Maxmilien Van Aertyck

Sundance 2023 Interviews: FANTASTIC MACHINE directors Axel Danielson and Maxmilien Van Aertryck

By John Wildman 3 years ago

My personal thoughts on FANTASTIC MACHINE: This thing is so comprehensive and bombards you with photos and video since the first images were recorded to seemingly selfies and Tik Tok videos that were shot and recorded right before you watched the film. That’s what it feels like. And the effect is an overwhelming one, revealing how we are being influenced and manipulated by the photographic image and how we enthusiastically feed the beast ourselves. Like parakeets pecking at our reflection in a mirror, we can not deny the power it has over us and FANTASTIC MACHINE does an amazing job boiling it all down and focusing that conversation about what we have wrought upon ourselves with our cameras.

Sundance/Slamdance Diary #1

By John Wildman 3 years ago

The last time I was in Park City for Sundance and Slamdance was 2020. Of course, all shit broke loose a couple months later in March when the zombie apocalypse began (checks notes), COVID pandemic, I mean. Now, I frequently rail against and tense up at the idea of regional fests being a kumbaya experience for filmmakers because the Eric Kohn/Indiewires of the world use that to dismiss the importance or viability of them and the films that screen there business-wise (because, if it doesn’t happen in Europe or Asia or the island of Manhattan then it’s just not important, right?).