FUTURESTATES Goes Hollywood

It’s official: FUTURESTATES has gone Hollywood. No, we didn’t sign a multimillion dollar deal with a studio for a trilogy of sci-fi features to rival Marvel Studios’s many franchises (but there’s always next year). We’re referring instead to a selection of five FUTURESTATES films presented in the posh screening room at the offices of top Hollywood talent agency CAA.

Last week’s screening was co-hosted by CAA and Film Independent (FIND), designed to promote the exceptional work these organizations are doing in both independent and commercial film and television circles to promote diversity in the industry, and also to celebrate the FIND fellows that were greenlit by ITVS for season 1 of FUTURESTATES: Ramin Bahrani (Plastic Bag), Tze Chun (Silver Sling), Amyn Kaderali (The Other Side), Aldo Velasco (Tent City), and Garret Williams (The Rise).
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Tags: CAA, documentary, FUTURESTATES, Hollywood, indie films, indielens, ITVS, PBS, short films

ITVS Greenlights Second Season of FUTURESTATES!

This spring, ITVS launched the first season of its innovative new web series of futuristic shorts, FUTURESTATES. And as the first season continues to screen online at futurestates.tv, pbs.org, as well as at film festivals around the world, ITVS is proud to announce that we just greenlit a second season of FUTURESTATES shorts written and directed by another batch of talented emerging and veteran filmmakers.

The second season is entering production this summer, and is planned to launch online this spring. Stay tuned to futurestates.tv for updates on the run-up to the second season, but in the meantime, we’re excited to announce the greenlit filmmakers and their projects!

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Tags: documentary, FUTURESTATES, ITVS, online exclusive, online video, PBS, second season, short films

The Future According to Hugo Perez

Director Hugo Perez

ITVS filmmaker Hugo Perez discussed the making of his latest work, the FUTURESTATES short Seed, with BTB. Watch the entire episode online and browse the site for a creative glimpse into the future.

What got you interested in the subject matter of Seed?

I am a lifelong sci-fi geek who has always been interested in the intersection of science and society and how technology, for good and for ill, affects the world. The first time I read about the way that companies wield their GMO (genetically modified organism) seed patents as a bludgeon to force farmers into licensing their product, I was appalled and intrigued. When companies can legally “own” nature, they can control aspects of our lives that we take for granted. So I became interested in extrapolating what could happen in the future based on what was happening today. And seed patents are just the tip of the iceberg. Before this century is over, everyone will be paying premium prices for the water they drink and the air they breathe.
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Tags: FUTURESTATES, hugo perez, ITVS, seeds, short films