Filmmaker Mart Sander achieves a ground-breaking feat with his latest film, Dr. Sander’s Sleep Cure, setting the Guinness World Record for the most roles played by an actor in a single film. Initially conceived as a cinematic exploration of insomnia, the film evolves into a gripping autobiographical horror fantasy.
Scheduled to defend his doctoral thesis at the Baltic Film and Media School in January, Sander’s fifth directorial venture is based on his research into manipulating viewers through conflicting audiovisual information. The storyline follows a protagonist battling insomnia who seeks solace in an unconventional therapy cassette, leading to a record-breaking number of roles played by Sander, sparking speculation of a potential Guinness World Record. Sander is not only an award-winning director, but also a recognized actor, winning the Best Actor title at the Madrid International Film Festival.
In the realm of multiple roles, Alec Guinness and Eddie Murphy set benchmarks, playing eight and seven characters in a single film, respectively. However, the Guinness World Record is held by an Indian actor, Johnson George, playing an astonishing 45 characters in Aaranu Njan – a film that’s virtually unknown and seems to escape Google search. To best this, Sander incorporated an additional segment into his film, thus portraying 46 distinct characters.
The news has been submitted to Guinness World Records, awaiting official confirmation. The film premieres in the USA in February, followed by a wider release in spring. Watch the trailer HERE
