Asif Kapadia paints a harrowing vision of the future where "chairwoman" Ivanka Trump stands triumphant, celebrating her 30th year as the ruler of a nightmarish fascist police state, once the proud land of America, now reduced to rubbles after an enigmatic "catastrophe" that shook the world in 2036. "It's a twisted jest, yet a sobering reality," the British filmmaker remarks, incorporating Donald Trump's daughter into his chilling docudrama, "2073," a haunting exploration of the dystopian future humanity may stumble into, and the very real, present-day factors—politics, environmental degradation, corruption, racial tensions, and technological advancements—that he believes are driving us towards this abyss.
"If you delve into American politics, you'll find a handful of families perpetuating their grip on power—the concentration of influence within a narrow gene pool is astounding," Kapadia muses. While the inclusion of Ivanka might offer a fleeting moment of levity, "2073," which is backed by Neon, Double Agent, and Film4 and premieres globally in Venice on Tuesday, is far from a comedic endeavor.
This film serves as Kapadia's impassioned response to a world and an entertainment industry where dissent and criticism of the powerful often come at the cost of livelihoods or worse. "2073" is a scathing indictment, laying bare the culpability of leaders, demagogues, tech titans, and the one percent for the impending calamities—be it nuclear holocaust, climate chaos, or any other form of devastation—they've wrought upon our planet and society.
Alongside the Trumps, the film's narrative weaves in the Murdochs, Vladimir Putin, Benjamin Netanyahu, Xi Jinping, Mohammed Bin Salman, Narendra Modi, the Koch brothers, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Peter Thiel, and many more, juxtaposed against news clips and amateur footage spanning the last two decades, depicting police brutality, fascism's resurgence, the refugee crisis, mass incarcerations, bombings, and raging wildfires.
Initially conceived during the lockdown, Kapadia's tweet seeking assistance rallied a global team of researchers, and the project evolved from a purely documentary set in a future crafted from present-day fragments into a hybrid drama, offering a visceral glimpse into life in 2073. Here, Samantha Morton portrays a mute survivor, haunted by nightmarish visions of the past, living in an underground world while surveillance drones loom overhead.
Kapadia meticulously pieced together footage from approximately 60 nations, creating a seamless tapestry of a single dystopian landscape. Some clips are alarmingly recent, with the opening scenes depicting the devastating aftermath in Gaza, underscoring the film's chilling prescience. "As a filmmaker, when you sense you're onto something profound yet ominous, the world seems to align with your vision," he observes, citing the Gaza conflict, the AI revolution, and fears of democracy's demise in the U.S. all escalating after he embarked on this project. "And then, mere weeks ago, England was wracked by riots."
While "2073" may seem like an unexpected departure for the Oscar-winning documentarian renowned for "Amy," "Senna," and "Diego Maradona," Kapadia insists these profiles were born from serendipity, each infused with his dramatic and fictional sensibilities. "'Senna' is an adrenaline-fueled action film, 'Amy' a poignant musical reminiscent of Bollywood, and 'Diego Maradona' a Naples-set gangster tale," he explains. Yet, "2073," an experimental dystopian thriller, represents a bold new chapter in his filmmaking odyssey, a provocative and uncomfortable watch that tackles global issues, urging viewers to recognize that "distant crises will inevitably draw closer, until they engulf us all."
Kapadia, who is no stranger to voicing his political opinions, particularly his condemnation of Israel's actions in Gaza, acknowledges that "2073," with its bold topics and unflinching critique of powerful figures, might pose risks to his career. "I've been fortunate to make films and succeed in what I do," he says. "So, I approached this project with a sense of liberation, ready to speak my mind and accept the consequences, even if it meant never working again. At least I'd have made this film."
