There’s a hidden world out there that is getting ready to explode:

The world of slums.

A seething mass of humanity–1 billion people–inhabits this hidden world and if the United Nations is right–that number could triple in the years to come.

Who are these people and what are these slums? Are they a danger? A menace? Or are slums a breeding ground for entrepreneurs? A transition point for people on a desperate journey from poverty to middle-class respectability?

The Fourth World takes you inside slums on three continents to meet individuals caught up in the largest people migration in the history of the world. Understanding ‘a billion people’ is almost impossible, but meeting a handful of slum dwellers strips away the statistic and begins the process of building understanding.

Journey with the filmmakers to Guatemala, Kenya and the Philippines to meet slum dwellers. Listen to published experts–leaders in their fields from three more continents–as they bring understanding to the ‘why’ of slums, and foreshadow what’s going to happen if the world ignores this social powder keg much longer.

Mark Volkers has won multiple national and international awards for his work. He has filmed in more than 20 countries over the past 15 years and brings his unique storytelling style to this powerful documentary film about how one in six human beings live.

The stories are real. The implications of turning a blind eye to this situation are real. We ignore this at our own peril.