Sundance 2009 Winner “We Live in Public” Directed by Ondi Timoner
As the social networks – YouTube, Facebook and Twitter – explode, questions of personal privacy continue to be an issue. But in the ‘90s, Internet guru, artist, futurist and visionary Josh Harris was experimenting with that very subject. Ten years in the making and culled from 5,000 hours of footage, WE LIVE IN PUBLIC, from award-winning director OndiTimoner (DIG!), documents his tumultuous life for more than a decade to create a riveting, cautionary tale of what to expect as the virtual world inevitably takes control of our lives. Called “remarkable [and] mesmerizing” by LA Weekly, the 2009 Sundance Grand Jury Prize Winner for Best Documentary reveals the effect the web is having on our society, as seen through the eyes of Harris, “the greatest Internet pioneer you’ve never heard of”. On March 2, IndiePix® will release the highly acclaimed film, a favorite at prestigious festivals such as Full Frame, Hot Docs, New Directors/New Films, AFI’sSilverdocs and SXSW, in an extras-laden version for $24.95srp, available wherever DVDs are sold, online and at indiepixfilms.com.
Harris, often called the “Warhol of the Web”, founded Pseudo.com, the first Internet television network during the infamous dot-com boom of the 1990s. With his “Quiet” bunker project, Harris proved how we willingly trade our privacy for the connection and recognition we all deeply desire, but with every technological advancement, those objects of desire become that much more elusive. Through his experiments, including a six-month stint living with his girlfriend under 24-hour electronic surveillance which led to his mental collapse, Harris demonstrated the price we pay for living in public.