If you’ve spent more than a few minutes around humanism…or science fiction….or robots….you already know who Isaac Asimov is. We don’t need to tell you that.
We probably also don’t need to tell you much about the Foundation books. We do need to tell you that there’s a new TV series based on those books. The shows AppleTV website says the show is “Based on the award-winning novels by Isaac Asimov, Foundation chronicles a band of exiles on their monumental journey to save humanity and rebuild civilization amid the fall of the Galactic Empire.”
Oh…and also “Cerebral sci-fi drama has diversity and some violence.” What an interesting combination of traits that seemed necessary to advertise.
The show premiered on September 24, 2021 and appears to encompass ten episodes in the first season. How much of Asimov’s original vision and humanism will survive in this big-budget television film version? It’s very difficult to tell at this time. What we can say is the makers have an excellent (ahem) foundation to build upon.
The views, opinions and analyses expressed in the articles on Humanist Freedoms are those of the contributor(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the publishers.
At this late date in August – have you just about browsed and dismissed just about every film available through your mainstream entertainment accounts? Bored with the usual slate of superhero movies, cops-and-murderer mysteries and documentaries that reveal little about the world and the human condition and the world we currently experience?
Well maybe the film Summertime and one of its backers, Tiger Tale Media could provide something different and worthy of your attention.
The film appears to be backed by Tiger Tales Media, whose website says, Tiger Tales Media is investing in a future for independent filmmaking grounded by rational optimism and a deep regard for the human condition. Founded as a means to facilitate and expand dialogues around humanist causes through both documentary and narrative film, Tiger Tales Media takes equity positions and awards grants that enable artists and storytellers to amplify their voices.
In addition to Summertime, Tiger Tales Media’s past projects includes several other documentaries that promise to be interesting , important and informative: The Social Dilemma is a documentary-drama hybrid which reveals how social media is reprogramming civilization with tech experts sounding the alarm on their own creations; Pray Away examines Exodus International and, according to the filmmaker to “tell the truth of the “pray the gay away” movement’s enduring harm.“; The Devil We Know is a film about the...is the story of how one synthetic chemical, used to make Teflon products, contaminated a West Virginia community. But new research hints at a much broader problem: nearly all Americans are affected by exposure to non-stick chemicals in food, drinking water, and consumer products. With very little oversight on the chemical industry in this country, we invite you to learn more about the problem and how you can protect yourself and your family.
Now…about Summertime…..here’s the press release:
Good Deed Entertainment announced today that their spoken word, Rotten Tomato certified-fresh hit film SUMMERTIME, directed by Carlos López Estrada (Raya And The Last Dragon (2021), Blindspotting (2018) and Marvel’s Legion (2017)), and executive produced by Kelly Marie Tran, will be available for fans to own beginning on August 27, 2021 and can be purchased through all major retailers including, iTunes/AppleTV, Amazon, Vudu and Google Play. The film can currently be pre-ordered at iTunes and a full list of where to purchase the film can be found at the SUMMERTIME website.
The film SUMMERTIME takes place over the course of a hot summer day in Los Angeles, following the lives of 27 young adults as they intersect. A skating guitarist, a tagger, two wannabe rappers, an exasperated fast-food worker, a limo driver—they all weave in and out of each other’s stories. Through poetry they express life, love, heartache, family, home, and fear. One of them just wants to find someplace that still serves good cheeseburgers.
The film was developed over a summer workshop with the young poets, who were all part of Get Lit – Words Ignite, an LA based nonprofit that fuses classic and original spoken word poetry to increase teen literacy on the page and in visual media. All 27 poets served as co-writers and stars in the film.
As part of the film’s social impact campaign, a full one-of-a-kind, comprehensive educational curriculum has been created for schools nationwide focusing on grades 9-12+. The curriculum includes access to Get Lit’s brand-new, interactive online poetry platform Uni(verse), currently in open beta,being made available at no cost to educators, thanks to an Uproar grant from Tiger Tales Media. The curriculum is aligned with the following standards: Common Core, SEL (CASEL), English Languages Acquisition, Visual & Performing Arts (VAPA), Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) and CPalms (B.E.S.T Standards)and is paired with engaging clips from the film. It is also modified to meet the needs of ELL and GATE students as well as students with special needs.
SUMMERTIME was released in theaters nationwide beginning on July 9, 2021, and will be available to rent later this fall.
The views, opinions and analyses expressed in the articles on Humanist Freedoms are those of the contributor(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the publishers.
Upon occasion, a work of art catches our full attention when we least expect it. Maybe that work of art is a magnificent garden, cultivated over decades by a single family with a harmonious vision and discovered down that one street you kept meaning to walk along. Maybe it’s a piece of music that gets into your head and heart so completely from the first time you heard it that it no longer seems to be separate. Or maybe it’s some other bit of human skill and design – some exquisite sculpture, poem, painting, building, guitar, novel, or what have you that stops everything else and occupies you fully.
The Director’s cut version that I’ve linked from Youtube says in the description box:
What is it that makes us human? Is it that we love, that we fight ? That we laugh ? Cry ? Our curiosity ? The quest for discovery ? Driven by these questions, filmmaker and artist Yann Arthus-Bertrand spent three years collecting real-life stories from 2,000 women and men in 60 countries. Working with a dedicated team of translators, journalists and cameramen, Yann captures deeply personal and emotional accounts of topics that unite us all; struggles with poverty, war, homophobia, and the future of our planet mixed with moments of love and happiness. The VOL.1 deals with the themes of love, women, work and poverty. In order to share this unique image bank everywhere and for everyone, HUMAN exist in several versions : A theatrical version (3h11), a TV version (2h11) and a 3 volumes version for the web
The film appears to have been funded by two foundations The Bettencourt Schueller Foundation whose website says that “from its earliest days, the Foundation’s action has been driven by one unwavering principle: contributing to the common good. Acting with complete freedom while remaining true to this principle, the Foundation focuses on three areas of commitment: life sciences, the arts and inclusive society” and The GoodPlanet Foundation which is an extension of Yann Arthus-Bertrand’s artistic work and environmental commitment. GoodPlanet aims to make ecology and humanism acentral issue in order to encourage people to take concrete action for the Earth and its inhabitants. The GoodPlanet Foundation takes action in three main areas: environmental and solidarity field projects, educating people on sustainable development and helping companies and people develop an environmentally responsible approach.
What is the next wave of humanism? In our earlier examination, we argued that “contemporary humanists of the twenty-first century are concerned with applied humanism – the many ways that humanism is used for solving problems. The New Humanist says, ‘I am Extreme; I am Radical; I am Hardcore. I am Humanist.‘”….and it seems that the contemporary humanists are also saying “I am connected to my world. I care.”
The views, opinions and analyses expressed in the articles on Humanist Freedoms are those of the contributor(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the publishers.
with celebrity naturalist Chris Packham, hosting a conversation after the screening with expert panelists including 8 Billion Angels Producer Terry Spahr.
The views, opinions and analyses expressed in the articles on Humanist Freedoms are those of the contributor(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the publishers.
Humanist Heritage Canada 