Stampfer Dreams is a found-footage film that uses exclusively animations from the period before the invention of cinema. These animations originate from stroboscopic discs—an invention presented by Simon Stampfer in Vienna in 1833. The various animation loops on these discs anticipate the diversity of genres in future cinema, and accordingly, Stampfer Dreams combines figurative with abstract sequences. Starting from the wheel of a water mill, the young Simon experiences three dream visions of future developments in technology and art—until they turn into nightmares.