State of Affairs

Killswitch

Ali Akbarzadeh
Screening time  
26.02. / Thursday, 19:00 - 21:00 Theatre 1  
'Killswitch' speaks about control over the Internet, whose heroes are the prematurely dead hacktivist and information freedom fighter Aaron Swartz and whistle-blower Edward Snowden.

The Internet is under attack. Free speech, innovation, and democracy are all up for grabs. Killswitch is about the battle for control over the Internet. Lawrence Lessig, Tim Wu and Peter Ludlow frame the story of two young hactivists, Aaron Swartz & Edward Snowden, who symbolize the disruptive and dynamic nature of the Internet. Their lives parallel one another as they free information to millions on the Internet, putting them directly in the cross-hairs of the most powerful interests in the world. Will this be a cautionary tale of what happens when you dare to take on elite power structures? Or will it be the spark that ignites a revolution that will redefine democracy in the digital age?

Ali-headshot

Ali Akbarzadeh

Ali Akbarzadeh is an independent filmmaker born in the mountains of Colorado. At some point in the late 90’s he made the pilgrimage to California where he studied at the American Film Institute and graduated at the top of his class from California State University of Long Beach. After a brief stint as a Persian music video director, he co-founded Akorn Entertainment, where he directed several award winning commercials and short documentaries. Killswitch is his first feature length documentary.

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Killswitch

USA
2014, 73'

Directed by:
Ali Akbarzadeh

Screenplay by:
Christopher Dollar, Ali Akbarzadeh

Cinematography:
Joshua Lang, Billy Pema

Edited by:
Prichard Smith

Music:
Co.fee, Free the Robots

Producer:
Jeffrey Horn

Produced by:
Akorn Entertainment, LLC

Festivals & Awards:

IDFA 2014; Woodstock Film Festival 2014 – James Lyons Award for Best Editing