Movie: “The Internet’s Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz”

Presented at HOPE X (2014), July 19, 2014, 10 p.m. (120 minutes).

A documentary directed by Brian KnappenbergerRunning time: 105 minutes (trailer at www.takepart.com/internets-own-boy)The story of programming prodigy and information activist Aaron Swartz. From Swartz's help in the development of the basic Internet protocol RSS to his co-founding of Reddit, his fingerprints are all over the Internet. But it was Aaron's groundbreaking work in social justice and political organizing, combined with his aggressive approach to information access that ensnared him in a two-year legal nightmare. It was a battle that ended with the taking of his own life at the age of 26. Aaron's story touched a nerve with people far beyond the online communities in which he was a celebrity. This film is a personal story about what we lose when we are tone deaf about technology and its relationship to our civil liberties.Director Brian Knappenberger will be in attendance for a question and answer session after the screening.


Presenters:

  • Brian Knappenberger
    Brian Knappenberger is a writer, director, and producer who has created award winning investigative documentaries and feature films for FRONTLINE/World, National Geographic, Bloomberg Television, and PBS. His recent award winning independent feature, We Are Legion: The Story of the Hacktivists, explored the online "hacktivist" group Anonymous and chronicled a year of unprecedented online protest activity. Brian's previous films have explored the political tension and corruption behind rebuilding southern Afghanistan in Life After War and brutal abuses of power and a violent crackdown on speech in Ukraine in A Murder in Kyiv. His newest film, The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz, premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival (and will be screened at HOPE X).

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