Before The Bridge

Automation is reshaping work, and we must respond

Before The Bridge is a documentary short that explores one of the defining challenges of our time, the transformation of work through automation. Bringing together voices from Silicon Valley technologists and blue collar labourers in Indiana, the film presents a cross section of perspectives on a future shaped by machines and algorithms. While uncertainty surrounds the long term consequences, one fact is clear, human jobs are being replaced at an alarming rate.

Developed as a final project during a creative residency with 72U, the film seeks to move beyond abstract predictions and focus on the human dimension of technological change. Through interviews and reflective commentary, it raises urgent questions about responsibility, adaptation and collective purpose. If technology increasingly performs the tasks that once defined our livelihoods, how do individuals and societies redefine meaning and contribution?

Rather than offering simple solutions, Before The Bridge invites audiences to confront the implications of automation and to participate in a broader national conversation. The film positions this moment as a critical juncture, a point before a metaphorical bridge, where reflection and action are still possible. Recognised with the Best Documentary Short award at the Mammoth Film Festival and winner of the Dok Leipzig Healthy Workplaces Film Award, it has also been officially selected at the Napa Valley Film Festival.