Alex Prager

ahhhhh!! this has been such a long time coming… I’m so happy I can finally share with you all in the world!!! my first feature film DreamQuil is having its world premiere at @SXSW. I had the best cast, I’m so grateful to each for giving me their heart forever immortalized in DreamQuil I wrote this film with my sister, @vanessaprager and it was my great fortune to have the most incredible craftspeople helping me bring it to life. I got to use classic movies techniques and shoot in the greatest movie city on earth, the city I was born - Los Angeles, California. Making a movie was the most simultaneously exhilarating and excruciating experience I’ve ever had and I absolutely cannot wait to make my next… #DreamQuilmovie Starring Elizabeth Banks and John C. Reilly @ElizabethBanks @therealjohncreilly @sofisia7 @JulietteLewis @kathrynnewton @LamorneMorris @Tobytobes4 @paramountpics @hanway_films @patriotpictures @bigvalleypictures @artsandsciences_ brownstone

DreamQuil made its SXSW debut and I couldn’t be prouder. Alex Prager’s first feature is stunningly strange in all the best ways. Stay tuned.

@otilia_padua @mehta_critic Teased in her 25 New Faces of Film profile from 2023, @AlexPrager's feature debut DreamQuil had its world premiere at SXSW. Narrative Feature Jury member @mcastimovies spoke to Prager about the sci-fi drama. filmmakermagazine.com/133409-intervi…

DreamQuil premiered yesterday at SXSW. It is the most interesting film I’ve seen so far at the festival, and viscerally gets across this idea: If we outsource the most mundane tasks of our lives to machines, we lose our humanity. The film is wonderfully stylised, with nods to Total Recall and Stepford Wives. But wholly its own creation. I chatted with the star, Elizabeth Banks, who told me she stopped starring in rom-coms so she could play more interesting characters—mission accomplished. -Get the full story- Get the 5-min newsletter keeping the film industry informed! theindustry.co/p/mayday-payday

'DreamQuil' director Alex Prager breaks down the retrofuturist influences in her head-spinning debut. bit.ly/47CDTIy

#Dreamquil is a retro futuristic nightmare trip. A haunting yet charming mix of ‘Total Recall’, ‘Blade Runner’ & ‘The Stepford Wives’. Elizabeth Banks is absolutely brilliant & delivers a career defining performance with John C. Riley stellar in a supporting role.

Film stills from my film DreamQuil, premiering @SXSW March 16! 1) Detail of Gibson Apartment Block, sullied by microplastics in the air gives the dense orange glow. 2) Carol Gibson, a recent participant, awakes from her DreamQuil experience. 3) Carol Two hosts a celebratory dinner party Gary Gibson fawns over her. Photos © DreamQuil (2026)

David Canfield and The Hollywood Reporter thank you for the DreamQuil writeup! Thank you for seeing DreamQuil in all its strangeness, beauty, absurdity and importance. I’m so excited beyond what words can describe to share this movie with the world. Austin first… @sxsw march 16 & 17 see you there!!! Elisabeth, you’re the only person who could have played The Carols and make us believe. John, you legend, thank you for bringing the emotional truth. I had the best cast and crew!!! Feeling uncomfortable things is okay because that’s a sign that we’re alive, but most people these days want to numb themselves or go to sleep so they don’t have to experience something uncomfortable. I wanted to look into that: What are the consequences of deciding you’re not going to confront feeling uncomfortable? Thank you for backing me every step of the way on this one @ParamountPics, Patriot Pictures, @HanWayFilms, Brownstone, Big Valley Pictures, Arts & Sciences hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-f…

when dior asked me to shoot Marion Cotillard in 2015 i was thinking a lot about her role as Joan of Arc. Marion had performed with the New York Philharmonic that year (2015) portraying Joan of Arc in the oratorio Jeanne d'Arc au Bûcher and i really wanted to incorporate that iconic imagery into the shoot. i had the idea to put her in the flames metaphorically and literally but in the safest way possible. she was inches away from the flames the entire shoot. Marion is such a force who also happens to be a warm and wonderful person. 1) behind the scenes with Marion Cotillard for @Dior 2) final image 3) clip from The Passion of Joan of Arc 1928, Carl Theodore Dreyer

On the miniature set of DreamQuil built by the warren brothers @BlindBeagleVFX who are 3rd generation miniature makers and special effects craftsmen. Their work is always at the highest level and epitomizes movie magic. Miniatures and in camera practical effects are synonymous with my process and are the heart of much of my world building. For me, it was vital to work practically for DreamQuil given the current fascination with automated technologies what you see isn’t always what it appears to be. World premiere at @sxsw this March

On view @FOGfair HIDDEN HILLS (AFTER DARK), 2025 1. detail 2. installation view // 48 x 67.13 inches @LehmannMaupin Booth 304 January 21 - 25

A Big Round of Applause

BEVERLY PALMS HOTEL (2025) // 59.5 x 78.5 inches // swipe to see how we installed it at Mirage Factory

oh no....

For mirage factory I created a unique performance from my new work Beverly Palms Hotel, recreated as the characters from the photograph with wigs, prosthetics, props and costumes. a los angeles soirée came through sound design of the santa anas, earthquakes, fire, sirens helicopters and coyotes and dialogue regarding what it means to live in LA we recorded with voice actors back in los angeles heres a mix of the performance, space, the great and glamorous Diana Ross & party pics thank you to everyone who worked on the mirage factory!!!✨✨✨ @capitalone @thecultivist @dcberan @marlies.thecultivist @joeylico @dianaross @briannewmanny @nathan.ruyle @fionnaflaherty @davidgmaupin @christopherleewarren @anniebeauchampdesign @jerrythemovieguy @simondargan @lisaziven @alexandraadcock @needlles @shirleykurata @lovestyleevents @zoeweingarten @nickpmatus @borjaschettini @deborahafshani @comme_des_pr @markwilliamson45 @mermaidmakeup 📷 @danielseunglee @_bre_johnson@matteoprandoni #CapitalOnePartner

what a fever dream! Thank you @capitalone for supporting this epic project. the myth, collective memories and dreams around Los Angeles through six months of planning and building with @thecultivist and over 100 craftsmen. My incredible studio, the warren brothers who are 3rd generation miniature makers and production designer annie beauchamp, and a performance by the inimitable diana ross who was even more glamorous in person than I could have imagined - she transported us to another time. This was a project born out of the recent fires in Los Angeles, being able to reflect on LA history and celebrate the madness the city possesses because underneath it all is always that feeling of “what if” and anything is possible. Thank you to all the artists and unorthodox thinkers that inspired Mirage Factory! @capitalone @thecultivist @dcberan @marlies.thecultivist @joeylico @dianaross @briannewmanny @nathan.ruyle @fionnaflaherty @davidgmaupin @christopherleewarren @anniebeauchampdesign @jerrythemovieguy @simondargan @lisaziven @alexandraadcock @needlles @shirleykurata @lovestyleevents @zoeweingarten @nickpmatus @borjaschettini @deborahafshani @comme_des_pr @markwilliamson45 @mermaidmakeup 📷 @danielseunglee @_bre_johnson @matteoprandoni #CapitalOnePartner

✨Mirage Factory✨ Presented by @CapitalOne @thecultivist #capitalonepartner

Detail from HIDDEN HILLS (ECHOES), 2025 // 59.5 x 70.56 inches // swipe to full image new for an upcoming show, on early view at @artbasel Miami Beach i wanted to combine unexpected moments to unlock the imagination and challenge rational thought, resulting in an unconventional, illogical, and dreamlike image. there is something so deeply real and artificial within this world that the two become synonymous, metaphysical or dream state, memories and imagination, creating another dimension to elicit a connection. i had in mind Roger Water’s idea for Pink Floyd’s Echoes, “the potential that human beings have for recognizing each other’s humanity and responding to it, with empathy rather than antipathy” . @lehmannmaupin Booth C23 December 3 - 7

i was very fortunate to have worked with #ROSALÍA a couple months before her absolute masterpiece LUX came out. american haiku, the agency leading this campaign, wanted her to be cloaked in mystery until their unveiling because this campaign introduced her as the new New Balance ambassador. although we had very little time for each setup, when rose arrived on set she was a complete professional - charming and magical, trusting and sensitive to all the things we were doing together. it's amazing to me to think she had this incredible album inside of her when we were working together! so much love for her and this groundbreaking work. and of course the beloved @nigelgodrich was a part of making these songs . last photo is a production still from set