The Society of the Spectacle


A film by Göran Hugo Olsson and Roxy Farhat

An engrossing and humorous adaptation of Guy Debord’s 1967 essay La Société du Spectacle, unpacking the fucktangular dynamics of alienation, powerlessness and emptiness under the tr(i)ump(h) of capitalism and information technology. Today, the divine act of consuming things we do not need has gone beyond a meaningless recreational activity; it has become a new spiritual world order, unyielding even to the climate crisis that threatens our future existence. Created from contemporary images, found footage and original scenes, the film examines and illustrates the effect of consumerism and how the circulation of images creates desire and profoundly changes the way we see ourselves and interact with each other.

In The Society of the Spectacle, awardwinning director Göran Hugo Olsson and acclaimed artist Roxy Farhat have joined forces to take on Guy Debord’s legendary essay. The result is a visually daring and thought-provoking film that tackles everything from the climate crisis to self-surveillances and social media.Together with renowned scholars and experts, the directors will help us unpack the text and place it in a current context. Afresh take on The Situationists groundbreaking ideas and a reinvention of“infotainment” as a visual format.



Production facts:

Directed by
Roxy Farhat and Göran Hugo Olsson
With (in order of appearance): Frida Beckman, Mikkel Bolt Rasmussen, Valerie Kyeyune Backström, Jyoti Mistry, Andreas Malm, Stellan Vinthagen
Original text: La Société du Spectacle by Guy Debord
Original text adapted by: Roxy Farhat, Göran Hugo Olsson, Joslyn Barnes and Sophie Vukovic
Producers: Tobias Janson and Melissa Lindgren
Director of Photography: Johan Lundborg
Camera Operators: Neil Wigardt, Alecio Araci, Salad Hilowle, Ania Winiarska and Amiin Madar
Sound Engineer: Hans Appelqvist
Editors: Roxy Farhat and Göran Hugo Olsson
Music: Zhala Kelman Duran                                    
Sound Design and Mix: Marco Lopez                 
Colorist: Nanna Dalunde                                                             
Graphic Design: Stefania Malmsten
In co-production with
Film i Väst / Kristina Börjeson
SVT / Anneli Kustfält
With support from
Svenska Filminstitutet / Cecilia Lidin and Klara Nilsson Grunning
The Swedish Arts Grants Council

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