It combines documentary footage from 2008 with Pete Postlethwaite portraying a man living alone in a devastated world of 2055, who asks "Why didn't we stop climate change when we had the chance?"

In 2055, the world has been ravaged by catastrophic climate change; London is flooded, Sydney is burning, Las Vegas has been swallowed up by desert, the Amazon rainforest has burnt up, snow has vanished from the Alps, and nuclear war has laid waste to India.

Amid news reports of the gathering effects of climate change and global civilisation teetering towards destruction, he alights on six stories of individuals whose lives in the early years of the 21st century seem to illustrate aspects of the impending catastrophe.

They include Indian entrepreneur Jeh Wadia establishing low-cost airline GoAir, the oldest hiking guide in Chamonix discussing glacial retreat, a doctor in Nigeria whose community has been impacted by the petroleum industry, a Shell employee whose home was destroyed in Hurricane Katrina, a family of refugees fleeing the Iraq War and a British wind power developer facing backlash to potential projects.

[6] The soundtrack includes songs from Radiohead, Depeche Mode, Dragnerve and The Band of Holy Joy, as well as an original orchestral score written by Chris Brierley.

[10] During the post show discussion, which was broadcast live across the internet and at screenings,[11] President Mohamed Nasheed received a standing ovation for announcing that the Maldives would be the world's first carbon neutral country.

[12] The film's star, Pete Postlethwaite, threatened to return his OBE if the UK government gave the go-ahead to the controversial Kingsnorth coal-fired power station in Kent.

[15] In the UK, The Age of Stupid was released in 62 cinemas in its opening week and hit the top of the box office charts (by screen average).

Special guests at the New York premier included Kofi Annan, Ed Miliband, Mohamed Nasheed, Rajendra Pachauri, Heather Graham, and Gillian Anderson.

[19] Many guests arrived by low-carbon transport, including sailboat, rowing boat, electric car, bicycle, cycle rickshaw, and rollerblades.

in Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Moldova, Mozambique, Nepal, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Palestinian Territories, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam and Zimbabwe.

The launch on 22 May was held at The RSA, following which there was a webcast panel discussion[21] with director Franny Armstrong, journalist George Monbiot, economist Nicholas Stern, and Met Office head of climate impacts Richard Betts.

Writing for The Guardian, environmental activist George Monbiot, who appears in the film, said its "message, never stated but constantly emerging, is that we all have our self-justifying myths.

It names culprits..."[26] The Telegraph's reviewer, Sukhdev Sandhu, said, "Bold, supremely provocative, and hugely important, [Armstrong's] film is a cry from the heart as much as a roar for necessary change.

Key members of The Stupid Show crew include producer Lizzie Gillett, writer Mark Lynas and editor Justin Badger.

An offshoot of The Age of Stupid project is 10:10, a UK-wide campaign encouraging everyone in the United Kingdom to reduce their carbon emissions by at least 10% in 12 months.

Franny Armstrong conceived the 10:10 campaign to complement the ongoing promotion of her film: while The Age of Stupid is primarily aimed at raising awareness of climate change as a pending global humanitarian crisis, 10:10 is presented as a strategy for people to take positive action in the face of such an urgent and daunting problem.