SXSW: FUTURESTATES

One of the special events at SXSW was the screening of the second season of FUTURESTATES, a collection of 10 fictional shorts that depict futuristic stories through the lens of today's global realities. Acclaimed indie filmmakers touch on a range of social issues that include LGBT civil rights, urban planning, and climate change. A public media project, FUTURESTATES is funded by the Corporation from Public Broadcasting and produced by the Independent Television Service.

Last year, the season launched with Ramin Bahrani’s “Plastic Bag,” narrated by Werner Herzog. This season opens with Nisha Ganatra’s “Beholder.” Starring Jessica Paré (of “Mad Men”), “Beholder” takes place in a gated community with a clinic where patients genetically engineer their children.

FUTURESTATES is available for free via streaming video on futurestates.tv. Each week, a new short from the collection is released.