What Is 100 Years Later

Overview

"100 Years: The Movie You Will Never See" is an extraordinary experimental science fiction short film that represents one of cinema's most audacious projects ever conceived. Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Robert Rodriguez and written by and starring veteran actor John Malkovich, this film was created in 2015 with the explicit understanding that no one currently alive will ever watch it during their lifetime. The project was developed in partnership with Louis XIII, a prestigious French cognac distillery, to create a uniquely synchronized artistic experience that mirrors the brand's century-long production process.

The film is scheduled to premiere on November 18, 2115—precisely one hundred years after its creation and filming in 2015. Rather than being released through traditional theatrical or streaming channels, the complete film has been secured in a specialized high-tech vault located at the Louis XIII cellars in Cognac, France. This vault is engineered with an automatic opening mechanism programmed to unlock at the exact moment of the film's scheduled release, creating an unprecedented moment when future audiences will finally witness what has been hidden from the world for an entire century.

How It Works

The "100 Years" project operates on principles that blend art, technology, and legacy in remarkable ways. Understanding how this innovative film exists and will eventually be released requires examining several interconnected components and preservation mechanisms that make this ambitious vision possible.

• Time-Locked Storage Mechanism: The film's reels are stored inside a high-tech safe that has been specifically engineered to remain sealed until November 18, 2115, when an automatic opening system will activate without human intervention. This ensures the film cannot be accessed prematurely, regardless of technological advances, external pressures, or changing circumstances.
• Multiple Preservation Copies: To safeguard against technological obsolescence and potential vault failure, several copies of the film have been created and stored using different preservation formats and materials. This strategic redundancy ensures that regardless of which media technologies become standard in the year 2115, at least one complete copy will be accessible and viewable to future audiences.
• Legacy Invitation System: Exactly 1,000 specially crafted metal invitation tickets were produced and distributed to select individuals worldwide, including Rodriguez and Malkovich themselves, along with notable cultural figures and industry professionals. These tickets are intentionally designed to be durable and beautiful enough to be passed down through family generations as treasured heirlooms.
• Secrecy and Non-Disclosure Agreements: All participants involved in the production, including cast members, crew, and technical staff, signed strict legal non-disclosure agreements that prevent them from revealing the plot, dialogue, visual content, or any details of the film. This ensures the complete secrecy necessary for the project's artistic integrity and prevents spoilers from reaching modern audiences.
• Climate-Controlled Vault Environment: The vault housing the film is maintained with precise environmental controls including temperature regulation, humidity management, and atmospheric conditioning to prevent degradation of the film stock and materials. These systems ensure optimal preservation conditions are maintained throughout the entire hundred-year storage period.
• International Collaboration and Logistics: The project involved coordinating filmmaking teams across multiple countries and cultures, including American, French, Chinese, Filipino, and Chilean participants, demonstrating the global scope of this artistic vision. This international dimension adds cultural richness to the project and symbolizes cinema's universal language.

Key Details

The project's structure reveals a deep commitment to artistic vision that transcends the filmmaker's lifetime and challenges conventional entertainment industry practices. John Malkovich has publicly discussed the philosophical implications of creating work meant to be completed and appreciated long after one's death, equating it to the legacy-building efforts of architects and visual artists throughout history. The partnership with Louis XIII, whose signature cognac production process also spans exactly one hundred years, creates a thematic resonance that elevates the project beyond mere marketing strategy into the realm of meaningful artistic statement about time, patience, and human achievement.

Why It Matters

• Challenges Traditional Distribution Models: In an era of instant gratification and same-day streaming releases, "100 Years" boldly rejects immediate consumption and challenges modern audiences to reconsider their relationship with cinema, art, and content creation itself.
• Philosophical Exploration of Legacy and Mortality: The film raises profound questions about artistic immortality, generational legacy, creative purpose, and what it ultimately means to create something that transcends one's own existence and direct comprehension.
• Advances Technological Preservation Innovation: The project advances important conversations about archival science, digital preservation standards, and how institutions can ensure that film, digital media, and physical media survive technological obsolescence across centuries.
• Integration of Luxury Brands with High Art: The collaboration between Rodriguez and Louis XIII demonstrates how luxury brands can engage in genuine artistic partnerships that extend genuinely beyond commercial interests into authentic cultural contribution and legacy building.
• Creates Intergenerational Narrative and Responsibility: By distributing tickets through family lines, the project creates a compelling intergenerational story where families become custodians of a cultural artifact they must actively protect and pass forward to future descendants.

"100 Years: The Movie You Will Never See" transcends traditional cinema by operating as a time capsule that deliberately connects present generations to a future they cannot witness or understand. It represents an unprecedented artistic commitment to a vision that will only be experienced by people who have not yet been born, making it a profound meditation on the nature of creation, artistic legacy, human ambition, and the enduring power of cinema to transcend temporal boundaries and speak across centuries.