Inventing the Future

Best Films of 2020 - In Review Online

"It’s a towering film" - Mubi, Notebook Review

“Medina rethinks the possibilities and language of cinematic form” - BFI

Overview

A lightning fast montage plays against a reading of a text calling for a futuristic economy , with automation eliminating unnecessary work and a universal basic income helping to reinvent new forms of the self and of society. Inventing the Future is a cinematic exploration of the themes and ideas developed in the best-selling book Inventing the Future: Postcapitalism and a World Without Work. By imaginatively creating positive visions for the future and harnessing the power of technology, this film explores what a post-work world might look like.

A Film From the Future

Nick Srnicek’s and Alex Williams’ book Inventing the Future: Postcapitalism and a World Without Work is sparking widespread conversations about the future of society. By challenging the Left to rethink what politics could be, they leveled a charge that was met with praise and controversy. An imaginative polemic, Inventing the Future was never meant to be a final word – it was meant to be a launchpad. 

Isiah Medina is a young and ambitious filmmaker. His debut feature, 88:88, irrupted through the festival circuit. After premiering at Locarno International Film Festival, 88:88 went on to play the New York Film Festival (NYFF) and the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), among others, and was met with stellar reviews by film critics, philosophers, cinephiles, and activists alike. 88:88 is a classical film about poverty, youth, media culture, philosophy, and the very medium of cinema itself. 

Together, this film creates a cinematic experience that looks to the future with optimism about what humans and technology can do, about what politics can create, about how cinema can think, and about what life can become. The future is already-but-not-yet. It will require collectivity to realize it. This film explores that process.