California Dreaming
California is a strong brand, the state of new beginnings, dreams and movie stars, of surfers and a wonderful climate. But the Golden State is bankrupt and the city of Los Angeles is running out of cash. Public services are being cut and unemployment keeps rising. At the same time, optimism, entrepreneurship and the belief in the power of America are stronger than ever.
In Los Angeles, we meet five people who are going through a transformation in their lives during this crisis. Justin and Christine lost their jobs and are now living in a van with their two young sons. Charles has gotten out of prison after fourteen years. Mizuko prepares her children for the future by making them at ease in virtual reality. Laura has taken advantage of the crisis by buying land cheaply and starting an urban farm and artists collective Fallen Fruit maps the abundant free 'public fruit' available in the city. Who are the pioneers who are reinventing the new America and how do they see the future?
Director: Bregtje van der Haak
Research: Maren Merckx
Production: Mariska Schneider
Editors in chief: Henneke Hagen/Jos de Putter
Time for Change
Meet the new revolutionaries of the Do-It-Yourself cultures in Barcelona, Tallin and Jakarta. They are modern day heroes. They do not wait for political parties or institutions to change their world; they simply do it themselves, by creating new local currencies, by working in social networks or by simply robbing the banks and redistributing their money
Quants. The alchemists of Wall Street
Quants are the math wizards and computer programmers in the engine room of our global financial system who designed the financial products that almost crashed Wall st.
Living in the End Times According to Slavoj Zizek
Backlight confronts Slavoj Zizek, with fragments from upcoming broadcasts and asks him to describe the agenda for 2010.