Cyberpunk: Envisioning Possible Futures through Cinema

A visual exploration of cyberpunk and its global impact and lasting influence on cinema culturePublished with Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. Cyberpunk, a subgenre of science fiction, first appeared in the early 1980s and uniquely captured the anxieties of the decade.

Featuring near-future scenarios set in worlds that resemble our own, cyberpunk stories juxtapose technological advances with social upheaval, ecological crisis and urban decay.

Central to these narratives are antihero characters who fight against corrupt political systems, technology gone haywire and global mega-corporations. Cyberpunk: Envisioning Possible Futures through Cinema examines the global impact and lasting influence of cyberpunk on cinema culture.

Through rarely published behind-the-scenes photographs, film stills and concept art, the book spotlights iconic cyberpunk films such as Blade Runner, Tron and The Matrix; foundational animated features like Akira and Ghost in the Shell; and more recent releases such as Sleep Dealer, Pumzi, Night Raiders and Neptune Frost.

More than 20 case studies written by critics, historians and filmmakers offer new perspectives on these films and their legacies.

The book also features an in-depth introduction by curator Doris Berger; an essay by communications scholar Carlen Lavigne that discusses the genre’s 20th-century literary origins and the new, global directions it has taken in the 21st century; and an interview with filmmakers Danis Goulet and Wanuri Kahiu that reflects on the interplay among cyberpunk, Afrofuturism and Indigenous futurism.