The North Columbia Environmental Society and Screen Smart are proud to present PLAY AGAIN, a film directed by Tonje Hessen Schei as the final event in this year's Screen Smart Week. This documentary brings to light the startling reality of a generation raised indoors, plugged in, and tuned out of the world outside their front doors. Most adolescents today live in a virtual reality, using gadgets and technology as an outlet for distraction and forms of instant, globalized entertainment. But what does this mean for generations to come, the well-being of our planet, and our society (bound to advancement and progression)?
PLAY AGAIN will air on Thursday, May 19 at 7:30 p.m. at the Roxy Theatre (thanks to the incredible generosity of Carl Rankin and his staff) and has a running time of 80 minutes.
About the Film:
One generation from now most people in the U.S. will have spent more time in the virtual world than in nature. New media technologies have improved our lives in countless ways. Information now appears with a click. Overseas friends are part of our daily lives. And even grandma loves Wii.
But what are we missing when we are behind screens? And how will this impact our children, our society, and eventually, our planet?
At a time when children play more behind screens than outside, PLAY AGAIN explores the changing balance between the virtual and natural worlds. Is our connection to nature disappearing down the digital rabbit hole?
This moving and humorous documentary follows six teenagers who, like the "average American child," spend five to fifteen hours a day behind screens. PLAY AGAIN unplugs these teens and takes them on their first wilderness adventure – no electricity, no cell phone coverage, no virtual reality.
Through the voices of children and leading experts including journalist Richard Louv, sociologist Juliet Schor, environmental writer Bill McKibben, educators Diane Levin and Nancy Carlsson-Paige, neuroscientist Gary Small, parks advocate Charles Jordan, and geneticist David Suzuki, PLAY AGAIN investigates the consequences of a childhood removed from nature and encourages action for a sustainable future.
~contributed