As long as there have been stories, humanity has dreamt about the end of the world.
Every generation has its version of the apocalypse, and every story owes something to the biblical myths of divine wrath. Some of the earliest films were recreations of the great flood or prophesied plagues. As the artistry and tools in cinema developed, so did the scope of our storytelling.
We Dreamt the World Ended is a primer to the cinematic apocalypse; an exploration of how the end of the world has looked in the past decades, what scares us, and how, eventually, optimism and faith in humanity have endured even in the bleakest of times. The idea isn't to be an all-encompassing study, but rather a conversation starter that gives audiences the tools to find comfort in bleak visions of our planet, especially at a time when global events are darker than before.
Throughout the 45-minute talk, we will unearth the origins of the disaster film genre, how the genre defined itself through the decades, and the characteristics that have become staples in the most iconic depictions of our end.