“We could have saved ourselves, but we didn’t. It’s amazing. What state of mind were we in, to face extinction and simply shrug it off?”

Launched in March 2009 at the world's biggest simultaneous premiere, this climate blockbuster was called "The most important film of the year" by, of all people, The News of the World.

Produced over four years by McLibel director Franny Armstrong, The Age of Stupid stars Oscar-nominated actor Pete Postlethwaite as a man living alone in the devastated world of 2055, looking back at old footage from 2008 and asking: why didn't we stop climate change when we had the chance?

The Not Stupid action campaign, running alongside the film's release, aims to convert 250 million viewers into climate activists, all focussed on the Copenhagen climate summit in December 2009.

… Time to change history?

Our Review of the Australian Premiere

by Marion Di Benedetto

The Age of Stupid staring Pete Postlethwaite as a man living alone in the devastated world of 2055, takes us back to news footage of the past (our present) asking why we didn’t stop climate change when we had the chance… And it really makes us ask why!?

The film shows the stories of windfarm developer Piers Guy in England, Shell employee Alvin DuVernay in the US, Indian business man Jeh Wadia, medical student wannabe Layefa Malemi in Nigeria, 81 years old French mountain guide Fernand Pareau, and Iraq war children Jamila and Adnan Bayyoud.

The stars of the Age of Stupid are so real it is impossible to stay detached and not relate. They depict a clear and sometimes dark picture of our world. From the old French men in the Alps sharing his life experience seeing road being developed in his pristine mountains, traffic increasing and snow caps melting, to young Layefa who saw Shell coming to Nigeria as an amazing opportunity for her country and who is now washing fish with Omo powder, the stories of the Age of Stupid are real and make us go through a rollercoaster of emotions. And all the way through the film we cant help but ask ourselves why? Why are we so reluctant to change? Why haven’t we done anything before? And why are we still not doing much when we know the terrible impact our society has on our planet?!

Following the Australian premiere screening (August 19, 2009), a Q and A session with director Franny Armstrong was a great way to close the evening. The audience got the opportunity to give a surprise phone call to ask questions to Piers (the windfarm developer) in England, as well as asking questions to explorer Eric Philips live in the Arctic, and closer to us Green Peace representative and Green Party Senator Milne calling the Australian Government the “House of Stupid”.

The Age of Stupid is a must see!

Where to see it now?

• Pay-to-Watch: The Age of Stupid — Watch thee climate blockbuster on your web browser for a 24 hour period.
• Download: The Age of Stupid — Download the climate blockbuster to your computer to watch when you feel like it. And make one DVD.
• Buy the DVD: The double-disc Stupid extravanganza — with subtitles in 31 languages and more than six hours of extras.

Written by Suze Chalmers

All images courtesy of Spanner Films / Karen Robinson