Guided by the narration of Charlotte Rampling, Nostalgia for the Future is a descent into the labyrinthine world of Chris Marker, the “bestknown author of unknown films,” who spent a lifetime concealing himself behind a veil of pseudonyms and images of cats.
Moving through a constellation of personal documents and film fragments, an archivist attempts to decode the man through the material traces he left behind. By repurposing and recontextualizing Marker’s own body of work, the film treats his images as “time machines,” transforming the archive into a landscape of living memory. Nostalgia for the Future is a meditation on memory, identity, and the power our past images hold over the futures we imagine.
SCREENINGS & AWARDS
World Premiere: Festival de Cannes – Cannes Classics 2026
2026 Melbourne International Film Festival
2026 International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala
Upcoming: Film Fest Gent (Oct. 7-18), Sitges Film Festival (Oct. 8-18)
PRESS
Reviews: Criterion, Moveable Feast, Sentieri Salvaggi (IT), Festival de Cannes, ICS – International Cinephile Society, The Film Stage, Business Doc Europe
Interviews: Fred.fm
***
“Charlotte Rampling’s narration is a seventy-five-minute letter to Marker from Debackere, who has taken an eight-year deep dive into the archive and reemerged with a personal essay that moves not chronologically but from idea to idea, reflecting on a life lived in secret but also somehow on the page, on the screen, and online.“
David Hudson, Criterion
*
“Nostalgia for the Future is like the ultimate tribute from a teacher to an eternal student of cinema, an invitation to discover Chris Marker all over again.” ★★★★
Shahran Morshed, ICS – International Cinephile Society
*
“Marker’s innate and perpetual curiosity, […] , deserves celebration and Debackre delivers a worthy one.”
Stephen Saito, Moveable Feast
*
“Brecht Debackere shies away from telling Marker’s life story in favor of an almost abstract essay, an attempt to capture a state of mind, whose lyrical imagination was graced with an ethical depth.”
DIRECTOR’S BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY
Brecht Debackere
Brecht Debackere (1979) is an artist and filmmaker working at the intersection of visual media, technology, and research. He holds an MA in Image Synthesis and Computer Animation (HKU) and manages the three-year research curriculum for Audiovisual Arts at RITCS in Brussels.
His practice explores how systems shape perception—ranging from investigations into laser diffraction to archival projects involving 8mm film. Guided by the concept of “digital permaculture,” he seeks resilient, mindful ways to engage with technology and memory. His work has been exhibited at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, SMAK Ghent, and the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp.
Following his 2016 feature documentary Exprmntl, Debackere began a nearly decade-long immersion into the work and legacy of Chris Marker. This extensive research, enriched by access to Marker’s estate at the Cinémathèque française, has culminated in his latest film, Nostalgia for the Future.
Filmography
2026 NOSTALGIA FOR THE FUTURE | documentary | 75’
2016 EXPRMNTL | documentary | 65′
CREDITS
Written & Directed by Brecht Debackere
Narrated by Charlotte Rampling
Cinematography Alexi van Hennecker, Ben Grinand, Jérôme de Gerlache
Editing Beppe Leonetti
Sound Design Boris Debackere, Francesco Morosini
Composer Rutger Zuydervelt
Producer Steven Dhoedt
Production company Visualantics
Co-production Seriousfilm, Cobra Films, Ghirigori
WITH THE SUPPORT OF
Eurimages – Council of Europe
Vlaams Audiovisueel Fonds (VAF)
Nederlands Filmfonds (NFF)
Centre du Cinéma et de l’Audiovisuel de la Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles (CCA)
Fondo Audiovisivo Friuli Venezia Giulia
Belgian Tax Shelter via Flanders Tax Shelter
PRODUCER’S BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY
Steven Dhoedt
Steven Dhoedt (1980, Gent) is a Belgian filmmaker and producer. He studied film at the Royal Institute for Theatre, Cinema and Sound (RITCS) in Brussels and graduated as a Master in Audiovisual Arts. After his studies he moved to Hong Kong, where he lived and worked for several years as a freelance director and producer.
In 2003 he founded Visualantics, a Brussels-based independent production company specialising in creative documentaries, fiction, and new media. The company has built an international co-production track record with broadcasters including ARTE, NHK, ZDF, RTBF, VRT, YLE, SVT, and NRK, with films reaching audiences in over 30 countries.
As a producer, his most recent credits include hold on to her (Robin Vanbesien, 2024), which premiered in the Forum Expanded section at Berlinale; and Nostalgia for the Future (Brecht Debackere, 2026), supported by Eurimages, which premiered at Cannes Classics.
As a director, his work frequently explores contemporary issues and subcultures: State of Play (2013) follows South Korean professional video gamers; Reach for the Sky (2015), co-directed with Choi Wooyoung, premiered at the Busan International Film Festival and won Best Belgian Documentary at Docville 2016 and the Ensor for Best Documentary at Film Festival Ostend 2016. Transition HK (2018) documents the decline of political freedom in Hong Kong.
PRODUCTION COMPANY
VISUALANTICS is a Brussels-based production company, founded in 2003. We focus on international co-productions for a global audience, working with both established and emerging filmmakers who have a unique vision, strong work ethics and common values.
We believe the story dictates the medium. Our films span documentary, fiction and animation, whatever form the work demands. They’ve travelled to Berlinale, Cannes, IDFA, Rotterdam, BFI London, Busan and beyond.
We co-produce across borders, with partners in Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Austria, South Korea and more… pursuing stories that offer rich emotional experiences, a window to the world, and a deeper understanding of each other.
Visualantics
The Netherlands
info@arttrace.nl
+31 6 25184681
https://www.arttrace.nl
CO-PRODUCTION COMPANY
seriousFilm
The Netherlands
info@seriousfilm.nl
https://www.seriousfilm.nl
Cobra Films
Brussels, Belgium
contact@cobra-films.be
https://www.cobra-films.be/en
Ghirigori
Trieste, Italy
info@ghiri-gori.com
https://www.ghiri-gori.com
