Open Planet Studios today announced their upcoming must-see documentary HOW TO LIVE ON EARTH, hitting select cinemas on June 26th via Together Films, with previews from Mon, 22nd June, including a World Premiere in Leicester Square to kick off London Climate Week.
Open Planet Studios today announced their upcoming must-see documentary HOW TO LIVE ON EARTH, hitting select cinemas on June 26th via Together Films, with previews from June 22nd, including a World Premiere to kick off London Climate Action Week.
HOW TO LIVE ON EARTH is an ambitious, hopeful feature documentary exploring how humanity can build a safe and thriving future by working with nature, not against it. Presented by Benedict Cumberbatch, with music composed by Hans Zimmer, Jacob Shea and Ho-Ling Tang, the film is directed and produced by Fredi Devas (Planet Earth II & III, Seven Worlds, One Planet), co-directed and executive produced by Jonnie Hughes (David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet, The Hunt), and executive produced by Colin Butfield (Ocean with David Attenborough).
Billed, with a wink, as “the world’s greatest how-to video”, the film 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.
Jonnie Hughes, Executive Producer & Co-Founder of Open Planet Studios, said: “We spent more than two years filming across the world to create a documentary that feels expansive, cinematic, emotionally engaging and mind-changing. Through a series of revelatory and unexpected stories of human ingenuity and resilience - brought together by playful host, Benedict Cumberbatch - we wanted audiences to discover that a future in which humankind works with nature, rather than against it, may not be far away. The truth is, we humans now know ‘how to live on Earth’, we just have to put things in place.”
The film offers the ultimate hack: how to fix a healthy and prosperous existence for our species on this planet. The lead contributors include Xiye Bastida, a Mexican climate justice activist, Dan O'Neill, a field biologist, wildlife filmmaker, and explorer, and Sam Kass, a former White House chef and senior policy advisor on nutrition, who all share fascinating stories that bring to life the extraordinary value of nature and the jeopardy of a world without it.
Director and Producer Fredi Devas said: “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. Guided by Benedict Cumberbatch and a striking original score, the film creates a sense of drama and urgency that reflects the moment we’re living through and offers real solutions. We hope audiences come away feeling inspired and hopeful about the future.”
Following its theatrical release, HOW TO LIVE ON EARTH will launch globally on YouTube later this year.
HOW TO LIVE ON EARTH is an Open Planet Studios production, in association with Villars Institute Foundation and Silvania. The film is directed and produced by Fredi Devas, co-directed and executive produced by Jonnie Hughes, and executive produced by Colin Butfield. Director of Photography is Stuart Dunn, with the main theme by Hans Zimmer and Jacob Shea for Bleeding Fingers Music, and an original score by Jacob Shea and Ho-Ling Tang.