THE FILM
MY CLIMATE FUTURE follows a small group of high school students and one recent graduate as they document environmental change in their communities and imagine how their landscapes may evolve in the decades ahead.
Audiences accompany eight charming youths across America as they set out from their homes with cameras and smartphones to record forests, lakes, mountains, beaches, streetscapes, and other features of their neighborhoods—with an eye toward the future and thoughtful ways forward. Some were inspired by marginalized New Yorkers who upended their scornful public image with a device lens.
The heartwarming documentary engages viewers of all persuasions by showing how the proven practice of participatory photography empowers young people to confront environmental risks—and envision solutions.
Audiences come away from MY CLIMATE FUTURE determined to protect the future of these curious, observant messengers—underscoring the wisdom of our youth and the power of intergenerational conversations about the environment.
JUAN, 20
AVALON, 14
DALLAS, 17
TREVOR, 17
THE MESSAGE
Young people have largely been left out of the national conversation around climate change. Yet they have the most at stake—while not causing the problem in the first place!
The students in this film bear witness to disappearing wildlife, deforestation, pollution, and other troubling developments in their own communities. Yet they discover sources of hope in their generation’s collective awareness and determination.
By letting us see the changing environment through a youthful lens, the film places their views front and center, laying the basis for an expanded conversation and a brighter future for us all.
JIMENA, 17
TIMOTHY, 18
LEKHA, 18
KATE, 17
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING
"Really compelling!"
—Vacationland Film Festival
"Lovely and powerful!"
—California Academy of Sciences
"This film is perfect for legislators to watch!"
—Maine State Senator Denise Tepler
"A powerful promotion of young people's views!"
—Dalya Massachi, Executive Producer, Everyday Climate Champions Podcast
"Proud to support this powerful community-led PBS film by Seeing for Ourselves!"
—The Zain Jaffer Foundation
THE FILM'S REACH
Coverage of the project by major climate thought leader
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Participant Photographer Jimena Argueta takes Maine Conservation Voters through her works
"My Climate Future" film premiere, Patagonia Outlet, Freeport, Maine
Screening for Maine legislators, State House, Augusta
Gallery exhibit, FXCollaborative, Brooklyn, New York
Film screening and panel discussion, Climate Action Youth Summit, San Francisco, California
Film screening and panel discussion, California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, California
Nonprofits currently seeking to arrange a custom in-person screening
Wells Reserve, Laudholm, Maine
A Climate to Thrive, Mount Desert, Maine
ABOUT THE FILMMAKER
A resident of Cape Elizabeth, Maine, Jonathan Fisher directs the nonpartisan nonprofit Seeing for Ourselves, a pioneer in participatory photography for social change. Covering public housing, criminal justice, immigration, and climate change, its practice has helped shape countless lives and the world those lives inhabit.
His first PBS film—In a Whole New Way, which portrayed the justice initiative—earned praise across the political spectrum, won scores of awards, and catalyzed reforms here and abroad. His second—Not From These Parts, which promoted a new visual narrative about Maine’s newest immigrants at the state’s request—was featured in the Home Is Distant Shores film festival. MY CLIMATE FUTURE is his third PBS film.