This film is part of our series THE FUTURE WE LIVE IN, showing in March and April at De Uitkijk.
Based on the American science fiction novel Simulacron-3 (1964) by Daniel F. Galouye, this film tells the story of Fred Stiller (Klaus Löwitsch), a cybernetic engineer who uncovers a major corporate conspiracy surrounding a virtual reality computer.
This labyrinthine narrative, predating today’s interest in artificial intelligence, was ahead of its time. Both conceptually and visually, the film offers a fascinating look at technology and the ethical risks associated with it. Rainer Werner Fassbinder, an icon of the New German Cinema Movement, portrays a satirical and realistic vision of the future in World on a Wire—a vision that remains just as relevant today.
This futuristic masterpiece, originally made as a two-part miniseries for German television, was recently rediscovered and restored as a film. As a result, we will screen the film with a 15-minute intermission.