Inspired by the program Visions of the Future, we organised a conversation about the concept of dystopias and utopias on film. Sitting in deckchairs in the shade of Rakov Jarak, we listened to how the depiction of dystopias on film has changed throughout history. Does our love for dystopias reflect the growing apathy in society, and how does the current state of the world, the society and the global rise of the radical right, as well as the climate crisis affect representations of the future? Why do directors and writers thinking of speculative futures regularly imagine possible dystopias in their visions, while utopias somehow get neglected? Is it even possible to make a completely utopian film and what is utopia anyway?
Questions abounded, but it is almost impossible to reach a conclusion in the end. Cinehill director Igor Mirković wondered “when did we stop making human utopias? Are the fear and anxiety growing due to extreme weather and environmental issues?”
The audience also joined in the conversation, which ended with an invitation to discover films probing at dystopian themes in this year’s rich Cinehill program and find inspiration for further reflections on the topic of eternal human fascination.
