Ready for George Orwell's 1984 re-imagined in 2021? Then buy your streaming tickets for the movie premiere of this dystopian drama, featuring Edward Snowden, Joseph Thompson and the Netherlands-based New European Ensemble.

Edward Snowden joins the Dutch-based ensemble in 1984

The Dutch-based music collective New European Ensemble contacted Edward Snowden to take part in this creative collaboration and he agreed! In the film, he appears via video link from Russia, where he is currently living in exile from the US after leaking documents in 2013 revealing the extent to which the American NSA was recording the electronic communications of ordinary citizens.

According to Edward Snowden: "Increasingly we lose our seat at the table and our ability to steer the future and all of these processes begin from the corruption of language which was Orwell’s greatest fear." Snowden plays an important part in this collaboration, giving an introduction at the beginning of the film, and playing a small theatrical role.

1984 and deepfakes, conspiracy theories, mass surveillance and corruption

Imagine a version of George Orwell's 1984 set in 2021? Well, your imagination doesn't have to go very far, because we live in a world marked by technology, full of deepfakes, surveillance conspiracy theories, fake news and corruption, so it's not surprising that a very compelling reimagined version would take shape in the present day. Orwell wasn't far off the mark on what the future might look like when he wrote his famous novel in 1948.

Directed by Gijs Besseling, Emlyn Stam and Sophie Hunter, the film was produced by the British production company Greengage. The evocative film score was composed by the Estonian composer Mihkel Kerem and performed by the musicians from the New European Ensemble, who are committed to bringing new music to new audiences.

Photo credit: Rob Overmeer

1984 film credits

• Text: George Orwell
• Music and conductor: Mihkel Kerem
• Directed by: Gijs Besseling, Emlyn Stam and Sophie Hunter
• Executive Producer: Emily Ingram
• Producer: Clementine Seely
• Actor: Joseph Thompson
• Presentation: Edward Snowden
• Director of Photography: Paul Evans
• 1st Camera / Lighting: Jack Finn Taylor
• Art Department / Costume: Samuel Wyer
• Sound Engineer: Donal Sweeney
• Make-up Artist: Chang Kim
• Scenic and Lighting Assistant: George Thompson
• Cello solo: Willem Stam
• Ensemble: New European Ensemble

Get your 1984 streaming tickets

The 1984 film premiere is being streamed on the OnjamTV platform. Get your tickets and get ready for the premiere on Friday, April 23 at 6pm.