Background
Even before its North American Premier at the 52nd SF International Film Festival on May 3, 2009, director Franny Armstrong’s The Age of Stupid was already a seminal achievement in expanding the eco-consciousness of audiences all over the world and changing the way films are shot, marketed, and screened.

Filmed over four years in half a dozen countries including the United States, the UK, India, Nigeria, and Iraq, the film stars Oscar-nominated Pete Postlethwaite (In the Name of the Father, The Usual Suspects), as a man living alone in the devastated world of 2055, looking back at “archive” footage from 2007 and asking, “why didn’t we stop climate change when we had the chance?”

The film’s budget of nearly half a million dollars was raised by selling shares of The Age of Stupid to individuals and groups.  This “crowd-funding” strategy ensures that the film is financed entirely by the public, making it a completely independent production.

The “People’s Premiere”
On March 20th, 2009, the team behind The Age of Stupid made film history by premiering the film simultaneously via satellite all over the world. The Guiness Book of World Records has officially recognized what has been touted as “The People's Premiere” as a world-record holder for the biggest simultaneous premiere of all time.

But the people behind The Age of Stupid were not content with merely breaking a world record; by implementing a multitude of “green” techniques, the event became one of the most eco-friendly film premieres in history. By using solar- and human-powered equipment, recycled and found materials, and electric/landfill-fuel powered vehicles, the entire event emitted only five tons of carbon dioxide gas—a mere 1% of standard film premiere emissions. In other words, flying one celebrity from Los Angeles to the London premiere would emit as much Co2 as the entire premiere itself.

Political Impact
Politicians and key decision-makers from around the globe have been influenced by the power of The Age of Stupid’s message and the passion of the film’s creative team and devoted followers.  MP Sarah Teather, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Guantanamo Bay, used a debate to speak extensively and very coherently about the failure to tackle climate change, using The Age of Stupid as a way into the issue. During a Bonn Intercessional meeting of the UN, the strongest commitment to reducing emissions came from AOSIS, the coalition of some 43 island states including the new global climate champion, the Maldives. The Maldives were certified “NOT STUPID” by the International Youth Delegation, becoming the first ever recipients of an official Not Stupid Certificate from the team behind The Age of Stupid.

Media Exposure
Exposure for The Age of Stupid has ranged from special reports and notices on CNN, BBC, Channel Four, Sky, Guardian, Total Film, Film 24 and the Shropshire Star.  A radio interview on the BBC’s World Service elicited phone calls from all over the world, including Beijing, Kenya, Nigeria, the United States, and Hong Kong, from concerned citizens and audience members asking questions and offering their own powerful responses to the film.  As a result of The Age of Stupid’s increased presence in world media, a multitude of book publishers have contacted the filmmakers to develop a book of the film, allowing them to branch their message into other mediums.

Screenings and Education
Using The Age of Stupid as an entry point into discussions about climate change issues, more than 100 special events and screenings held since March 20th included accompanying speakers varying from cast and crew to industry insiders, environmental/climate change activists, politicians, foundation and org executive directors, and educators. Panel discussions on the film have included debates between Dr Richard Betts, Head of Climate Impacts at the Met Office Hadley Center, Rob Hopkins, Founder of the Transition Towns movement, and Lydia Somerville, Green Party candidate in the United Kingdom.

The Age of Stupid has recently partnered with ActionAid to make a “Not Stupid Schools” Resource Pack.  As an educational supplement to the climate change issues depicted in the film, the curriculum is designed to initiate dialogue between educators and students and broaden youth perspective on humankind’s potentially disastrous impact on the planet.

Theatrical Release
The Age of Stupid was released in cinemas in the United Kingdom on 20th March 2009, with upcoming Indie screenings in May, DVD release in June, and television broadcasts in July.   The first official screening of the film in the United States will take place at the SFFS International Film Festival this month, followed by a US theatrical release in September.

“Stupid”-Inspired Activism & Global Impact
Since the history-making premiere, thousands of e-mails flooded into the inboxes of The Age of Stupid team with an unprecedented response from audience members around the globe.  Activists inspired by the film’s call to action have been scaling wind turbines, flashmobbing train stations, spoofing newspapers, and projecting onto power stations in an effort to shed light on institutions that continue to foster environmental harm. Not Stupid, an action campaign tied to the film, was established as a networking tool for  climate activists.

To increase the film’s global accessibility, it has been translated into ten languages—including Slovak, Vietnamese, Italian, Russian, and Greek—with twenty-two more languages undergoing the dubbing and subtitling process. A representative from the British Film Institute is currently soliciting the filmmakers for a copy of the film for permanent preservation in the National Archive—further solidifying The Age of Stupid’s place in cinematic history as a revolution in filmmaking and a catalyst for real global change.