And the king said...what a fantastic machine | Axel Danielson & Maximilien Van Aertryck | DNK, SWE | 88'

The camera is a fantastic machine. Filmmakers Axel Danielson & Maximilien Van Aertryck once again turn their cameras directly on society, this time to explore, explain and expose how our unchecked obsession with image has grown to change our human behavior. From Camera Obscura and the Lumieres Brothers all the way to Youtube and the world of social media, the film chronicles how we went from capturing the image of a backyard to a multi-billion- euro content industry in just 200 years. With an exclusive use of archival and found footage, the film uses the very medium it examines, in a self-reflective yet hilarious montage. Part essay, part political analysis, and filled with comedic moments, even though it only premiered back in January at Sundance Film Festival, “And the King said, What a fantastic machine” is already one of the most influential and sought out films of the year. It is hardly surprising, as the return of the duo Axel Danielson & Maximilien Van Aertryck, who have been dazzling audiences with their short films for years now, is a film of immense importance and pertinence, dissecting our relation with the concept of image throughout the times, culminating in the current days, where image is everything. The film won awards at both Sundance and Berlin Film Festivals.