Worlds of Ursula K. Le Guin
Worlds of Ursula K. Le Guin is the first feature documentary film about Ursula K. Le Guin, a singular writer who defiantly held her ground on the frontier of American letters until the sheer excellence of her work, at long last, forced the mainstream to embrace fantastic literature.
Viewers will accompany Le Guin on an intimate journey of self-discovery as she comes into her own as a major feminist author, inspiring generations of women and other marginalized writers along the way. To tell this story, the film reaches into the past as well as the future – to a childhood steeped in the myths and stories of disappeared Native peoples she heard as the daughter of prominent 19th century anthropologist Alfred Kroeber.
Le Guin’s story allows audiences to reflect on science fiction’s unique role in American culture, as a conduit for our utopian dreams, apocalyptic fears, and tempestuous romance with technology. Le Guin, by elevating science fiction from mind candy to serious speculation, has given permission to younger mainstream writers like Michael Chabon, Zadie Smith, and Jonathan Lethem to explore fantastic elements in their work.
More than ever, we need to perform the kinds of thought experiments that Le Guin pioneered, to ask how we might behave as our technologies transform us beyond the wildest dreams of our grandparents. Worlds of Ursula K. Le Guin explores what science fiction means to us now, and shares the story of the unassuming mother of three who showed us the limitless power of the imagination.
![Image of young adult Ursula K. Le Guin with imagination quote](http://web.archive.org./web/20161025135357im_/http://i1.wp.com/worldsofukl.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/01.jpg?w=1280)
Support this film
The time for this film is now. Thanks to pledges from 3,185 backers of our Kickstarter campaign, we released the prestigious grant we were awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities last summer and we’re able to start production right away! You can expect to see Worlds of Ursula K. Le Guin in film festivals and theaters by the middle of 2017.
If you missed the campaign, you can still donate to this hour-long documentary, which is aimed for broad public television, web, DVD, and educational distribution. Films are expensive to do well, and we’ll make the best of every dime you give.
We still have a few signed books, book bags, and other treats available as rewards for direct donations! Please get in touch for details.
![Image of young Ursula K. Le Guin reading with quote about stories that live](http://web.archive.org./web/20161025135357im_/http://i0.wp.com/worldsofukl.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/UnreadStory1440X500.png?w=1280)