A ​mesmerising​​​ feature debut by the late renowned Icelandic composer Jóhann Jóhannsson, Last and First Men is a haunting elegy to humanity and its failed utopian ideals. Filmed in gorgeous anamorphic 16 mm and dramatically underpinned by Jóhannsson’s atonal score, the ​work​​​ explores stark ​​abstractionist monuments built in ​the former Yugoslavian republics. Filled with visible silence and emptied of human presence, these atmospheric black-and-white sequences are accompanied by Tilda Swinton’s narration of passages from Olaf Stapledon’s 1930 science​-​​​fiction novel​ of the same name​, which is set across two billion years and eighteen species of humans ​into the future​​​. Part speculative with future history and part séance with humanity’s past, ​Last and First Men​ is an immersive endeavour​ to reckon with the charged spaces and the often violent circumstances in which civilisations ​​were built.

Jóhann Jóhannsson ​​(1969–2018) was an acclaimed Icelandic composer, producer, and director who wrote music for cinema, theatre, television​,​ and dance. His work blends traditional orchestration with contemporary electronic elements, creating powerful and emotive soundscapes. From 2002 onwards, he began releasing solo albums before signing with ​​​‘​Deutsche Grammophon​’​​​, through which he released his final solo album, Orphee. Jóhannsson received nominations for Best Original Score for both Theory of Everything (2014) and Sicario  (2015) at the Academy Awards. He won a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score for Theory of Everything .