Push The Button

A black comedy about shutting down the internet

Johanna’s journalistic career is going nowhere, as she struggles with a lack of focus and screen addiction. By chance, she comes across a tech-resistant movement and decides to write an article on its mysterious leader Puck’s crusade against the internet. She joins a burnt-out influencer, a self-professed shaman and two blasé advertisers on a wild road trip, changing the course of her life and, perhaps, the future of humanity.

Keywords: society, artificial intelligence, belonging

Director's note:
Push the Button was born as a way to confront my own anxiety about the future, a future where an intelligence greater than ours is being bred by our most brilliant minds and is raised on information supplied by all of humanity. It revolves around the question ”If there was a button that could shut this tech algorithm down, would you push it?”. The film is a way to examine the idea of whether humanity controls its own destiny or if we are predestined, surfing the same wave of progression that evolution put us on millions of years ago. "Push the Button" is a satire about our ambivalence towards technological advancements, a comedic, poetic "Apocalypse Now" for the Burning Man generation.

Producer's note:
The film aims to be a time document reflecting thoughts and emotions of the early 2020s when AI was advancing rapidly, and the destination was still unknown. Through
the characters like Johanna, Janne, and others in the minivan, the film hopes to present a
thought-provoking and humorous exploration of the theme. Push the Button delve into the
little person’s relationship with technological development, engaging with the societal debate in a way that combines humour and seriousness. Anton Källrot’s directorial and screenwriting artistry is associative, marked by a distinctive voice filled with drastic humour and existential depth. With a keen sense of film language and tone, along with a vast reference bank in film history, Anton leads the vision work for the film. As producers, they want to preserve this compass and let it flow freely. The film is expected to contribute to this debate philosophically and existentially for both Swedish and international audiences.