Description

Rainer Werner Fassinder’s 1974 Sci-Fi Classic – available for the first time. Simulacron 1 is a highly advanced project, designed to elevate conventional computer technology to a new level by creating a virtual reality inhabited by computer-generated people or ‘identity units’. When the head of the project dies mysteriously after showing signs of mental disturbance, Dr Stiller becomes his successor. However, Stiller also begins to behave bizarrely. He speaks of people disappearing whom no one else knows, believes someone is trying to murder him and has nausea attacks. As he begins to probe deeper into Simulacron, the line between the real and virtual world becomes increasingly blurred and his own existence is questioned. Fassbinder’s 2-part TV production is a science-fiction classic that explores the notion of a computer-generated other world, pre-dating The Matrix by 26 years. Since its original broadcast in 1973 it has rarely been shown and following increasing demand the Fassbinder Foundation has restored this remarkable film under the artistic direction of the film’s highly-acclaimed cinematographer Michael Ballhaus. SPECIAL FEATURE: Fassbinder’s World On A Wire: Looking Ahead To Today with Michael Ballhaus, Fritz Muller-Scherz, Karl-Heinz Vosgeru, Moritz, Eggert, Roland Blach and Gunter Rohrbach (49 mins).