“We are as gods and might as well get good at it.”

These are the opening lines that radical thinker, environmentalist, and technologist Stewart Brand wrote for The Whole Earth Catalog. His thesis—that humans should use our god-like powers to build a better way to live—is at the core of his extraordinary life.

At key historical moments in the 20th century, Stewart Brand was behind the scenes shaping things. As founding editor of Wired Magazine Kevin Kelly says, “Stewart has a Forest Gump-like superpower—he can sense where the future is and be there.” From acid tests to space odysseys to modern environmentalism to social networks and open source technology, Stewart was there early on - posing the framing questions, marching in the streets, running the camera, gathering the experts, and then, before the scene got boring, running out the back door.

Stewart has never shied away from controversy. Some of his ideas have drawn fire and accusations of betrayal from his former allies, but Stewart isn’t afraid of a fight. Now in his 80’s, he looks to leave a legacy for the future with his Long Now Foundation, which urges humans to think beyond our limited lifespans and consider the longer ecological time frames of our epoch.

He’s also trying to bring back the woolly mammoth.

We Are As Gods is a story from the directing duo behind the SXSW hit filmsThe Immortalists and Bill Nye: Science Guy, with sound design from Academy Award-nominated Peter Albretchsen, and a timeless and beautiful original score from Brian Eno.

This 8 chapter, cinematic audio documentary marries psychedelia, counterculture, and futurism to chronicle an American polymath who has lived his intellectual life in public, tracing the journey of a mind that has shaped our culture, past, present and future.

A young Army officer from Rockford, Illinois discovers LSD and joins the counterculture. Breaking through the staleness of mainstream America, he organizes an acid-propelled festival that brings thousands of hippies together and fuels a movement.