A small opening, a dark room, a ray of light – and suddenly the image begins to breathe. From the principle of the camera obscura to the stylish selfie, a technical sensation has transformed into a ubiquitous mass phenomenon in just a few centuries. What once expanded our perception now produces content non-stop. Between voyeurism, self-promotion, and political influence, the question arises: Does the image still shape our world – or have we long since shaped the image? In a fast-paced collage of archive material, found footage, and viral moments, the film follows the camera through two centuries—as a witness, a tool, a mirror, and a means of manipulation. One central question keeps coming up: How does the “fantastic machine” change our behavior, our communication, and our social interaction? AND THE KING SAID, WHAT A FANTASTIC MACHINE by Axel Danielson and Maximilien Van Aertryck was produced by Ruben Östlund (Triangle of Sadness) and celebrated its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, where it was awarded the Special Jury Award for Creative Vision. In Germany, the film was screened at the 2023 Berlinale in the Generation 14plus section, where it won the AG Kino Gilde Prize. The directors, known for their award-winning short films TEN METER TOWER and JOBS FOR ALL!, deliver a razor-sharp analysis of visual culture with their first feature film. Using almost exclusively existing footage, they have created an entertaining and provocative essay film about power, control, perception, and the necessity of media education in an age of constant surveillance.

Keywords

• Berlinale
• Film Fest Gent
• Film Fest Gent !
• Sundance Film Festival !
• Swedish cinema
• technology

Actors

• Maximilien Van Aertryck
• Chris Anderson
• Joe Biden
• Tom Brokaw
• Edmund Carpenter
• Belle Delphine
• Ethan Klein

Director

• Axel Danielson
• Maximilien Van Aertryck