FutureStates

A young man convicted of a violent crime is released into a community service-based alternative to incarceration, but he isn’t especially free. He must remain connected at all times to virtual surveillance, where his every move is tracked and his attempt to reconcile the past is constantly thwarted. A film by Aldo Velasco.

The School for Innovation was founded by a corporation determined to rebound the economy by teaching design thinking to teenagers, then putting the most promising prototypes into production. When an abused girl designs a product that stands to make millions for them, a jaded teacher — who’d been replaced by a digital avatar — is compelled to protect the girl. A film by Tanuj Sachdev Chopra.

The host of a once-popular kid’s show clashes with child co-stars and disgruntled crew. The world’s changed and the show’s cautionary messages may no longer be needed. Can she adapt? A film by Greg Pak.

Can a new bartending robot help patrons drown their sorrows, all while keeping them from harming themselves? He soon learns his mission may be next to impossible. A film by Alex Rivera.

When a bipolar patient abruptly stops taking his digitally encoded psych meds, a therapist named Ant (played by Guillermo Diaz) learns they are no panacea. The therapist must risk his life to avert catastrophe in this film by Tina Mabry that looks at the culture of mental health care in the future.

In the future, the gender disparity gap will be addressed by keeping boys and girls separate until they’re eighteen. In this society, The Equal Futures Academies for Girls and for Boys were formed to re-educate the two genders without inherent biases. Code Academy is a peek into the inner world of adolescence, gender identity formation, and the role of cyberspace in a tumultuous time of growth.

In the near future, an injured soldier returns home with advanced prosthetics to replace an arm and leg lost in combat, and must reconnect with family. A film by Trevin Matcek.