As an artist I love to explore complex issues in unorthodox ways. My previous work founding The Webby Awards allowed me to look at the internet and it’s effect on society for a decade. My films, Life, Liberty & The Pursuit of Happiness (Sundance 03) looked at reproductive rights in America and The Tribe (Sundance 06) explored cultural identity in the 21st Century. Now I want to tackle an idea that in many ways combines all my previous work: the subject of interdependence.
My goal with my new film Connected, is to help create a global conversation about what it means to be connected in the 21st century. I hope people will explore this subject on a personal and global level. I believe that by engaging people to talk about connectedness in their own lives and in the world, the ripple effect of these conversations will have far reaching impact for good that will creates lasting change.
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 often view the economy, healthcare, the environment, human rights independently. 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–exploring both the good and the difficult issues this connectedness creates. I appreciate this is a huge subject and concept. I employ many tactics to pry open and untangle this idea: humor, animation, archival and my own personal story— wielding 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.
