Ikarie XB-1 (Voyage to the End of the Universe)

A pioneering piece of sci-fi cinema that influenced the works of Stanley Kubrick and Gene Roddenberry.

A retelling of acclaimed Polish writer Stanisław Lem’s 1955 novel The Magellanic Cloud, Jindřich Polák’s Voyage to the End of the Universe (more commonly known by the Czech name Ikarie XB-1), is set in the year 2163 where a mission to deep space is searching for alien life. As the crew travel further and further away from civilisation they are confronted with the hazards of space – and their own minds.

A seminal piece of work, Ikarie XB-1’s influence can be seen throughout sci-fi cinema and TV history from Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey to Star Trek. With stylised design and cinematography, the visuals are aided by a strong cast and the stunning score by Zdeněk Liška. This copy comes to us digitally restored from the National Film Archive in Prague.

Presented by CaSFFA, ACMI, the Embassies of the Czech and Slovak Republics in Canberra and the State Government of Victoria.