And the King Said, What a Fantastic Machine

And the King Said, What a Fantastic Machine is a documentary that examines the human obsession with captured images. The film traces the evolution of visual technology from early devices to the current era of billions of cameras, exploring how this development has shaped social behavior and the way people represent themselves. By blending historical archives with modern digital content, such as viral videos and live streams, the filmmakers analyze the power of the camera to both record and manipulate reality.

The film was directed, written, and produced by Axel Danielson and Maximilien Van Aertryck. A joint production from Denmark and Sweden, the project involved companies including Film i Väst and SVT. The cast features Maximilien Van Aertryck as the narrator, with archive footage of figures such as Joe Biden, Tom Brokaw, and Chris Anderson.

Released on June 1, 2023, the film has a runtime of 88 minutes. It has received generally positive feedback from viewers, holding a rating of 6.9/10 on IMDb based on 1,000 votes and a higher rating of 7.4/10 on TMDB from 19 votes.