Connected: An Autoblogography About Love, Death & Technology
Connected: An Autoblogography About Love, Death, & Technology is an autobiographical documentary film directed by Tiffany Shlain, dedicated to her father.[1] The film unfolds during a year in which technology and science literally become a matter of life and death for the director. As Tiffany's father Dr. Leonard Shlain, MD battles brain cancer and she confronts a high-risk pregnancy, her very understanding of connection is challenged. Using a mix of animation, archival footage, and home movies, Shlain attempts to reveal the ties that link us not only to the people we love but also to the world at large. Connected explores how, after centuries of declaring our independence, it may be time for us to declare our interdependence instead.[2]
Connected: An Autoblogography About Love, Death & Technology | |
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Connected poster | |
Directed by | Tiffany Shlain |
Produced by | Tiffany Shlain Carlton Evans |
Written by | Tiffany Shlain Carlton Evans Sawyer Steele Ken Goldberg |
Narrated by | Peter Coyote |
Music by | Gunnard Doboze |
Edited by | Dalan McNabola Tiffany Shlain Sawyer Steele |
Distributed by | Paladin Films (US) ro*co films (outside US) |
Release date |
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Running time | 85 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
The production of the film took four years, and it is Shlain's eighth film. Leonard Shlain died in 2009 and did not see the finished film.[3]
Release
The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2011,[4] and opened theatrically in 11 cities including San Francisco,[5] Marin, Berkeley, Monterey, Seattle, Denver, Portland,[6] LA[7] and New York[8] in the fall of 2011 in an exclusive release theatrical tour. In 2012 Connected was selected by the U.S. State Department to tour with The American Film Showcase to represent America.[9] With the American Film Showcase, the film was sent to embassies around the world[10] and Director Tiffany Shlain traveled to South Africa[11] and Israel to screen the film and teach filmmaking workshops. In Tiffany Shlain's AOL Original series, The Future Starts Here there is an episode in Season 2 called Punk Rock Diplomacy that takes you behind the scenes on her tour with the American Film Showcase.[12] Connected aired on KQED in 2013 and is now available on DVD and digital platforms including iTunes,[13] Netflix[14] and more.[15]
Reception
Critical reception has been mixed. The film received a score of 5.6/10 on IMDb[16] and 38% positive reviews on the aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.[17]
Awards and festivals
- Connected: An Autoblogography about Love, Death & Technology (2011)
- Sundance Film Festival in 2011
- 2013: Best Documentary - Mumbai Women's International Film Festival
- 2013: Best Feature Film - Big Easy Int'l Film and Music Festival
- 2012: Disruptive Innovation Award - Tribeca Film Festival
- 2012: Award of Excellence - Accolade Competition
- 2012: Selected by the United States Department of State & University of Southern California for the 2012 American Filmmaker Showcase
- 2012: Best Documentary Feature - Atlanta International Documentary Film Festival
- 2012: 4 Awards from The Los Angeles Movie Awards (Best in Show, Best Feature Doc, Best Director, Best Visual Effects)[18]
- 2012: Broadcast on Australian TV
- 2011: Interdependence Film Prize - Berlin Film Festival & The Interdependence Movement
- 2011: Women in Film Award - All Roads Grant National Geographic Society / Sundance Film Festival
- 2011: Women of Vision Nomination - L'Oréal / Entertainment Weekly / Sundance Film Festival
- 2011: Best Documentary Audience Award - Maui Film Festival
- 2011: Best of the Fest Documentary Award - Portland Maine Film Festival
- 2011: Metta Media Award - Dallas Video Fest
- 2011: Honorable Mention - Jerusalem Film Festival
- Connected screened at over 100 festivals between 2011 and 2014, including Sundance Film Festival, Ashland Independent Film Festival, Maui Film Festival, Jerusalem Film Festival, Cleveland International Film Festival, and Nashville Film Festival
- The Margaret Herrick Library of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences acquired the script for Connected for their permanent collection
References
- "Connected: An Autoblogography About Love, Death & Technology". Retrieved 7 Nov 2011.
- "Synopsis" Archived 2011-01-27 at the Wayback Machine connectedthefilm.com, accessed February 14, 2012
- Macaulay, Scott. "Director Tiffany Shlain on Connected - Filmmaker Magazine".
- "The 10 Best Films From Sundance 2011". pastemagazine.com. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
- Guadan, Deborah (September 15, 2011). "Movies opening this week, Sept. 15". The San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
- "Tiffany Shlain's Connected, opening this weekend / Boing Boing". boingboing.net.
- Los Angeles Times (4 September 2011). "Fall Sneaks list". latimes.com. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
- Kehr, Dave (September 16, 2011). "October Release Schedule". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
- "Local Filmmaker to Become a US Film Ambassador - The Bay Citizen". The Bay Citizen. Archived from the original on 24 January 2015. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
- "AFS 2012 – American Film Showcase". usc.edu. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
- "American Film Showcase: 'Connected' in Cape Town". International Documentary Association. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
- "Punk Rock Diplomacy: What Is It And What Can It Do For The World?". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
- Amanda Walgrove. ""Connected" Film Explores Future of Web Communication Through Personal Lens, Now Available on iTunes". What's Trending. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
- "The 50 Best Documentaries Streaming on Netflix 2014". pastemagazine.com. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
- "Cinema Assassin". cinemaassassin.com. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
- "Connected". IMDB. Retrieved 7 Feb 2013.
- "Connected". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 7 Feb 2013.
- "2012 (I) Winners". thelamovieawards.com. Retrieved 27 January 2015.