The multi-award winning ‘Dear Future Children’ puts the spotlight on three powerful young women as they campaign for change in their home countries and around the world; ‘Roamers’ examines the different ways in which young people are using social media to take control of their lives and their futures; while ‘My Buddha is Punk’ follows one young man’s journey to change hearts and minds through music and activism.
Then in this August’s iWonder What Top Five, we pull together five films that look at the unique challenges and opportunities experienced by our younger generations.
Dear Future Children
#Social justice #Climate Change #Freedom
Launches 29 Aug
With global protests on the rise, ‘Dear Future Children’ is a multi-award winning film about the new generation at the heart of this seismic political shift. Focusing on the perspectives and objectives of three impassioned young campaigners, the film follows Rayen’s protests for social justice in Chile, Pepper’s fight for democracy in Hong Kong, and Hilda’s battle against the devastating consequences of climate change in Uganda.
Facing almost impossible odds and grappling with the staggering impact of their activism on their personal lives, the documentary examines just how these three young women find the strength, conviction, and bravery to keep fighting.
The recipient of dozens of awards worldwide, including the Hot Docs Audience Award, Dear Future Children is a film about the next generation, made by the next generation.
Roamers: Follow Your Likes
#Social Media #Personal #Youth
Launches 22 Aug
A celebrated Palestinian influencer from Israel who quit his lucrative job at PayPal in order to maximise life experience; a young top manager who sacrifices both her job and marriage for the adventure of sailing around the world; an Argentinean couple who apply their computer science skills to distribute their self-produced porn online: 'Roamers' follows a variety of characters on their journeys all over the world and through different social media feeds.
A journey through the lives and eyes of "digital nomads," Roamers is a documentary that deals with their search for meaning, identity, recognition, and relevance, in the new digital world of countless possibilities.
My Buddha is Punk
#Anti-establishment #Spiritual #Music
Launches 15 Aug
Kyaw Kyaw, a 25-year-old Burmese punk, pursues the dream of seeing the punk scene take off in Myanmar. The former military dictatorship has carried out some democratic reforms, but, in his opinion, the country hasn’t changed enough.
By way of his music and demonstrations in the streets, Kyaw Kyaw criticises the ongoing civil war and the persecutions of ethnic minorities, traveling across the country to promote his own philosophy among younger generations: a symbiosis of Buddhism and punk that rejects religious dictates and political doctrine.
iWonder When
12th August 2024
This year, International Youth Day 2024 on 12 August will adopt the theme, “From Clicks to Progress: Youth Digital Pathways for Sustainable Development,” highlighting the pivotal role of digital technology in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and recognising the innovative contributions of young people in this transformative journey.
The day will aim to highlight how young minds are effectively harnessing technology to create sustainable solutions for pressing global challenges, ultimately contributing to a more sustainable and inclusive future.
Click here to find out more.
iWonder Who
Hilda Flavia Nakabuye
One of the three impassioned campaigners to be featured in ‘Dear Future Children’, launching on iWonder this August, Hilda Flavia Nakabuye is a prominent Ugandan climate activist and founder of Fridays for Future Uganda.
Born in 1997, Nakabuye's journey into activism began after witnessing firsthand the devastating effects of climate change on her family's farm. She was inspired by Greta Thunberg and started mobilising Ugandan youth to participate in climate strikes, raising awareness about the urgent need for climate action in Africa.
Nakabuye is known for her passionate speeches, including addressing world leaders at international climate conferences, emphasising the disproportionate impact of climate change on developing countries and advocates for environmental justice, sustainable development, and gender equality.
iWonder What
To be young
From building a business in the rapidly changing technologically-charged world, to overcoming trauma and terrorism to advocating for tolerance and respect, this August’s iWonder What Top Five features a collection of films that dive into the lives of young people navigating very different journeys through the modern world.
1) Generation Startup
#Business #Technology #Careers
Generation Startup takes us to the front lines of entrepreneurship, capturing the struggles and triumphs of six recent college graduates who put everything on the line to build startups. Directed by Academy Award winner Cynthia Wade and award-winning filmmaker Cheryl Miller Houser, the film is an honest, in-the-trenches look at what it takes to launch a startup.
2) My Millennial Life
#Society #Business #Technology
Millennials are the most educated generation ever, but over half of college graduates end up unemployed or in dead-end jobs.
My Millennial Life is an intimate documentary following the stories of four twenty-somethings as they fight to find their place in today’s world. Life is nothing like what they were promised: from the highs of internships at Vice and Google, to the lows of cleaning hotel bathrooms, the future has never looked more uncertain for Generation Y.
3) Next Gen Voters
#Democracy #Youth #Education
Leading up to the 2024 Indonesian elections, a group of young people created a movement to encourage their peers to use their voices and vote. As part of Bijak Memilih (Vote Wisely), Via, 19, and Hilmi, 28, work to provide young voters with critical information in new, engaging ways as election day approaches.
4) Living the Game
#Gaming #Sport #Sub-culture
In the gaming world they are heroes, but in society pro gamers are still seen as social outcasts or even addicts. Three years in the making, this film profiles five young pro gamers from Japan, France, the USA and Taiwan, as they go head-to-head in tournaments around the world. From Tokyo to Las Vegas, we follow their highs and lows as they land huge sponsorship deals, attract crazy fan bases and above all, live the game.
5) Generation Utøya
#Politics #Society #Tolerance
A decade after they survived the terror attacks on Utøya island by a far-right extremist who targeted members of Norway’s Workers’ Youth League, four women transform their injuries and trauma into strength. Refusing to be silenced and working within the government, they represent a new generation of change-makers, vehemently opposed to xenophobia, facism, and hate speech.
