Odyssey 2050

Odyssey 2050: The Movie

The Odyssey 2050 film project aims at getting young people from around the world motivated into taking action on climate change. The young people of today did not cause most of the environmental damage we see on our planet but it falls on them to be part of the solution. The film is being produced in Costa Rica by Daniel and Miguel Bermejo of the Synchro Film company, Bruce Callow of the British Embassy under the technical supervision of Thelvin Cabezas, director of animation for the film Avatar. The objective is to engage young people of all nationalities around the world in making a feature-length film about climate change and to communicate with other young people about it. To date a 6 minute short film has been completed which sets the stage for what will come. The film has an accompanying website currently in Spanish and English, with more languages to be added soon. The website and the Facebook site are where young people from around the world are invited to express how they think the script should develop. This can be done by submitting written ideas, graphics, videos including what actions they are taking in their communities to fight climate change. In other words, they write the plot and choose what the message of the film should be. The Odyssey 2050 production team's job is to build these ideas into a compelling story.

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Captain Ben reflects on the environmental situation on Earth in the year 2050.

In Thelvin Cabezas' words, "I know first hand the huge impact and influence cinema has on social change. To my frustration, many movies and short films now-a-days have empty or no message at all. Odyssey 2050 short movie changes this and uses this hugely influential media to communicate a serious issue we should all be involved in to solve."

In May 2010 Costa Rican scientist and former NASA astronaut Dr. Franklin Chang joined the Odyssey 2050 team. He will be contributing to the film´s plot and will be particpating in the next scenes of the film which will be shot in July.

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Dr. Franklin Chang and British Ambassador Tom Kennedy viewing the short film.

Story Synopsis

A group of space travellers from the year 2050 view the terrible destruction of the planet due to Climate Change and return to the year 2012 to warn young people what kind of future awaits them if they do not change the direction they are heading. What would you do if you had this kind of information? That is what Odyssey 2050 and it’s counterpart Club 2050 are all about. Turning ideas into action while there is still time to make a difference. We can't wait for space aliens to come and warn us. We have to take action to protect our planet now.

Promotion

The short film is being used as a climate change educational resource in a growing number of countries throughout the Americas and beyond. The film has been screened at focus group sessions at dozens of high schools, universities (including two tours sponsored by the UNAM in Mexico) and interactive science centres, (such as the Maloka in Bogota). A growing number of Education Ministries are taking note of the initative and incorporating it into their climate change education curriculums. The list of countries that have confirmed that will use the film in schools in different ways are Canada, United States of America, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Poland, China, Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Cuba, and a variety of Caribbean island nations. The film has received numerous invitations to screen at international film festivals and has been aired on television throughout the region.

Selected list of international film festivals for 2010-2011

• Cinema Planeta Festival Internacional de Cine (Mexico)
• Kolibrí - Festival Internacional del Audiovisual para la Niñez y la Adolescencia (Bolivia)
• Festival Internacional de Cortometrajes Cusco (Peru)
• Festival Internacional del Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano (Cuba)
• Eco Cine Film Festival (Dominican Republic)
• Reel Earth Environmental Film Festival (New Zealand)
• Flip Animation Festival (United Kingdom)
• Calgary International Film Festival (Canada)

Production Plan

The film is being produced in three standalone segments.

Module I. Title: Warning

• Explanation of global warming.
• Projections of what could happen in the future based on the 4 Degree Map .

Module II. Taking Action

• Young people of all nationalities joining forces to take action on climate change, a new and sustainable global consciousness takes root led by their high spirited movement.
• This the central and most inspirational element of the film as it incorporates the material that they have received from young people on how to fight climate change. The children will see their ideas come to life on the screen.
• A tipping point is reached because of their activism which slows destructive practices. Hope is restored for the planet.

Module III: Results and Motivation to Make This Really Happen

• The disaster predicted at the beginning has not occurred, ecological balance has been restored to the planet.
• A strong conclusion segment full of advice and practical solutions on what the viewers can do to fight climate change.
• Everyone who would walk out of the theatre feels energized and ready to fight climate change. Not because they are scared into to doing it, definitely not because an adult told them to do it, but because it is the fun and cool thing to do!

External links

• odyssey2050themovie.com
• Want to be part of a movie? Send in your ideas to Odyssey 2050
• 350.org
• British Council
• INBio Parque
• ECO 3
• United Nations Framework Convention of Climate Change
• Climate Change Odyssey
• Al Lente por el Ambiente
• Efecto Reversible