How to Build a Time Machine

CANADA – 2016 – 82 MIN – COLOUR - DOCUMENTARY - IN ENGLISH
A FILM BY JAY CHEEL

How to Build a Time Machine follows two men as they set out on a journey to build their own time machines. Rob Niosi is a stop motion animator who has spent the last 13 years obsessively constructing a full-scale replica of the time machine prop from the 1960 adaptation of H.G. Wells' The Time Machine. It's his attempt to recapture the memory of seeing the film in theatres with his father. Dr.Ron Mallett is a theoretical physicist whose story begins with a tragedy. He was only 10 years old when his father died suddenly of a heart attack. Distraught, he sought solace in science-fiction. After reading The Time Machine, Ron dedicated his life to studying physics. He has since become a professor at the University of Connecticut and is now working on building a real time machine in the hopes that he might go back in time to save his father's life.

If you could travel through time, where -- or when -- would you go? Would you revisit a fond memory from your childhood? Catch a glimpse of the dinosaurs? Or would you place a sure-win, against-the-odds bet on an underdog sports team? Everybody has fantasized about traveling through time, but is it really possible?

How to Build a Time Machine follows two men, both of whom have set out on a quest to build their own time machines. Rob Niosi is a stop motion animator who has spent the last eleven years constructing a full-scale replica of the time machine prop from the1960 film adaptation of H.G. Wells’ novella, The Time Machine. Ron Mallett is a physicist from the University of Connecticut who was also inspired by H.G. Wells’ story. However, Ron’s machine isn’t a replica. Dr.Mallett believes he has figured out how to build a real, working time machine.

Through these stories, we will investigate our fascination with time travel and attempt to figure out what’s so appealing about reliving the past and foreseeing the future. We will also look at the power of cinema and the ways in which science fiction storytelling has inspired real life scientific breakthroughs.

"Cheel shapes their stories for maximum emotional impact, but his film never feels manipulative. Instead, it finds resonance and solace in these impossible quests. The journey is the destination."
- NOW MAGAZINE

"If time travel fascinates you, don’t miss this one. There’s a sweetness to the nostalgic aspects of the film that you’ll get swept up with, and the science behind Mallett’s work is intriguing to hear. This is an all around wonderful experience." 
- TORONTO FILM SCENE

"Beautifully Mixes Craft And Emotion" 
- TWITCH FILM