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Surviving Progress streaming

2011 Movie Canada Documentary 86 min
By: Mathieu Roy, Harold Crooks With: Robert Wright, Mark Levine, Stephen Hawking, Jane Goodall, David Suzuki

Humanity's ascent is often measured by the speed of progress. But what if progress is actually spiraling us downwards, towards collapse? Ronald Wright, whose best-seller, A Short History Of Progress inspired SURVIVING PROGRESS, shows how past civilizations were destroyed by "progress traps" - alluring technologies and belief systems that serve immediate needs, but ransom the future. As pressure on the world's resources accelerates and financial elites bankrupt nations, can our globally-entwined civilization escape a final, catastrophic progress trap? With potent images and illuminating insights from thinkers who have probed our genes, our brains, and our social behaviour, this requiem to progress-as-usual also poses a challenge: to prove that making apes smarter isn't an evolutionary dead-end.

Filmium rating
64%

Festival Achievements

International Documentary Filmfestival Amsterdam 2011
Nominations:
IDFA Competition for Green Screen Documentary
Selections:
IDFA Archive

Mood

Alarming
Enlightening
Reflective
Serious
Thought-Provoking

Cast & Crew

Harold Crooks
Mathieu Roy
Stephen Hawking
David Suzuki
Ronald Wright
Jane Goodall
Robert Wright
Mark Levine
Daniel Louis
Gerry Flahive

Adaptation

Based On Book
Lecture Series

Cinematic Technique

Documentary Footage
Footage Montage
Interview Format
Interview-Based
Visual Collage
Visual Storytelling

Film Movements

Environmental Documentary
Essay Film

Narrative Structure

Essay-Style
Interview-Driven
Thematic

Pace

Contemplative
Engaging
Moderate
Steady
Thoughtful

Soundtrack

Ambient Sounds
Informative Narration

Style

Documentary
Interview-Based
Visual Essay

Time-Period

Contemporary
Present-Day

Central Conflict

Civilization Decline
Overconsumption
Resource Depletion

Characters

Academics
Experts
Interviewees

Ending

Call To Action
Hopeful Warning

Historical Context

Contemporary
Post-2000S

Key Plot Points

Economic Growth Critique
Environmental Crisis
Population Collapse

Plot

Economic Critique
Environmental Exploitation
Environmental Impact
Global Economic Critique
Societal Collapse

Setting

Contemporary
Global
Global Locations
Varied Locations
Worldwide Footage

Shooting Location

International
Various Countries

Theme

Economic Critique
Environmental Sustainability
Ethical Consumption
Societal Collapse
Sustainability

Genre

Documentary
Environmental
Environmental Documentary
Essay
Social Commentary

Audiences

Adults
Documentary Enthusiasts
Environmentalists
Environmentally Conscious
Intellectual
Socially Conscious Viewers

Titles

Surviving Progress

Awards

Green Cross Italy Special Mention

Critical Reception

3.5 Stars Ebert
Engrossing
Favorable Reviews

Festivals

Cinemambiente
Toronto International Film Festival

Popularity

Environmental Awareness
Intellectual Impact

Ratings

73% Positive On Rotten Tomatoes

Reception

Award Mention
Critical Acclaim
Film Festival Recognition
Positive Reviews

Production Countries

Canada

Release Year

2011
mowizz ID: 66901579-e9ee-4170-9270-9959c5acd078
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