Why do we try to save everything? What is the point of saving everything from our lives it will all be wiped out by entropy one day in the distant future? These are the profound existential questions at the core of this documentary. It's not a spoiler to reveal that – there are no answers to these questions found in this film. It's more of an exploration of these questions with insight from scientists & great thinkers, intertwined with a personal journey of a filmmaker questioning himself and his own process. The Arc of Oblivion is a new documentary from filmmaker Ian Cheney that recently premiered at the 2023 SXSW Film Festival in the Documentary Spotlight section (check out the trailer). It's executive produced by doc legend Werner Herzog, who appears in it briefly at the end, and is a friend of the filmmaker. It also has a nice Herzog vibe as a doc,...
- 3/30/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Beginning with the thesis statement “does anything really last,” Ian Chaney’s obsessive inquiry The Arc of Oblivion wonders if the act of archiving is really a folly. This leads to exploring natural methods of archiving around us, from limestone layers to synthesizing digital data into DNA. Chaney starts with a problem facing indie filmmakers and obsessive autobiographers: hard drives and digital video fail easily. Although not explored by Chaney, master filmmakers like Martin Scorsese insist on making physical 35mm prints of films they shot digitally and storing them in salt mines rather than on corruptible servers or digital physical media.
A sweeping, often playful odyssey, The Arc of Oblivion seeks out expert help in exploring the nature of archiving, including the gatekeepers who decide what is important to keep record of. Haunted by the spirit of lost footage he filmed one evening while on his parents’ farm––while he...
A sweeping, often playful odyssey, The Arc of Oblivion seeks out expert help in exploring the nature of archiving, including the gatekeepers who decide what is important to keep record of. Haunted by the spirit of lost footage he filmed one evening while on his parents’ farm––while he...
- 3/30/2023
- by John Fink
- The Film Stage
After launching less than three years ago, production company Sandbox films celebrated Oscars weekend this year with a nominated documentary, “Fire of Love.” The company will also premiere two new documentary films, “Confessions of a Good Samaritan” from Penny Lane and “The Arc of Oblivion” from Ian Cheney.
Founding director Greg Boustead tells Variety that the boutique company seeks to share stories that pack an emotional punch, as he felt that element was often missing when it came to the science non-fiction genre. “One of the motivations for founding a company is to find those stories of where science and technology intersect with society in interesting and unexpected ways,” Boustead says.
Cheney’s film is executive produced by Werner Herzog. Set against the backdrop of the filmmaker’s quixotic quest to build an ark in Maine, the doc heads far afield — to salt mines in the Alps, fjords in the...
Founding director Greg Boustead tells Variety that the boutique company seeks to share stories that pack an emotional punch, as he felt that element was often missing when it came to the science non-fiction genre. “One of the motivations for founding a company is to find those stories of where science and technology intersect with society in interesting and unexpected ways,” Boustead says.
Cheney’s film is executive produced by Werner Herzog. Set against the backdrop of the filmmaker’s quixotic quest to build an ark in Maine, the doc heads far afield — to salt mines in the Alps, fjords in the...
- 3/13/2023
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
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