Santa Barbara

“Living in the Future’s Past is an invitation to everyone to learn about themes that are often overlooked in our cultural dialogue, but are necessary keys to the future that we desire for our children. Living in the Future's Past is a metaphor for tuning in to what is already here.” - Jeff Bridges

Adam Wright and Lise Romanoff from Vision Films, Laurie Kirby (FestForums), Susan Kucera the director and Ken S. Polk at the film presentation in Santa Barbara @ Metro 1 on Thursday February 1st at 8.00pm

Susan Kucera with Renee Lertzman at the Q&A in the full house

Living in the Future’s Past is a beautifully creative and unique film that weaves evolution, emergence, energy, dark ecology and what some are calling the end of nature into a story that explains our place among the species of the Earth’s household.  Presented and narrated by Academy Award-winning actor Jeff Bridges and directed by Susan Kucera (Breath of Life, For the Love of Tango, Trading on Thin Air) will have its World Premiere at Santa Barbara International Film on Thursday February 1^st 2018.

Jeff Bridges presents this beautifully photographed tour de force of original thinking on who we are and the environmental challenges we face. The film upends our way of thinking and provides original insights into our subconscious motivations, the unintended consequences, what to do about our fossil slaves, and how our fundamental animal nature influences our future as Humankind. Living in the Future’s Past feels like a bolt of lightning from both the future and the past and aims to put the viewer in the drivers’ seat. It is a strikingly original take on who we are, where we came from and why our thoughts and actions are the way they are.

In our rapidly changing world, the concept of the “world” we once knew as a way of distinguishing between human beings and everything else has evaporated. In this film, profound thinkers share the screen with the earth’s living creatures to reveal concepts about ourselves and our future that have never been presented in this way.

Bridges, alongside expert scientists and authors featured in the film include climate scientist and astronaut Piers Sellers, Being Ecological author Timothy Morton, conservationist and ethnobotanist Mark Plotkin, physicist Leonard Mlodinow, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander General Wesley Clark, and author Daniel Goleman among others as well as a stunning original music score by Bridges collaborator Keefus Ciancia (Lady Killers, Thunderbird, Sleeping Tapes) and  additional music by composer Bob Holroyd and award-winning sound designer Ken Polk.

Following its World Premiere at Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Living in the Future’s Past will premiere in Australia at Transitions Film Festival later in February and show at Slo Fest, San Luis Obispo and Garden State Film Fest, New Jersey, in March, American Documentary Film Festival in Palm Springs in April. Further premieres and showings are to be announced.

Living in the Future’s Past was produced by Jeff Bridges, Susan Kucera and executive produced by Jim Swift. Vision Films is handling worldwide distribution.

“Living in the Future’s Past inspires us to explore our relationship to energy which flows through and animates everything,” says Susan Kucera. “The time is now to have these conversations to protect future generations.”

Managing Director / CEO of Vision Films Lise Romanoff says: “‘I am so excited to be distributing this film. This documentary doesn’t fall into the same ideological and polarizing traps of many films that address the issues of humanity and the environment and offers a completely fresh and unique point of view that has the power to help us understand ourselves better and move into the future wisely.”

Living in the Future’s Past will premiere at Metro 1 on Thursday February 1st at 8.00pm and screen at Lobero Theatre on Monday February 5th at 2.00pm at Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

Jeff Bridges with Susan Kucera who introfduced the film at 8pm