The Future Is Now!

Movie · Drama

In this entertaining film a journalist (Liane Balaban) meets “The Man of Today” (Paul Ahmarani) who, while a responsible citizen, is disengaged from greater society.  He believes once he’s dead nothing more matters!  As an experiment to see if she can turn his pessimistic view around, the journalist sends him on a journey of enlightenment to prove that the future does matter. Traveling the globe, he finds himself in surprising encounters with great minds in the arts and sciences. Starting with an unexpected poetry reading and conversation with experimental poet Christian Bök, “The Man of Today” engages with architect Shigeru Ban, activist Francis Dupuis- Déri, philosopher Alain de Botton, artist Marlene Dumas, novelist Rivka Galchen, leading scientists and a ghost.  Will the journalist succeed in turning a cynic into an optimist? Will it matter? What can one person do?

2011 · 1h 31m
Starring Paul Ahmarani, Liane Balaban, Spiro Malandrakis
Director Gary Burns, Jim Brown

Trailers

  • The Future Is Now!
    The Future Is Now!
    Drama

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Cast & Crew

  • P‌A
    Paul Ahmarani
    The Man of Today
  • Liane Balaban
    The Woman of Tomorrow
  • S‌M
    Spiro Malandrakis
    Grad Student Activist
  • Vanessa Matsui
    Grad Student Activist
  • G‌B
    Gary Burns
    Director
  • Jim Brown
    Director

About

The Future Is Now!

Drama

In this entertaining film a journalist (Liane Balaban) meets “The Man of Today” (Paul Ahmarani) who, while a responsible citizen, is disengaged from greater society.  He believes once he’s dead nothing more matters!  As an experiment to see if she can turn his pessimistic view around, the journalist sends him on a journey of enlightenment to prove that the future does matter. Traveling the globe, he finds himself in surprising encounters with great minds in the arts and sciences. Starting with an unexpected poetry reading and conversation with experimental poet Christian Bök, “The Man of Today” engages with architect Shigeru Ban, activist Francis Dupuis- Déri, philosopher Alain de Botton, artist Marlene Dumas, novelist Rivka Galchen, leading scientists and a ghost.  Will the journalist succeed in turning a cynic into an optimist? Will it matter? What can one person do?

Information

Studio
National Film Board of Canada
Released
2011
Run Time
1 hr 31 min
Rated
Unrated
Region of Origin
Canada
© 2010 BFL, Future Inc. and the National Film Board of Canada

Languages

Original Audio
English, English (Canada)
Audio

English (Canada) (⁨Dolby 5.1⁩, AAC)

Subtitles

English (CC)

Accessibility

Closed captions (CC) refer to subtitles in the available language with the addition of relevant non-dialogue information.
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Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

  • Armenia
  • Azerbaijan
  • Bahrain
  • Botswana
  • Brunei Darussalam
  • Cape Verde
  • Egypt
  • Eswatini
  • Gambia
  • Ghana
  • Guinea-Bissau
  • India
  • Israel
  • Jordan
  • Lebanon
  • Mauritius
  • Mozambique
  • Namibia
  • Niger (English)
  • Oman
  • Qatar
  • Saudi Arabia
  • South Africa
  • Sri Lanka
  • Tajikistan
  • Turkmenistan
  • Uganda
  • United Arab Emirates
  • Zimbabwe

Asia Pacific

  • Australia
  • Cambodia
  • Fiji
  • 香港
  • Indonesia (English)
  • 日本
  • Lao People's Democratic Republic
  • 澳門
  • Malaysia (English)
  • Micronesia, Federated States of
  • Mongolia
  • New Zealand
  • Philippines
  • Singapore
  • 대한민국
  • 台灣
  • Thailand
  • Turkmenistan
  • Vietnam

Europe

  • Armenia
  • Österreich
  • Belarus
  • Belgium
  • Bulgaria
  • Cyprus
  • Czechia
  • Denmark
  • Estonia
  • Finland
  • France (Français)
  • Deutschland
  • Greece
  • Hungary
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  • Italia
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  • Lithuania
  • Luxembourg (English)
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  • Norway
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  • Portugal (Português)
  • Россия
  • Slovakia
  • Slovenia
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  • Sverige
  • Schweiz
  • Türkiye (English)
  • Ukraine
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Latin America and the Caribbean

  • Anguilla
  • Antigua and Barbuda
  • Argentina (Español)
  • Bahamas
  • Belize
  • Bermuda
  • Bolivia (Español)
  • Brasil
  • Virgin Islands, British
  • Cayman Islands
  • Chile (Español)
  • Colombia (Español)
  • Costa Rica (Español)
  • Dominica
  • República Dominicana
  • Ecuador (Español)
  • El Salvador (Español)
  • Grenada
  • Guatemala (Español)
  • Honduras (Español)
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