And the King Said, What a Fantastic Machine

Generation 14plus 2023

“The camera records what’s in front of it. What should we do with that opportunity?”

And the King Said, What a Fantastic Machine is a plunge into the vast historic ocean of media culture. From the birth of the camera obscura to the screening of the first moving picture and from the invention of the webcam to the first viral video, the witty and thought-provoking documentary chases the rise of image culture as we know it. By collaging historic archive material of great dictators parading in front of cheering crowds with home videos, live-streaming content and clips of thrill-seekers hanging out at the top of a skyscraper, or harrowing press photography exhibiting violence, it offers an emblematic study of cinema and the social history it creates: What are the implications of being exposed to the billions of images competing for our attention?

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by Axel Danielson, Maximilien Van Aertryck Sweden / Denmark 2023 German, English, French, Swedish, Arabic 88’ Colour & Black/White European premiere | Documentary Form recommendation: 14 years and up

Crew

Directors	Axel Danielson, Maximilien Van Aertryck
Screenplay	Axel Danielson, Maximilien Van Aertryck
Cinematography	Axel Danielson, Maximilien Van Aertryck
Editing	Mikel Cee Karlson, Axel Danielson, Maximilien Van Aertryck
Sound Design	Anne Gry Kristiansen
Producers	Axel Danielson, Maximilien Van Aertryck
Executive Producers	Erik Hemmendorff, Ruben Östlund
Associate Producer	Rikke Tambo Andersen
Co-Producer	Vibeke Vogel
Co-Production	Bullitt Film Kopenhagen Film i Väst Trollhättan Sveriges Television Stockholm

World Sales

Heretic

http://www.heretic.gr http://www.heretic.gr

Produced by

Plattform Produktion

http://plattformproduktion.se http://plattformproduktion.se

Photos

Axel Danielson

Born in Vittskövle, Sweden in 1976, he studied film at the Valand Academy in Gothenburg and joined the Swedish production company Plattform Produktion in 2013. He has been working closely with Maximilien Van Aertryck ever since, both being involved in the creation of their joint films as director/producer and cinematographer/editor. Their short film Hopptornet screened in Berlinale Shorts in 2016. And the King Said, What a Fantastic Machine is their debut feature-length film.

Filmography (with Maximilien Van Aertryck)

2015 Second Deputy Speaker; short film 2016 Because the World Never Stops; short film · Extra Material · Hopptornet (Ten Meter Tower); short film 2021 Jobs For All!; short film 2023 And the King Said, What a Fantastic Machine

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2023

Maximilien Van Aertryck

Born in Paris, France in 1989, the filmmaker has collaborated with Axel Danielson as part of the Swedish production company Plattform Produktion since 2013. The pair has made several short films together which premiered at festivals including Cannes, Toronto, Aspen and Sundance. Their film Hopptornet screened in the 2016 Berlinale Shorts, won over 30 international awards, was shortlisted for an Oscar in 2017 and was nominated for an Emmy Award. Danielson and Van Aertryck work closely with the audience design strategist Kathleen McInnis.

Filmography (with Axel Danielson)

2015 Second Deputy Speaker; short film 2016 Because the World Never Stops · Extra Material · Hopptornet (Ten Meter Tower); short film 2021 Jobs for All!; short film 2023 And the King Said, What a Fantastic Machine