Instant Dreams (2017)

An extraordinary Polaroid trip.

Instant Dreams (2017) poster

There could hardly be a more telling contrast between the analog and digital eras than the beautifully blurry memories captured in a Polaroid picture and the thousands of pin-sharp photos on an iPhone. In this ambitious visual essay, Willem Baptist explores the visionary genius of Edwin H. Land, the inventor of the Polaroid camera. Even today, all sorts of people are keeping his instant dream alive. Former Polaroid employee Stephen Herchen moved from the United States to Europe to work in a laboratory developing the 2.0 version of Polaroid. Christopher Bonanos, the author of Instant: The Story of Polaroid, tells us, "When I heard Polaroid would stop making film, it felt like a close friend had died." Artist Stefanie Schneider, who is working with the last of her stock of Polaroid film, is using the blurring that occurs with expired film as an additional aesthetic layer in her photographic work.

Director: Willem Baptist
Genre: Documentary
Runtime: 91 min
Release Date:

Cast

Screenplay

Music: Marc Lizier
Editing: Albert Markus
Production: Pieter van Huystee Film & TV, NTR
Country: Netherlands
Language: English
Original Language: en

Keywords

photography, polaroid, analog

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is Instant Dreams about?
There could hardly be a more telling contrast between the analog and digital eras than the beautifully blurry memories captured in a Polaroid picture and the thousands of pin-sharp photos on an iPhone. In this ambitious visual essay, Willem Baptist explores the visionary genius of Edwin H. Land, the inventor of the Polaroid camera. Even today, all sorts of people are keeping his instant dream alive. Former Polaroid employee Stephen Herchen moved from the United States to Europe to work in a laboratory developing the 2.0 version of Polaroid. Christopher Bonanos, the author of Instant: The Story of Polaroid, tells us, "When I heard Polaroid would stop making film, it felt like a close friend had died." Artist Stefanie Schneider, who is working with the last of her stock of Polaroid film, is using the blurring that occurs with expired film as an additional aesthetic layer in her photographic work.
Who directed Instant Dreams?
Instant Dreams was directed by Willem Baptist.
Who stars in Instant Dreams?
Instant Dreams stars Stephen Herchen, Stefanie Schneider, Christopher Bonanos, Caitlin Fowler, Udo Kier, Edwin H. Land.
How long is Instant Dreams?
Instant Dreams has a runtime of 1h 31m (91 minutes).
What genre is Instant Dreams?
Instant Dreams is a Documentary film.
Where was Instant Dreams produced?
Instant Dreams was produced in Netherlands.