Young people everywhere are fighting for human rights, climate justice, dignity, freedom of expression, access to education, safe food, and clean water. Alone, against all odds, sometimes risking their lives and safety, teens around the globe are standing up to protect and care for those directly in harm’s way. At a time when everything seems to be or has been falling apart, these young leaders show us all how to live.

In small town British Columbia, Mike Drinkwater (Daniel Doheny), lives with his idiosyncratic and mostly absent dad, Hank (Eric McCormack)–both in desperate need of a role model. At school Mike is relentlessly bullied by star athlete, Luke. Of course Luke and Mike’s dads had a teenage rivalry decades before in the same class. Next door to the Drinkwaters, Wallace has moved in with her welcoming Filipino grandparents. Wallace takes a reluctant shine to Mike as she comes to terms with the loss of her parents and makes her way in a new town.

A Cambodian Buddhist, sci-fi – yes, you read that right! Nano technology has advanced to the point that the economically privileged live in an augmented reality. Unfortunately, not everyone in Phnom Penh has the means to be linked into the network. In fact the closest most in Tralop Bek come to ever being augmented is when scientists pay residents of the impoverished community to be test subjects for their new augments. Prompted by vivid dreams of his past lives, 13 year old Leng set out to find a rare golden statue believed to be taken from his home by the French, centuries ago. As they follow clues to find the statue, Leng and a local street scavenger, Srey Leak unearth unsettling information about Leng’s true identity.

Introverted Masha sees herself as an outsider, unless she’s with Yana and Senia who share her non-conformist status. While she is trying to navigate the intensity of high school and her pre-graduation year, Masha falls in love in a way that forces her out of her mostly isolated comfort zone. Stop-Zemlia is a radical, authentic, and sensitive glimpse at the unsettling feeling of uncertainty and the reality of friendship and social status and its impact on young growth.