and education. It visits permaculture farms, urban agriculture projects, community-owned renewable projects, local currencies, creative schools, ambitious recycling projects. It has been a huge boost to community-led projects, and is currently on release in 29 other countries, regularly receiving standing ovations, and leading to the formation of many new community projects. It is the perfect antidote to the current sense of global despondency. It also has a great soundtrack, which was released in its own right.
