The Fantastic Machine

The internationally ubiquitous phenomenon of the selfie underlines the fact that an estimated 45 billion cameras now dot the planet. The co-directors of this absorbing documentary sift through history for a witty look at what the photographic image reveals about the person at the operating end of the camera. From the earliest moving images of the concrete world, circa 1839, to the manipulative fascist propaganda of Leni Riefenstahl and the crazy homegrown diversity of YouTube, the moving image as used and abused over a vast array of cultures is dissected and celebrated. Winner of the Special Jury Award for Creative Vision, 2023 Sundance Film Festival; and winner of the Cinema Vision Award, 2023 Berlin International Film Festival. In Swedish, English, French, German and Arabic with English subtitles.

“A wild, kinetic dive into the history of motion pictures.”–Jason Gorman, Point of View Magazine

“Explores the complex history of humanity’s fascination with watching itself.”—Laurence Boyce, Cineuropa

Year: 2023

Runtime: 88 minutes

Language: Swedish, English, French, German and Arabic with English subtitles

Country: Denmark/Sweden

Genre: Documentary

Director: Axel Danielson and Maximillien Van Aertryck

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