Released in UK by Picturehouse Entertainment on 19 April 2024.

In 1902, England’s King Edward VII was crowned. Two months before, Georges Méliès had staged his own coronation with actors in his studio in France, to be released the same day as the actual ceremony. Upon seeing the fake footage, King Edward said ‘What a fantastic machine!’ and this ‘fantastic machine’ is exactly what directors Axel Danielson and Maximilien Van Aertryck set out to study and critique in their latest documentary, produced by Triangle of Sadness director Ruben Östlund.

“Hilarious, scary and essential viewing”
Rolling Stone

Chronicling the history of the camera from the Camera Obscura and the Lumiere brothers to YouTube and the world of social media, Fantastic Machine explores how we went from capturing an initial image of a backyard to a multi-billion content industry in just 200 years.

At times hilarious and at others utterly horrifying, Fantastic Machine is a fascinating look at our obsession with photographing, filming and watching - utilising the very medium it examines in a unique and thought-provoking way.⁠

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