General Discussion

swag

(26,486 posts) Thu Nov 28, 2019, 01:45 PM Nov 2019

Thomas Piketty's Capital in the Twenty-First Century" is Now a Movie

https://www.worth.com/coming-to-a-theater-near-you-capital-in-the-twenty-first-century-the-movie/

New Zealand filmmaker Justin Pemberton had just finished a documentary for a local TV station about the problem of income inequality when French economist Thomas Piketty’s Capital in the Twenty-First Century, a book detailing the wealth inequality of two centuries of capitalism, became a runaway hit.

Pemberton, who had long had a passion for economics, politics and psychology—which he had studied at university—dived right into the book. “I was fascinated by the massive time horizon,” he says. Capital tells the story of money and wealth from the 18th century to the present, detailing revolutions, depressions and wars—and piercing the widely accepted view that the accumulation of capital and social progress are entwined. Practically unheard of for an economics text, Capital hit number one on the New York Times bestseller list in 2014, selling millions of copies.

“This is the film I want to make,” Pemberton says he decided, but he wasn’t alone. Piketty, himself a film buff, wanted to do a popular culture version of the book, and several producers were pitching for the rights. Eventually, Piketty chose New Zealand producer Matthew Metcalfe, and Pemberton was hired as the director. Piketty liked the idea of the story of European and American capital being told by “outsiders, people from the bottom of the world,” says the director.

Pemberton might have seemed an odd choice, having focused on sports for two prior documentaries, including one about New Zealand rugby star Richie McCaw, called Chasing Great. But Pemberton believes its huge success helped him land the gig.

. . . followed by interesting interview . . .