"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. The film suggests that for centuries we have been declaring independence and perhaps it’s time to declare our interdependence.

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.

Filmmaker Statement:

I love to explore complex issues: the internet, reproductive rights and cultural identity in unorthodox ways. Now I want to tackle an idea that in many ways combines all my previous work: the subject of interdependence. My goal in this project is expose the visible and invisible links that connect people and the world. While the idea that everything is connected is not new, the world today is more complex and interdependent than ever --and we, as a species  have evolved to created tools that connect us in many new ways. And yet it seems difficult for us rise above and see how the major issues of our day are interlinked. We view the economy, healthcare, the environment, human rights, in isolation. However, today we live in a dynamic network of cause and effect.  I believe people are ready to rethink what interdependence means in the 21st Century. I appreciate this is a huge subject and concept. I employ many tactics to pry open and untangle this idea: humor, animation, archival and  provocative assumptions. I wield a large magnifying glass to look at some of the absurd and beautiful behaviors of our species and our world. I believe a new zeitgeist is emerging. This film hopes to capture it.