Stream of the Day
‘2070’ movie spotlights Africa’s climate crisis
The movie, which forms part of the Earthshot Prize initiative, presents a Nigerian schoolgirl’s haunting vision of a future shaped by pollution and neglect.
The short film 2070, which following the story of a Nigerian schoolgirl tasked with imagining what the world might look like in the future, takes a dramatised approach to climate change. While her classmates envision a future filled with flying cars, Evie’s reality of waste pollution and constant flooding shapes a much darker vision of the year 2070.
“Everyone is responsible for the environment”, says Evie, played by Eliana Uffort. “And if we do nothing about climate change, we rob our children of a safe future.”
Created by director Adejo “Story Priest” Emmanuel, producers Morenikeji Uka and Oluwayanmife Arogundade, and assistant director Omotola Oke “T-Basz,” 2070 forms part of a broader initiative connected to the Earthshot Prize. Launched in 2020, the initiative encourages rapid action against climate change by spotlighting innovative solutions. To date, it has awarded £15-million in prize money, with an additional £50-million raised to support 45 winners and finalists.
A key element of the Earthshot Prize is to inspire and connect communities globally. In Africa, this message has been amplified by MultiChoice Africa’s media broadcast partnership with Earthshot. Through this, the MultiChoice Talent Factory (MTF) harnesses the power of storytelling to educate and inspire millions of viewers across 50 countries.
One of the initiatives from this collaboration is the MTF East Africa Academy’s reforestation project in Nderi, Kenya. MTF students partnered with the local community and schools to address environmental degradation, reinforcing the idea that sustainability begins at the grassroots level. The filmmakers’ contributions extend beyond their local projects – MTF students have produced documentaries that align with Earthshot’s mission to highlight global environmental challenges, this includes 2070, Revive the Ocean, and Race Against Time.
Revive The Ocean, directed by Marilyn E Arko-Baisie and produced by Winner Achimugu, sheds light on the efforts of NGOs and community organisations working to preserve marine ecosystems. The film highlights innovators like Doyinsola Ogunye, founder of the Sea Turtle Sanctuary, and Oyewole Talabi, leader of the Recycle9ja initiative, both working to tackle plastic pollution. Similarly, R.A.T. – Race Against Time, directed by Anjola Aluko and produced by Prince Isaac Effiong, focuses on seaside communities in Lagos, Nigeria, where residents face extreme plastic pollution.
R.A.T. – Race Against Time, directed by Anjola Aluko and produced by Prince Isaac Effiong, explores two seaside communities in Lagos, Nigeria, where extreme plastic pollution is a way of life. The film showcases the harsh realities faced by residents, one of whom lives in a community built on a foundation of plastic waste, which now acts as a flood barrier. The film closes with a poignant message from Robert Swan: “The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save us.”
* Watch the Earthshot Prize X MultiChoice short films here.
