Film Lens
Dreams Rewired is a feature documentary that examines the impact of contemporary information technologies through archival footage from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The film includes nearly 200 films, featuring works by notable figures such as Étienne-Jules Marey and Dziga Vertov, as well as early dramatic works by Alice Guy-Blaché. It employs a voiceover that connects historical footage to modern digital culture and social media, presenting a narrative that does not follow a traditional chronological order but instead traces various trajectories of the electric information age.
The film also addresses the evolving economic and cultural status of women, as discussed in the accompanying essay by Bodil Marie Stavning Thomsen. It connects past events, such as colonial expropriation, to contemporary issues like the mining of coltan in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The film concludes with commentary on how marketers and corporations manipulate communications technology to influence audience behavior and desires.
Why Watch
- •See rare footage from Battleship Potemkin.
- •Find out how technology shapes women's status.
- •Meet influential figures like Dziga Vertov.
Did You Know
•The film premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam in 2015.
•It includes previously unseen footage from Sergei Eisenstein's Battleship Potemkin.
•The soundtrack won the German Documentary Film Music Award in 2016.
•Tilda Swinton serves as the narrator for the film.
Perfect For
Film history enthusiastsMedia studies scholarsDocumentary fans