We recently asked some of our favorite moviemakers for their predictions for the future of film — and life itself — in their lifetimes.
We reached out to film people of all ages — including current award season contenders Anora director Sean Baker and star Mikey Madison, The Duel star Dylan Sprouse, Heretic star Sophie Thatcher, and Emila Perez star Karla Sofia Gascon — to ask them what they think is ahead.
We also talked to filmmakers very much on the rise, including a pair of high school students Anna Tuason and Taylor Urquhart, and Harvard student Wesley Wang, whose feature debut is being produced by Darren Aronofsky for TriStar Pictures.
And one of our favorite answers came from acting icon Miranda Richardson.
The answers you’re about to read were first included in our Future Issue, released this past October, and some of the predictions are already coming true. And so, as we enter 2025, here are a few prognostications.
Predictions for the Future of Film and Life Itself
ANNA TUASON & TAYLOR URQUHART
Tuason and Urquhart are 16-year-old high school students and co-founders of Visceral Films whose ambitious, hypnotic film “You Look So Pretty” recently played the Indy Shorts film festival.
Predictions for film: We’re worried for our new generation of filmmakers who may gravitate towards AI solutions. We fear that this may cause a lack of understanding regarding the art of filmmaking, leading to shortcuts within the creative process. We hope to see film revert back to an emphasis on storytelling, rather than quickly mass-produced hopeful Hollywood blockbusters. We believe some filmmakers may even choose to shoot again on film, desiring the nostalgic quality so many people long for in a rapidly advancing digital age.
Predictions for life: We expect lots of conflict in the years to come. In a world where right and wrong are subjective, society has been taught to adapt to an “Us vs Them” mentality, which only continues to gain strength as time passes. We predict this trend will continue, leading to less progress and more of a focus on proving that the opposing stance is incorrect, rather than trying to solve issues and create compromise. We will likely see more art reflecting these issues as a means of self expression. We also expect to see a contrasting increase in art created with less depth in hopes to simply entertain and distract from reality, rather than art created with intent and introspection.
DYLAN SPROUSE
Sprouse is an actor known for starring alongside his twin brother, Cole Sprouse, in Disney Channel’s The Suite Life of Zack & Cody seriesin the early 2000s, as well as Adam Sandler’s 1999 comedy Big Daddy. Recently, he starred in the comedy drama The Duel, directed by Justin Matthews and Luke Spencer Roberts, marking Sprouse’s first time as an executive producer.
Predictions for film: Film and television currently are in this very bizarre place where a lot of these major companies are trying to make a one-size-fits-all type of media for people. … And I think that in the next 50 years, that’s going to change a lot. There’s going to be kind of a rebellious spirit born out of that, of people making very particular types of genre movies for very particular groups of people.
Predictions for life: I am generally optimistic about everything. If something’s not right, I think that it will naturally heal itself and people will fix it. I think that there’s such a global community nowadays of voices being heard from all over all the time, that I think that the discourse is out of our hands. I am optimistic. I do think that things are OK. They’re going just as OK as they’ve always gone. …
I’d like to not see a World War III in any capacity. So I hope that doesn’t happen. But I do think that the groundwork is in place so that that doesn’t happen again.
JAZMIN JONES
Jones is the director of Seeking Mavis Beacon, an experimental documentary that debuted at Sundance this year and tells the story of the mysterious woman who became the face of the popular software program Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing. Told through Jones’ unique digital aesthetic visual style, the film follows Jones and associate producer Olivia McKayla Ross as they try to find out more about this unsung cultural icon.
Predictions for film: Perhaps this is wishful thinking, but I’m manifesting a future in which there are regulations on the use of AI in the film industry (and all industries). In this vision, productions are also aware of their ecological footprints and are encouraged to offset any negative impacts they have on the environment. Just as we keep track of tickets sold and butts in seats, we could assess the damages caused by a production and provide financial incentives to those with limited ecological footprints.
Predictions for life:My manifestation for the future in general? Yesterday my collaborator Olivia McKayla Ross workshopped this idea of a world in which folks are paid for their data. Instead of allowing our precious and private information to be mined by outside companies, we would be the sole proprietors of our intellectual property. There are still some kinks to work out, and ultimately the data is invaluable, but I like the idea of people reclaiming autonomy over their individual digital footprint.
WESLEY WANG
Wang is a 20-year old writer-director attending Harvard and known for achieving international success with “nothing, except everything.,” which has garnered more than 8 million views on YouTube. The feature adaptation is now being produced by Darren Aronofsky and Sony’s TriStar, making Wang the youngest director ever to set up a movie at a major studio.
Predictions for film: This is already happening, but films will only become easier and easier to make. With the saturation of content, most films will have to find audiences in specific niches, but their distribution will likely be controlled by a handful of mass media corporations. There will only be about three or four big theatrical releases a year, the Barbies and Oppenheimers of the world.
Predictions for life: Basic answer, but I think artificial intelligence is pretty scary. With the division in opinion we’re already seeing in the world, AI’s rise will probably cause a lot of division over how to regulate it, and wars could be started over it.
SOPHIE THATCHER
Thatcher is a 23-year-old actress and musician from Chicago known for Heretic, The Boogeyman, Yellowjackets, and more. You can read more about her in our latest Flash Forward.
Predictions for film: People, I think, will go through a lull because everything is so accessible and people watch movies on their phones — which feels very offensive, but that’s reality, because it’s there and it’s so easy. … I think we’ll have a craving in the next 10 years to go back to a more classical experience of going to the movies. That’s my hope.
But also, everything is becoming so easy, and people are getting lazier and lazier, and everything is just at your disposal. It’s just so easy now. I sound pessimistic. I feel pessimistic to some extent, but I’m hopeful, because going to the theater — there’s no better experience.
JESS JACKLIN
Jacklin is the director of the HBO documentary Quad Gods, about three men dealing with quadriplegia who form an esports team and use video games to both find community and improve their mobility: gaming functions for them as a form of physical therapy. She is also a producer and founder of StudioFest, a festival designed to promote DIY filmmaking.
Predictions for film: It feels like film is heading into this more creator-led economy. I’m hopeful you’ll see more voices and people taking ownership of their own creative process, similar to what you see Taylor Swift doing in music.
Predictions for life: Making Quad Gods, I thought a lot about advancements in neuroscience. I think we will continue to uncover new insights about the brain, the potential of the human mind and performance. There is still so much we don’t yet know, and that’s exciting to me.
There’s a version where a lot of us are cyborgs or embrace wearable technology. It sounds pretty far out, but we spend a lot of time on our phones and devices. There’s definitely very scary versions of that, but I do think that we will continue to discover more about human potential, and technology will play an important role.
NICO CASAVECCHIA
Casavecchia is an Emmy-nominated director, screenwriter, and illustrator based in Los Angeles. His films have been featured by major outlets like the BBC, The New York Times and IndieWire, earning numerous awards.
Predictions for film and life:The old adage “you’ll be replaced not by AI but by someone who uses AI” is true in the short term. In the long run, the insurance against AI is to have a personal story to tell, to create work that is infectiously personal, and to create a direct bond with an audience, even if it’s just a small handful of people eager to see what you create. Our only hope is to become like vinyl records, arguably a technically inferior technology but one that still packs a nice emotional punch.
MIKEY MADISON
Madison is an actress best known for Better Things, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, 2022’s Scream and Anora, winner of the Cannes Film Festival’s Palme d’Or. You can read more about her in our latest cover story.
Predictions for film: I don’t know about predictions, but I have hopes of where I hope that the film industry will go. I think that there will always be a community where shooting on film is celebrated, and showing films on film. I’m hopeful that will always be a part of the community. My biggest passion and my main focus as an actor is to continue working with directors and actors that I love, making independent films.
SEAN BAKER
Baker is a writer, director and producer best known for Tangerine, The Florida Project, Red Rocket and Anora, winner of the Cannes Film Festival’s Palme d’Or. You can read more about him in our cover story.
Predictions for film: It’s a hard one because we want to stay hopeful, but it’s clear that audiences, filmmakers, and the industry have to start changing the way they think about exhibition. Unfortunately, through a chain of events, Covid and streaming, audiences literally forgot how wonderful it is to see a film in a theater. Filmmakers have been forced, because of money, to make their films for television instead of the big screen and have to be okay with that. I’m not okay with that. Somebody with more power than me has to put their foot down.
Thank God Christopher Nolan has been doing it. Quentin Tarantino has been doing it. It’s like, no, I’m sorry. Home entertainment is an afterthought. Theatrical exhibition has to be the intention, and long theatrical windows in which there’s no other way to see these movies. I’m sorry if that sounds elitist, but audiences are going to be forced to see the film the way the filmmakers intended for these films to be seen. And maybe during that time when they’re being forced, they’ll realize again, “Oh, this is the place. This is how it’s supposed to be seen.”
We have home theaters that are pretty damn good these days, but I’m talking about the communal experience. I’m talking about the effort, time, and even money it takes to see a movie in the theater. It elevates its importance. … If we don’t change our mindset, we’re just moving towards 100% television. And the only theaters that will exist out there will be museums. It’ll be MoMA and one historic theater that we can’t knock down because of zoning laws.
It’s sad and I refuse to go that way. I refuse. So I might be the only one making films 20 years from now with the intention of going to a theater. But we have to get to a place where we reverse, we really do.
KARLA SOFIA GASCON
Gascón is a Spanish actress who has appeared in projects including The Noble Family and La Caja 507. This year she shared the Cannes Film Festival’s Best Actress Award with her co-stars in the upcoming Netflix film Emilia Pérez, in which she plays the lead character. You can read more about her and Emilia Pérez here.
Predictions for film: I think content creators will have more social responsibility. … I think that we’re going to see more of a meld of art, the technical aspect, and the social responsibility that we all should have, but we tend to forget.
Predictions for life: It’s going to be more digital. So it’s going to be a lot more digital with a lot more pixels. And now I know what a pixel is.
R.J. DANIEL HANNA
Hanna is the writer-director of the recent Succubus, starring Ron Perlman and Rosanna Arquette, and Hard Miles, starring Matthew Modine and Sean Astin, which was released earlier this year. He is an Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences Nicholl Fellow for screenwriting and the editor of a dozen indie films.
Predictions for the film: We’re going to continue to see fewer films entering the larger cultural zeitgeist, and filling the void of niche cinematic work will be more short-form and abstracted works, which the internet has conditioned us to understand and appreciate in a way we wouldn’t have 20 years ago. The word “movie” might once again mean the kind of romantic, grand event it did in the age before television. The classics, new and old, will become even more special as we realize how rare they always were.
Predictions for the world: We’ll have to make more and more of an effort to stay connected in the real world, in person. At least until they unplug The Matrix…
XENIA LEBLANC
LeBlanc is a Los Angeles-based filmmaker and actress, most recognized for the role of Young “Red” on Orange Is The New Black. Her career has included directing the award-winning short “Covert Message” and editing the documentary A Case For Love, as well as starring in the new short “The Pickup,” which you can read more about here.
Predictions for film: With so many tools widely available, more and more diverse stories will continue to emerge, allowing new, unique voices to be heard. On the other hand, more and more repetitive films will be made, especially in Hollywood. I wouldn’t be surprised if a new platform or new AI tool was developed where audiences could “order” stories tailored to their liking, although I do not see it lasting that long.
Predictions for life: Humanity is on the precipice of significant change, but we must go through many growing pains before we get to the next level. We are being pulled apart on one side, but on the other, I see so much unity happening. To survive, we all must figure out how to live together peacefully, no matter what, but I do not see it happening in my lifetime.
NICHOLAS ACOSTA
Nicholas Acosta is a writer, director, and VFX artist who wrote and directed the new short “The Pickup,” which you can read more about here.
Predictions for film:We’ll see more original stories being made again, though they will be graded under a different metric. Theaters will probably develop a new gimmick (as was done in the 1950s with things like CinemaScope) to attract people back to the theaters.
Predictions for life: Politically, if we continue on our current path, we will likely see increased diversity and equity across nations. However, on a societal level, we may continue to experience ongoing conflicts and disagreements about our future direction, particularly as we lack clear standards for personal behavior and the content posted on social media.
MIRANDA RICHARDSON
Richardson is a BAFTA winning and twice-Oscar-nominated stage and screen actress known for in roles in Damage, Tom & Viv, The Crying Game, Enchanted April, The Hours, and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, among other projects. We spoke with her over the summer at the SCAD Lacoste Film Festival, where she received the Etoile Award.
Predictions for Life and film:I’m optimistic for the planet — less optimistic for us as a species. Just to cheer things up. If we’re stupid enough to trash ourselves out of existence, it will be a sad, tragic blip. I don’t even know if our stories will remain. But I think our planet will survive before something else rears its ugly head. … We won’t survive, ultimately, if we don’t get real. Somewhere up in space there’ll be a very nice version of events, on proper film I hope, where some cleverer species will go “Oh, OK — that’s what’s not to do then.”
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