this is how the world ends
THE STORY
When the war between humans and the AI Machine States breaks out, misinformation and confusion reigns supreme. While the government pumps out reports that everything is going to be okay, the underground news reports that this might very well be the end.
In the midst of this uncertainty, something unique is happening. The party to end all parties, dubbed the last party on earth, is taking place deep in the desert. While some are living with blinkers on, Danni Freeman knows that this is the end, and she makes the choice to journey deep into the desert to experience what life has to offer for one last time.
Believing that this war will blow over, Tom Freeman is sent to track down his sister and bring her back. But with a world that is falling apart at the seams, he must overcome a dangerous journey to the end of the world, as well as his own mortality.
the party at the end of the world
THE MAKING OF
In the driest part of Southern Africa, there is a satellite Burning Man event that takes place, called AfrikaBurn. Isolated, dangerous, and impossibly beautiful, this incredible event forms the backdrop for a significant portion of the film, providing unmatched visuals and an authentic arena for the making of the film.
It is important to note that AfrikaBurn was not a location at which filming took place, but rather a place in which participation in the film was encouraged. The audience to the spectacle took part in the spectacle itself.
Various characters were played by the event attendees without ever having had experience in acting or filmmaking, allowing the film to be impacted by the event and vice-versa. The end result is something which is both organic yet well choreographed.
created by
ROBERT DOS SANTOS
This Is How The World Ends is the brainchild of writer director Robert dos Santos. The idea came to him in the middle of the desert, in the middle of the night, in the middle of the festival. Looking around and seeing freedom and pandemonium in every direction, the story came to him like a bullet to the head.
Seeing the world in absolute turmoil, where wars, displacement of jobs, the fear of AI, and societal upheval, the idea of finding hope in a world beseiged by fear came to him.
All you have is now. Not yesterday, not tomorrow, now. This is the core philosophy of Robert dos Santos' work, and finds itself as the core philosophy of the film, asking viewers to love each moment offered to them, even if it is in the midst of a world that is coming to an end.
