Hyundai, UNDP present ‘for Tomorrow’ documentary

Hyundai, together with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), has presented a captivating feature-length documentary pertaining to grassroots innovators.

The premier of the film (entitled "for Tomorrow") took place last September 15 at the Lincoln Center’s Walter Reade Theater in New York City — in close proximity to the United Nations General Assembly.

The premiere was attended by Ambassador Antje Leendertse, Permanent Representative of Germany to the United Nations; Ambassador Hyunjoo Oh, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations; Vice President of Brand Experience at the Hyundai Motor Company, Sungwon Jee; Rwodah Alnaimi from the Qatar Fund for Development; and UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner.

“The UNDP Accelerator Labs was born to be an epicenter of innovation, for a green, inclusive, sustainable future that was built bottom-up from the everyday inventions and wisdom of the many, not the few. The stars of this film, these real-life heroes and grassroots innovators are proof that our ‘best world’ is built on the daily, ground-zero choices that people are making now and here,” Steiner stated.

Showcasing the notion that “anyone can shape the future,” the film shines a light on the challenging journeys of five grassroots innovators. All of which have had a profound impact on their communities and have dedicated themselves to making the world a better place.

The grassroots innovators include Trinh Thi Hong in Vietnam, who found a way to turn waste into cleaning products and, through her business, created job opportunities for locals; Emmanuel Alie Mansaray in Sierra Leone, who built a 100-percent solar-powered car from scrap metal found in a landfill; Jamila, who is not even a technology expert but is speaking out on a variety of projects, including developing a service application that promotes accessibility on the metro; and Charu Monga, who designed photovoltaic bags in India so that children can safely walk home from school at night.

The film also documents how the 10 de Agosto Ancocala Farming Association is preserving traditional farming and irrigation techniques using ancestral terraces in the Peruvian Andes.

Filmed by local crews in Vietnam, Sierra Leone, Azerbaijan, Peru, India, Korea, United States, and Guinea during the pandemic, the film beautifully demonstrates how bottom-up innovation must be included to fight our most urgent sustainability challenges around the globe.

“It’s an incredible honor for me to be the voice of for Tomorrow, an inspiring story on grassroots innovators around the world finding solutions to combat the sustainability challenges we all face,” said actor Daisy Ridley who narrated the film.

“The passion and the drive of the innovators on the ‘for Tomorrow’ platform was undeniable. I knew that their infectious energies would inspire viewers. I wanted their personalities to shine through and to tell a story from their perspectives, to show them as real people — not just heartwarming news clips,” commented director An Tran.

“For brands, a sense of social citizenship and responsibility is critical. Hyundai is committed to increasing and deepening collaboration that contributes to sustainability. That is why we entered into this historic partnership three years ago, the first-ever between a United Nations agency and a corporation,” said Hyundai Motor Company President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jaehoon Chang.

Photos from Hyundai

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