Mutant (in development)
We have reached a singular global moment.
We can now edit genes with unprecedented ease and precision – any genes, in any living thing, from plants to insects to people. These genetic changes can then be inherited, passed on - even accelerated - through generations. We have the power to redesign life and sculpt the evolution of every living creature. It’s Pandora’s box and it’s open for business.
The new genetic tools present tremendous opportunities, from redesigning the future of our food, to the conservation of endangered species, to curing disease and defying death. But things could also get out of control. Like splitting the atom, altering the code of life offers unparalleled power and responsibility.
With the shocking announcement of the world’s first-ever gene-edited humans – China’s secretly engineered ‘CRISPR babies’ – public mistrust is building. Hard decisions need to be made. How do we apply this technology? What sort of future do we want? Who gets to decide?
MUTANT is a 3-part series about how the citizens of the world might weigh in on the most consequential and complicated issues of scientific ethics. The subject under examination is the revolutionary gene editing technology known as CRISPR: can we benefit from its promised applications without violating our own humanity and creating unforeseen dangers?
These are fundamental questions that belong not just to science, but to all of society.
Now, for the first time, citizens of the world are coming together, to have their say in deciding what futures should - or shouldn’t - be brought into being. They travel from Africa, Australia, Brazil, China, France, North America and beyond, to take part in an extraordinary event – the very first Global Citizens’ Jury. Representing different cultures and different views, for five days they will investigate the evidence.
MUTANT is an epic, cinematic and provocative documentary series – it is also an unprecedented international social experiment. Created by the Emmy award-winning team from Genepool Productions, working with the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance, together with an international network of research partners, it represents a landmark in global democracy and an evolution in the conversation between science and society.
“At stake is not just the future of genome editing, or cures for genomic disorders. At stake are the ways in which we as a human community guide and govern our technological futures.”
J Benjamin Hurlbut, NATURE January 10, 2019
Press
Article in Filmink ‘Filmmaker becomes co-author on paper published in top international journal, ‘Science’
"SBS are hugely excited by the potential of this new documentary series ‘Mutant’. It promises to be a unique social experiment that explores the intersection of science, ethics, diversity of opinion and how we make the big decisions about our future.”
Joseph Maxwell, Head of Documentaries SBS
Paper ‘Global citizen deliberation on genome editing’ published in Science.
‘Just as human rights are generally recognized as a matter of global concern, so too should technologies which may impinge on the question of what it means to be human. Here we show how, as the global governance vacuum is filled, deliberation via a global citizens’ assembly should play a role, for legitimate and effective governance.’
Professor John Dryzek, Centre of Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance
Article ‘Why we need a global citizens’ assembly on gene editing’ in The Conversation
‘This would be a groundbreaking global experiment. It would be the first example of a global citizens’ assembly, and it remains to be seen whether national governments and institutions such as the World Health Organisation and the Food and Agriculture Organisation would seriously consider its recommendations’
Associate Professor Nicole Curator & Professor Simon Niemeyer
Centre of Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance
3 x one hour documentary series
Produced in association with December Media Developed with Assistance from Screen Australia
Broadcast Partners SBS Australia and ARTE France
Written & Directed by Sonya Pemberton
Executive Producers: Tony Wright and Sonya Pemberton