Instant Dreams (2017): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 2017, Instant Dreams is a documentary film directed by Willem Baptist, running about 91 minutes. “An extraordinary Polaroid trip.” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s about. There could hardly be a more telling contrast between the analog and digital eras than the beautifully blurry memories captured in a Polaroid picture and the thousands of pin-sharp photos on an iPhone. In this ambitious visual essay, Willem Baptist explores the visionary genius of Edwin H. Land, the inventor of the Polaroid camera. Even today, all sorts of people are keeping his instant dream alive. Former Polaroid employee Stephen Herchen moved from the United States to Europe to work in a laboratory developing the 2.0 version of Polaroid. Christopher Bonanos, the author of Instant: The Story of Polaroid, tells us, "When I heard Polaroid would stop making film, it felt like a close friend had died." Artist Stefanie Schneider, who is working with the last of her stock of Polaroid film, is using the blurring that occurs with expired film as an additional aesthetic layer in her photographic work.

Who’s in it. Instant Dreams stars Stephen Herchen as Himself - The Scientist, Stefanie Schneider as Herself - The Artist, Christopher Bonanos as Himself - The Writer and Caitlin Fowler as Herself - The Model, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 7.7/10, Instant Dreams has been warmly received by audiences.

Where to watch. In US you can rent or buy it from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies and YouTube. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Instant Dreams page.

If you liked it. Fans of Instant Dreams tend to enjoy One Direction: This Is Us, Burn the Stage: The Movie, BTS World Tour: Love Yourself - Japan Edition and Senna.