Underplayed Gems

The Story of Stuff (2007)

The Story of Stuff poster
Directed by
Louis Fox
Genre
documentary film
Country
United States
Runtime
35 min
Rating
7.7 of 10 from 18 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

The film explains how consumer goods are made, used, and thrown away. It argues that this system harms people and the environment, and suggests we should consume less and live more sustainably.

educationalthought-provokingstraightforwardinformativeearnestanimatedcritical

What happens

The Story of Stuff is a short animated documentary about the lifecycle of material goods. The documentary is critical of excessive consumerism and promotes sustainability. Filmmaker Annie Leonard wrote and narrated the film, which was funded by Tides Foundation, Funders Workgroup for Sustainable Production and Consumption, Free Range Studios and other foundations. Free Range Studios also produced the documentary, which was first launched online on December 4, 2007. The documentary is used in elementary schools, arts programs, and economics classes as well as places of worship and corporate sustainability trainings. By February 2009, it had been seen in 228 countries and territories. According to the Los Angeles Times as of July 2010, the film had been translated into 15 languages and had been viewed by over 12 million people. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

More like this

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