- Humans are analogue! We're literally sick of the digital world engulfing us. People are yearning for real things and authenticty. IMPOSSIBLE is sensuous and inspiring film about the revenge of analog. And the eccentric, crazy Austrian scientist, who saved the world's last Polaroid factory - just when Steve Jobs introduced the first iPhone. An entertaining underdog story of a very modern Don Quixote, shot on 35mm. And a sumptuous invitation to fall in love with real things again. (Like sending you a beautifully typed application form on nice paper, rather than this cold tech template)
- Humans are analogue. We're literally sick of the digital world engulfing us. People are yearning for real things and authenticity. IMPOSSIBLE is sensuous and inspiring film about the revenge of analog. And the eccentric, crazy Austrian scientist, who saved the world's last Polaroid factory - just when Steve Jobs introduced the first iPhone. An entertaining underdog story of a very modern Don Quixote, shot on 35mm. And a sumptuous invitation to fall in love with real things again.
- How often do you look at your phone? Can you even stop? Are you, too, suffering from digital overload? Director Jens Meurer's latest film 'An Impossible Project' sets out to offer us alternative distractions, and to learn to trust our senses once more.
In 2008, as we were all salivating over our first iPhone, an eccentric former biologist, Dr. Florian Kaps - better known as 'Doc' - had a strange calling. He decided to save the last Polaroid factory in the world, in Enschede in the Netherlands. At first the venture failed miserably. But the Doc never gives up and what follows is a heart-warming and inspiring trip into the new power of analogue - taking him to one of the unlikeliest places of all: Silicon Valley.
Doc might have saved the factory, retrieved the machines from the scrap yard and persuaded the workers to return, but he had overlooked that the chemical formula to make Polaroid's vintage instant film had been lost. Unwilling to let this minor technical hiccup hold him back, Doc finds inspiration in a worldwide community of believers devoted to the analogue dream, including calligraphers, vinyl aficionados and Moleskine book binders. But even though Doc dares to dream bigger than most, charisma and persuasion can only get you so far in a tech-driven world that's addicted to moving faster and faster.
Still, something is changing. A generation of young people seek to reconnect with authenticity, ready to swim against the digital tide. At first curious, but then liberated by the raw appeal of analogue gear, from vintage cameras to televisions, vinyl and radio: What was suddenly unfashionable once again is vital. As Doc puts it, "Analogue isn't retro... It's a decision, a choice."
Can the good doctor offer an alternative path through trolling, fake news and information overload?
A colourful, stylish study of a unique and inspiring individual, as well as a thought-provoking exploration of the priorities of a society evolving faster than it can even comprehend, 'An Impossible Project' continues filmmaker Jens Meurer's illuminating back catalogue of documentary features. A previous recipient of the European Academy Award as 'Documentary Filmmaker Of The Year', his work includes 'Public Enemy', 'Jeckes' and 'Egoli: My South African Home Movie'. He is also the producer of films such as 'Russian Ark', Olivier Assayas' 'Carlos' and Paul Verhoeven's 'Black Book'.
Shot on analogue 35mm film (of course), the original soundtrack was recorded direct-to-disc by a 40-piece jazz orchestra with the sensational Haley Reinhart on vocals and the titles hand-printed by Erik Spiekermann. 'An Impossible Project' is rich in curiosity and good humour, celebrating the potent and lasting connections between humans and technology, and serving as a timely reminder that not only are we all unique, but humans are the most analogue project of all.
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