Film01 (2023)

Film01 (officially titled Film01, histoire(s) de l'internet) is an experimental film directed by Angelicism01 that premiered on June 5, 2023, at Anthology Film Archives in New York City. Described as "an abstract documentary about the heart under extinction conditions" and "the first work in cinema to film the internet," the film consists of found footage, memes, social media clips, and original content assembled into a nonlinear exploration of digital culture, extinction, and online existence. The film exists in multiple versions and cuts, including the original New York Cut, the Zurich Cut, and the extended Paradise Cut.

Background

Film01 represents Angelicism01's directorial debut, having previously established himself as a controversial and influential writer and cultural critic through his Substack newsletter started in late 2020. The film's conception was outlined in Angelicism01's essay "PRINCIPLES OF FILM01: HOW TO SHOOT ANGELICISM CINEMA," published in June 2022, where he described the film as representing "extinction POV" and functioning as "pure cinema" without traditional narrative structure. In this manifesto, Angelicism01 outlined the film's philosophical foundations and approach to capturing what he called "filmicity" – a concept of universal filming that transcends conventional cinema.

The project's production and release was intimately tied with the online culture surrounding the Vibe Shift scene, a cultural movement that formed in 2021 in the collaboration between Angelicism01 and Remilia Corporation in the broader context of the New York downtown art scene.

Production

The film was produced by Lola Jusidman with co-producer Mateo Demarigny. According to the film's credits, the production team also included Monkfish, 1111111, Millime, lilith, and dansdans rev.

The film was "composed entirely of other people's footage—some submitted, most scraped from the internet." Angelicism01 described this approach as "universally sourced" with the principle that "the internet is already a principle of composition."

According to reports, Angelicism01 had production difficulties during the making of Film01, including firing his editor late in the production process and having to cut much of the debut cut of the film himself.

Content and style

The film has been described as "one inscrutable montage of social media cuts, found footage, and vertical iPhone videos" that includes "cosplaying school girls laughing and crying, a livestream from Jordan Castro's book party, footage from Shen Yun, crucifix manufacturing, voicemails from 9/11, rivers filled with trash, lambs walking to slaughter, Jean-Luc Godard talking about filmmaking, and a naked man explaining the end of the world."

The film's title, histoire(s) de l'internet, is an overt reference to Jean-Luc Godard's Histoire(s) du cinéma, with excerpts from Godard's work appearing in the film. The film features music by Andres Bernal (War Criminal) and includes a reading of the poem "They Flee From Me" (1557) by Sir Thomas Wyatt.

Critics have noted that "significant chunks of Film01 are a barrage of hyper-stimuli," while other portions feature "meandering vlogs, an abundance of non-content." This contrast between intense sensory overload and mundane internet content has been interpreted as intentionally mirroring the experience of online browsing.

The film repeatedly returns to themes of extinction, with one reviewer describing it as telling "a story of imminent extinction and an infinite drive to transmit oneself through the network." This thematic focus reflects Angelicism01's broader philosophical interests in digital existence and apocalyptic thinking.

Different versions

Film01 exists in multiple versions, with each screening featuring a different cut of the film:

New York Cut (2023)

The original version, known as the "New York Cut," premiered at Anthology Film Archives on June 5, 2023. This version had a runtime of approximately 2 hours and 52 minutes. To attend this screening, viewers had to complete a questionnaire, go through a pre-approval process, and join a waitlist. Location details were only shared with approved attendees on the morning of the screening.

Second New York Cut (2023)

A "recut and compressed" version was screened in New York on August 9, 2023, two days after the publication of 0nty's review "The Poverty of Allegory." This screening was reportedly more accessible to the public than the premiere.

International Cuts (2023)

Following the New York screenings, Film01 was shown in Zurich (September 9, 2023), Paris (October 2, 2023), and Berlin (October 15, 2023) at Babylon Kino. Each of these screenings featured unique edits of the film, described by critic 0nty as showing "a process of evolution: in the precise biological sense of radial adaptation, not linear improvement."

Paradise Cut (2024)

The "Paradise Cut" is an extended version of Film01 with a runtime of approximately 10 hours. This version has been described as "a director's cut" and "a brand new edit." According to promotional materials, the Paradise Cut premiered on August 9, 2024, and was screened in over 20 different cities worldwide, including New York, Los Angeles, London, Paris, Mexico City, Tokyo, and New Delhi.

Warhol Cut (2024)

The "Warhol Cut" is a variation of the Paradise Cut that displays the entire film on a split-screen, inspired by Andy Warhol's Chelsea Girls (1966). This approach reduces the viewing time by showing multiple segments simultaneously.

Nightcore Cut (2024)

Also known as the "Honor Levy Cut," this is a three-hour version created by speeding up the Warhol Cut.

Internet Cut (2025)

A version called the "Internet Cut" was released online in April 2025 with a runtime of 4 hours and 40 minutes. This version combined both parts of what was described as the "Internet Cut" into a single film.

Controversy

Screening warnings

Prior to the film's premiere, audience members reportedly received alarming messages warning about the film's content. One attendee, Victoria Campbell, received a text describing the screening as "a cult-induction event" designed to "induce a trance/hypnosis" with mentions of Charlotte Fang allegedly planning to "implant deep triggers and terrible, awful things." These messages contributed to the film's mystique and controversial reception.

Removed Remilia01 segment

A controversy arose when a segment titled "Remilia01", produced by Remilia Corporation, was cut from the final version of Film01 shown at the premiere. This led to a public dispute between Charlotte Fang and Angelicism01 that escalated when Charlotte Fang organized an impromptu screening of the removed segment in Discord, which was praised in comparison to the Film01 premiere. This incident marked the end of their creative collaboration and significant falling out between Angelicism01 and "the whole Remilia crypto crowd."

Reception

Reviews of Film01 have been mixed, with some critics praising its artistic ambition while others questioned its coherence and purpose.

Art critic Paige K. Bradley described the film as resembling "the internet in that, if I stare at it too long, I start to feel sick" and suggested that "the film doesn't require deeper inspection: It's just Art in the Age of Shut-ins." Bradley also noted that the film's reception at Anthology Film Archives was "sparse, fizzled out, even glum."

Some viewers on Letterboxd praised the film, with one calling it "the most comprehensive look at the youth culture of the 2020s," while others described it as "a mysterious 3 hour mass trolling event."

Critic Scott Litts offered a more nuanced take, suggesting that while the film is "overly-referential," this is "by necessity: Angelicism is an internet project, and it is a social project." Litts argued that the film functions as "an expression of the aesthetics of a technology, of the internet" and "bricolage."

Cultural critic 0nty described Film01 as "a crystallization of a cultural logic which ought not to be left without critical attention" but ultimately criticized its treatment of extinction as reducing it "to a kind of 'lack' around which the 'extinction pov' can circle indefinitely, constructing its identity and aesthetic without ever fearing the touch of a genuinely apocalyptic element."

Legacy

Film01 has been positioned as a significant work in the evolution of internet-based cinema, with its creator claiming it to be "the first work in cinema to film the internet." The film's evolving nature, with multiple cuts and variations, reflects its core philosophy of capturing the internet's constant state of composition and recomposition.

In a 2025 interview, Angelicism01 reflected that "the 'I' of the movie is, yes, devilish. Because the only 'I' that can never forget is, perhaps, the 'I' of AI. This is why the film says at one point, 'I am AI, I am AI, I am AI'."

The film has become a reference point in discussions about experimental cinema in the digital age, particularly in how it attempts to translate the experience of online existence into the cinematic form.

Cast

The film features appearances by:

• Sierra Armor (as Self)
• Alex Bienstock (as Self)
• Ciara Horan (as Self)
• Emilia Howe (as Self)
• Justin LaPuff (as "Lurker")
• Dasha Nekrasova (as Self, archive footage)

See also

• Angelicism01
• Remilia01 (2023)
• Remilia Corporation
• Vibe Shift
• Charlotte Fang