Speculative Dystopian Documentary ‘2073’ Sets December Release from Neon — Watch the New Trailer

British filmmaker Asif Kapadia has found success in both the documentary and scripted spaces, working on projects as varied as “Mindhunter” and the documentaries “Amy” and “Senna.” For his latest work, the speculative sci-fi documentary “2073,” he combines the two disciplines to offer a pessimistic view of America’s potential future.

The unique project, which places interviews with current political figures alongside a scripted sci-fi story about a dystopian version of San Francisco in the year 2073, has now secured theatrical distribution. Neon has announced that it will release “2073” in select theaters on Friday, December 27 — just under the wire to qualify for Academy Awards consideration. The announcement came with a new trailer, which stresses the film‘s relevance in the aftermath of the 2024 election.

Current political figures interviewed for the film include Rappler CEO and former CNN reporter Maria Ressa, The Observer writer Carole Cadwalladr, Washington Post columnist Rana Ayyub, and Ben Rhodes, who served as Deputy National Security Advisor under President Barack Obama. The interviews are presented as “archival footage” as citizens in 2073 look back on what went wrong in the 2020s.

Per an official synopsis of the film, “Kapadia’s genre-bending documentary set in the future tackles the biggest challenges endangering our present. ‘2073’ is a ‘true sci-fi’ horror. A warning of the world we will get if we don’t act now. Ghost lives off-grid in a dystopian New San Francisco in the year 2073. The world is controlled by Libertarians, Dictators and Tech Bros. There is no dissent, no freedom. Everyone is monitored, people disappear and the net is closing on Ghost. Through a genre-busting mix of archive and drama Ghost witnesses the terrifying threats facing us: a Democratic recession, the rise of neo-fascism, the Climate Disaster and the intrusion of surveillance technology. This is not science fiction. This is happening now.”

“2073” premiered at the 2024 Venice International Film Festival, with additional screenings taking place at the BFI London Film Festival and DOCNYC, among others.

A Neon release, “2073” opens in select theaters on Friday, December 27. Watch the new trailer below.