Jenna Cato Bass Explores Climate Fears In Future Tense

Writer and director Jenna Cato Bass is bringing her new sci fi feature film, Future Tense, to the Toronto International Film Festival. The story focuses on the realities of climate change, the impact of colonialism, and a couple trying to figure out their uncertain future. Bass explains that the idea came from feeling deeply troubled about the global climate crisis while also holding a strong love for time travel stories.

In the world of Future Tense, time travel is not used for heroic adventures. Instead, rich people use it for exclusive luxury holidays because the modern planet is badly damaged. Bass mixed these sci fi elements with personal relationship experiences to ground the big political themes in everyday human emotions, making the story feel much closer to home.

Bass wanted the setting to feel like tomorrow rather than a distant sci fi universe. By using real footage from past disasters, she wanted to remind viewers that environmental collapse is already happening around us. Fans of thoughtful science fiction can look forward to seeing how these ideas play out on screen.