"When you tug at a single thing in nature, you find it attached to the rest of the world.”
— John Muir
Synopsis:
Combining powerful visuals, humor, animation, irony, and serious messages, Connected explores the visible and invisible connections between the major issues of our time — the environment, population growth, technology, human rights, and the global economy – demonstrating how they are all interdependent. Following the filmmaker’s exploration of her own place in the world during a transformative set of circumstances in her life, Connected exposes the importance of personal connectedness in relation to understanding global conditions, ultimately showing how all of humanity is invested in today’s crucial issues. More than a film about social issues, it is a work that speaks directly to empathy, social engagement, and what it means to be human in the 21st century. It reveals how the interdependence of people and forces lies at the core of our existence, and imagines what the world would look like if we lived in a way that acknowledged this reality.
Social Impact:
To reach the broadest possible audience, the Connected project will include a feature length film for theatrical release, a version for television, multiple two-minute pieces for the Internet, and a 10-minute version with curriculum for educators. DVDs will be packaged in home screening kits that will include discussion materials and an action guide.
About the Filmmakers:
Honored by Newsweek as one of the “Women shaping the 21st century,” director and producer Tiffany Shlain, is an award-winning filmmaker, founder of The Webby Awards, and co-founder of the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences. Her films have been selected at over 100 festivals, including Sundance and Tribeca, and have received over 24 awards. Executive producer Geralyn Dreyfous is a veteran filmmaker, director at large of Impact Partners, and executive producer of the 2004 Oscar-winning documentary, Born Into Brothels, as well as many other films. Connected is art directed by Stefan Nadelman, who won Grand Jury prize at Sundance for his film Terminal Bar.
Director’s Statement:
I hope that Connected will help create a global conversation about what it means to be connected in the 21st century. I believe that by engaging people to talk about connectedness in their own lives and in the world, the ripple effect of these conversations will have far reaching impact. Appreciating that this is a huge subject, I employ many tactics (humor, animation, archival and my own personal story) to attempt to untangle what interdependence and connectedness mean in terms of the history of the human species and moving forward. Through this journey, I wield a large magnifying glass to look at some of the absurd and beautiful behaviors of our species and our world. While the core components of humans desire to be "connected," have not changed since we first appeared on this planet, I believe a new zeitgeist is emerging through all these new technologies that are making our world smaller and more intertwined.
If you are interested in learning more about the project, contact:
Tiffany Shlain (415) 380-0881 | tiffany@connectedthefilm.com
*Hear Tiffany speak about Connected and show initial clips from production on Feb 18th at the SFJCC
*The Connected team recently moved into a Filmhouse Residency at Pier 27, San Francisco. The SF Film Society offered us the residency, and we are very happy to be in production surrounded by other filmmakers.
Tiffany also gave a talk outlining the new film at The Idea Festival, Sept 14, 2007.
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‣Read Daily EM “Tiffany Shlain: Interdependence and Colony Collapse Disorder”
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‣Read Ethan Zuckerman’s Blog “Idea Festival: Tiffany Shlain’s Web of Ideas”
This film was developed last year during an Artist-in-Residency at The Headlands Center for the Arts.
To find out more about the project, please write to Associate Producer Carlton Evans, Phd carlton@moxieinstitute.org
