Scenery, a joint venture with Banijay Benelux, announced the thought-provoking, feature-length documentary "You Need This," directed by Ryan Andrej Lough and produced by Academy Award-winner Adam McKay ("Don’t Look Up") via Yellow Dot Studios, alongside Isidoor Roebers and Lea Fels, who are producing with Scenery. The documentary has been acquired by ZDF Studios’ Off the Fence for worldwide rights across streaming, digital, and broadcast platforms, with an anticipated premiere in 2025.
"You Need This" is an immersive exploration of how consumerism and hyper-capitalism, born from the unbridled optimism of 1950s America, have evolved into a global system that shapes our desires, identities, and behaviors. Conditioning society to find meaning and status through endless consumption, this insatiable machine depletes our environment, strains social bonds, and harms our well-being. Featuring insights from cultural figures and experts such as best-selling writer Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, dream scientist Adam Haar-Horowitz, and renowned economist Juliet Schor, the film exposes the hidden forces manipulating our choices and challenges us to break free, urging a shift toward more conscious and sustainable living.
Ryan Andrej Lough, director and producer at Hôtel Motion Pictures, referenced how the title addresses the theme: “I felt compelled to make this film after years of research on the topics within, disturbed by how consumer capitalism has reduced us to mere cogs in a system that causes more waste, division, and destruction than anything else in history. This 20th-century invention now dominates our lives, manipulating us without our awareness and profiting from the destruction of the planet and society," stated.
Adam McKay adds: "The film reveals that it's not cultural or political divisions that have turned our world upside down, but the relentless quest for corporate profit fueling consumerism. Just as the film delves into the bleak impact of global consumption, it captures something remarkable: a growing awareness as people begin to wake up to the reality of the system we’ve been trapped in," noted.
Isidoor Roebers and Lea Fels, producers at Scenery, interprets the title as a call to awareness: "‘You Need This’ is a powerful wake-up call, offering a critical lens on the hyper-capitalist machine so deeply ingrained in our culture, we barely notice its influence. The film pushes us to confront the real cost of our consumption and invites audiences to envision a future where the planet takes priority over profit. With Off the Fence’s backing, this documentary will ignite a global conversation about our shared economic and environmental future," commented.
"You Need This" is narrated by comedy writer and actor Serra Naiman. It is produced by Adam McKay with Yellow Dot Studios, Isidoor Roebers and Lea Fels with Scenery, and Tyler Owen and Cecilia Butler with Hôtel Motion Pictures. The film is executive produced by Yellow Dot’s Staci Roberts-Steele and Hôtel Motion Pictures’ Benjamin Rednour.
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