The Future is Now: The Cost of Growth

The Cost of Growth follows climate activists Anuna De Wever and Lena Hartog as they travel through Italy, Serbia and Sápmi, documenting powerful grassroots resistance to extractivism. The film connects these local struggles with wider global debates on war, justice and democracy—revealing how extractive industries inflict structural violence on communities and ecosystems.

Through intimate encounters with frontline movements, the documentary weaves together the voices of those directly affected alongside leading thinkers such as Fati N’Zi-Hassane, Vijay Prashad, Greta Thunberg and Jason Hickel. Together, they explore urgent questions: Who really pays for economic growth? How is the system that drives extraction defended? And what might it look like to move beyond it?

All costs associated with viewing the film go directly towards screening rights. The project is entirely nonprofit, with all funds raised reinvested into campaigns for economic democracy and support for the communities and movements featured in the film.

Please note: While tickets are free for this film, Queen’s Hall have absorbed the cost of screening rights. Any donations made, big or small, will help cover the cost of this and future proof further The Future is Now Festivals going forward.