A hopeful
vision of
a future
within reach.
Synopsis
How to Live on Earth is a visionary feature documentary that explores our vital connection to nature and its role in our future. Presented by Benedict Cumberbatch, this ultimate 'how-to guide' features inspirational, cutting-edge stories and powerful cinematography from around the world to reveal how humans are learning to team up with nature to solve our biggest challenges. Heart-warming, entertaining, energising, the film presents a hopeful vision of a future within reach – one in which nature thrives, and so do we. Coming to select cinemas from 26 June 2026. Launching globally on YouTube later this year.
- Director & Producer
- Fredi Devas
- Co-Director & Executive Producer
- Jonnie Hughes
- Executive Producer
- Colin Butfield
- Runtime
- 96 min
- Language
- English
"By centring the film around personal stories – from scientists and Indigenous activists to farmers and economists – we reveal what it really means to protect and restore nature."
Cast & Crew
The voices
behind the film.
Presenter
Presenter & Narrator
Benedict Cumberbatch
Academy Award nominee Benedict Cumberbatch has established himself as one of the most versatile actors of his generation with an array of emotionally searing and complex roles defining his body of work. In the film, Benedict guides viewers through a series of revelatory and unexpected stories to reveal a hopeful blueprint for the future.
Lead Contributors
Xiye Bastida
Climate Justice Activist
Xiye Bastida is a Mexican climate justice activist and storyteller. She began her activism after her hometown in Mexico experienced flooding. Since then, she has become a leading voice in the international youth climate movement, organising climate strikes, advocating at the United Nations, and championing justice-centered climate solutions. Of Otomi-Toltec heritage, Xiye integrates Indigenous worldviews of reciprocity, interdependence, and intergenerational responsibility into global climate advocacy. She is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Re-Earth Initiative, a global youth-led organisation supporting resource distribution and frontline leadership in over 30 countries. Xiye has been recognised as a TIME 100Next honoree, and is a recipient of the UN Spirit Award. At the start of 2026, she was named on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for Social Impact.
Sam Kass
Food Entrepreneur & Former White House Chef
Food entrepreneur Sam Kass is a former White House Chef and Senior Policy Advisor for Nutrition. During his White House tenure, he took on several additional roles including Executive Director of First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move!” campaign. Sam is the first person in the history of the White House to have a position in the Executive Office of the President and the Residence. Currently Sam is a Partner at Acre Venture Partners, a venture capital fund investing in the future of food with a mission to improve human and environmental health in the food system. In 2011, Fast Company included Sam in their list of “100 Most Creative People”, and in 2012 he helped create the American Chef Corps, dedicated to promoting diplomacy through culinary initiatives. He is an MIT Media Lab fellow, a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, and the author of Eat a Little Better: Great Flavor, Good Health, Better World (2018) and The Last Supper: How to Overcome the Coming Food Crisis (2025).
Dan O'Neill
Field Biologist & Wildlife Filmmaker
Dan O'Neill is a field biologist, wildlife filmmaker, and explorer, specialising in remote and challenging environments. He has worked on scientific expeditions for more than 13 years, primarily as a mammalogist, with specialisms in expedition leading, field technical skills, and camp building and management. From the jungle of the northern Amazon to the frozen peaks of Central Asia, to ancient Mayan forests of the Yucatan, Dan has led numerous expeditions to find and study rare species. Dan works with the University of Bristol as an Honorary Research Associate and Lecturer, and is pursuing his PhD on expanding our understanding of secretive carnivores using emerging technology with the Bristol Veterinary School. He continues to be a passionate advocate for increased LGBT representation in STEM, natural history media, and adventure.
Crew
- Fredi DevasDirector and Producer
- Jonnie HughesDirector and Executive Producer
- Colin ButfieldExecutive Director
- Matt MeechEditor
- Stuart DunnDirector of Photography
Film Producers
How to Live on Earth is an Open Planet Studios production,
in association with Villars Institute Foundation and Silvania.
Open Planet Studios is an award-winning impact production company using the power of storytelling to drive change for our planet. Founded by Colin Butfield and Jonnie Hughes, it specialises in creating groundbreaking content and strategic impact campaigns. Its award-winning team has worked on landmark TV and film productions, including Ocean with David Attenborough, Breaking Boundaries, The Earthshot Prize: Restoring Our Planet, and Seat at the Table. In 2025, Open Planet Studios launched its first-ever 360° immersive experience, Our Story with David Attenborough. The studio is part of the UN’s SDG Media Compact and regularly produces content for multilateral events, including Sir David Attenborough’s rousing speech at the UN COP26 summit. Its not-for-profit, open-source impact library, Open Planet, empowers storytellers globally with trusted, world-class content of our changing planet.
Established in 2022, the Villars Institute is a nonprofit foundation dedicated to accelerating the transition to a net-zero and nature-positive economy and to restoring the health of the planet. Located in the heart of the Swiss Alps, the Villars Institute serves as a platform for systemic change and a hub for intergenerational collaboration. It also curates artistic, cultural, and educational activities that promote systems leadership, planetary health, and ecopreneurship.
Silvania is a visionary investment platform that specialises in high-integrity nature-based projects worldwide, directing investment into ecosystems and biodiversity hotspots where the potential for climate, biodiversity, and community benefits is greatest. Led by a highly experienced team and working with leading edge conservation and restoration partners, Silvania does more than provide capital, its mission is to demonstrate nature as a new and investable asset class. It invests globally in local communities, governments and partners to design, implement, and manage projects across their full lifecycle, ensuring measurable ecological integrity, durable community benefits, and lasting environmental impact.
