Freedom Downtime – Freedom Film Festival

Freedom Downtime is a 2001 American documentary film directed by Emmanuel Goldstein and produced by 2600 Films. The film examines the prosecution and imprisonment of Kevin Mitnick, the Free Kevin movement, and public perceptions of hacker culture.[1] Synopsis The documentary was produced in response to the 2000 feature film Takedown, which dramatized the pursuit and arrest of Kevin Mitnick. Through interviews with hackers, journalists, attorneys, family members, and technology enthusiasts, Freedom Downtime presents an alternative perspective on Mitnick's prosecution and on the broader hacker community. The film follows a group of computer enthusiasts who travel across the United States criticizing aspects of Takedown and discussing what they viewed as inaccuracies in its portrayal of events. It also explores the treatment of computer-crime defendants within the criminal justice system and profiles several individuals associated with hacker culture. Interview subjects include Phiber Optik (Mark Abene), Bernie S (Ed Cummings), Lewis De Payne, Alex Kasper, Kevin Mitnick, and Emmanuel Goldstein. The film also features footage from the DEF CON and Hackers on Planet Earth conferences. The documentary includes interviews with the authors of Cyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier, Katie Hafner and John Markoff.[2] The film contrasts their perspectives on Mitnick's case, while also featuring interviews with Mitnick's grandmother Reba Vartanian, attorneys, friends, and technology activists. reference: Wikipedia article on Freedom Downtime —– We get together at 5PM for the snack and social hour, At 6PM, we gather in the screening room for newsreels… things in the news in the past week, after a quick intermission, we start the feature film at 7PM You're free to bring your own newsreel clip (link), promote your own projects, set up a market-styled sales table, bring your own snacks to share, and anything else that's fun! …Hope to see you at the Freedom Film Festival!