WE LIVE IN PUBLIC is being released on March 1st via digital download and DVD and we are busily preparing for our uber-wired, star-studded launch party premiere.  You are coming, right?  Yes you are!

You can come be with us LIVE if you are going to be in Vancouver, LA Denver, Chicago, New York or Atlanta on March 1, or tune into www.weliveinpublicthemovie.com beginning at 5:30pm PST for the live webcast.  Not only will Director Ondi Timoner and star Josh Harris be available for your probing questions, but Adrian Grenier will be hosting from New York and Eliza Dushku will be helming the festivities in Los Angeles.

Check out what Adrian has to say about WE LIVE IN PUBLIC and our upcoming event!

“I’m pumped to be a part of this unique web-cast conversation for “We Live in Public”.  I am excited to be paving new territory with a trusted explorer Ondi Timoner. Not only is the film amazing and timely, but the web is a perfect forum to share it with its fans.  I’ve loved her films for years and have always watched her closely because as an independent thinker and filmmaker, she’s been smart and innovative in this uncharted space called the internet. Ondi, with this film, has almost become an oracle in my mind. I am an independent documentary filmmaker myself and because my last film TEENAGE PAPARAZZO shares many similar themes as WE LIVE IN PUBLIC, I feel a strong sense of simpatico with Ondi. These days it is important that we all band together as independent spirits to share momentum and support. Low budget  independent films and documentaries were once marginalized, but that’s not the case anymore. On the internet, with whatever budget and with whatever genre of film, we can appeal directly to our audience and let the audience speak and respond. The internet is the great democratizing force. The ’90s saw the rise of independent film and now we will usher in a new era of independent film that, thanks to the internet and web-casts such as this, includes the audience in the equation as well. Let’s do this, I can’t wait.”

Ondi and Adrian at Sundance 2010

Thanks, Adrian!

YOU can come be a part of the conversation on March 1st, so join Ondi, Josh, Adrian, Eliza and the gang and be a part of film and internet history!

In a dishy piece, The New York Post calls out Bill Gates for cavorting around Sundance 2010 like a drunken spring lamb, as he “busted some moves amidst beauties and flirted up a storm all over town.”   And who did Bill rub shoulders with, according to the piece?  “Gates chatted up filmmaker Ondi Timoner, the auteur behind documentaries ‘DIG!’ and the upcoming ‘We Live in Public’…”   Our very own Ondi!  And Ondi totally scooped their story by tweeting the below pic at least two days before they ran with it.   Read about Bill’s dorky dance moves and more HERE.

If you FOLLOW ONDI ON TWITTER, you are getting the updates on Ondi’s glamorous stint as a documentary juror this year.   As she does the dirty work of judging the competition films in preparation to pass on her 2009 Grand Jury crown, we at Interloper Films are getting ready for the DVD and video-on-demand release of WE LIVE IN PUBLIC at the start of March.  PREORDER the film, and also brace yourself for the big March 1st release festivities in cities across the country — more details to follow.

Happy holidays!
As the end of the year approaches and journalists compile their best-of-year (and best-of-decade)  lists, we’ve been excited to see WE LIVE IN PUBLIC get a lot of nods from various people who *clearly* have excellent taste.   One of our favorite reviews from the past year came from legendary film critic Roger Ebert, who gave us a four star review in October.  We are thrilled to be a part of his year-end round-up of the best docs of 2009, alongside some other amazing docs including TYSON, THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE, and ANVIL! THE STORY OF ANVIL.

“Josh Harris… was a myopic visionary, a man who saw the future more vividly than his own life… Filmmaker Ondi Timoner was on the scene from the start… Fascinating.”

Have a fun and safe New Year’s Eve and we’ll catch you next year!

WE LIVE IN PUBLIC is coming to rock the Rockies!  Our film will be at the Starz Filmcenter from December 3rd through the 10th.  On opening night, Thursday December 3, the 7pm screening will be followed by a Q+A with director Ondi Timoner and on Friday December 4th, the 7:30pm screening will be followed by (in the words of the promoter…) “a provocative panel discussion and Q&A focused on the role of social media and the real-time web in media, advertising and popular culture.”  The panel members include Ondi, Ef Rodriguez of the Huffington Post and Scott Prindle + Alex Burnard of Crispin Porter + Bogusky.  GET YOUR TICKETS NOW!  Don’t find yourself in the shoes of one of those people emailing us and bemoaning the fact that they missed the run in their city and when are we coming back , yada yada… don’t be that guy.  We are so psyched to bring the film to Denver and the opening two nights in particular are going to be a blast!

“This is a remarkable film about a strange and prophetic man… [FOUR STARS]” Roger Ebert in the Chicago Sun-Times

We begin a theatrical run in The Land Of The Artist Formally Known As Prince tonight, Friday November 20th at the Lagoon Cinema, a Landmark Theatre.  Get your tickets now — this is a one week only engagement!

Click HERE for showtimes, theater and ticket info

Thanks so much for the warm welcome in anticipation of our arrival.  Chris Hewitt in the Pioneer Press listed us first out of “the five best movies in theaters now”, alongside WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE and the Coen Brothers’ A SERIOUS MAN.  He writes, “Shocking and powerful, this documentary starts out profiling Internet pioneer Josh Harris but becomes the story of how Harris’ obsession with all things www brought about his ruin. *** 1/2″ Full article: The five best movies in theaters now

The Star Tribune also raves, “WE LIVE IN PUBLIC is a whirlwind look at an eccentric personality in a turbulent time. It’s a story of hubris punished… It also asks pointed questions about how far people will prostitute themselves for attention, how the virtual world forms and deforms our personal lives. *** 1/2″  Full article: “We Live in Public” follows a dot-com Mad Hatter

And vita.mn, an online arbiter of cool things to do in the Twin Cities, posted a great article profiling director Ondi Timoner. ”Like DIG!, her 2004 documentary about dueling indie-rockers, Ondi Timoner’s WE LIVE IN PUBLIC is both a study and product of extreme obsession… intensely immersive.”  Full article: ‘Public’ affairs with Ondi Timoner

Thanks and see you at the Lagoon!

Check out what some journalists and bloggers have had to say on behalf of WE LIVE IN PUBLIC recently.  Links included wherever they were available — some of the press has not been made available online yet!

Empire Magazine
“There is no doubting [Josh Harris'] grasp of the fame-obsessed, gadgetphile psyche… frantically compelling… chilling. [FOUR STARS]“

The List
“Harris occupies the dangerous netherworld on which genius and mental fragility occupy a precarious balance.  WE LIVE IN PUBLIC is compulsively addictive, if remarkably unsettling as things get ugly.”

Heat Magazine
Heat’s Top 10 Films: The Best Films To See In Cinemas Right Now!
“Ondi Timoner, who made ace doc DIG!, succeeds again with a study of a bonkers… internet entrepreneur.”

Rock Sound
“Exploring the genius behind Josh Harris, a man who could predict the future of the internet, WE LIVE IN PUBLIC is an interesting and thought-provoking documentary.”

Shadows on the Wall
“In documenting the story of one of the internet’s chief innovators, filmmaker Timoner explores the profound way online communities have changed Western society. It’s a fast-paced, entertaining movie, and it really makes us think.”
http://www.shadowsonthewall.co.uk/09/dh.htm#weli

Huffington Post
ReThink Interview: Josh Harris — Nostradamus of the Net Tells Your Online Future
“The timing is right for Ondi Timoner’s excellent new documentary…”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jonathan-kim/rethink-interview-josh-ha_b_336255.html

Wired
Review: WE LIVE IN PUBLIC Profiles a Web Eccentric
“Ondi Timoner always looks for the love and humanity in the subjects of her documentaries…”
http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2009-10/27/review-we-live-in-public-profiles-a-web-eccentric.aspx

Telegraph (UK)
Why It’s Impossible To Commite Digital Suicide – Even If You Really, Really Want To
“[WE LIVE IN PUBLIC] is part history lesson, part cautionary tale… I was gripped, sickened, horror-struck.”
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/technology/basheerakhan/100004116/why-its-impossible-to-commit-digital-suicide-even-if-you-really-really-want-to/

Electric Sheep
WE LIVE IN PUBLIC: Interview with Ondi Timoner
“Excellent… WE LIVE IN PUBLIC offers a fascinating insight into the way that living through technology can affect our physical lives and personal identities”
http://www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk/features/2009/11/01/we-live-in-public-interview-with-ondi-timoner/

Slash Film
End of an Era: Miramax President Quite, Disney All But Shutters The Label
“The big-ticket indie represented by Miramax is almost a dinosaur… and there’s been a great deal of commentary in the past six months about the death of the American indie. But if it is truly dying, then how did we get Big Fan, World’s Greatest Dad, Precious, We Live in Public, That Evening Sun, Black Dynamite (bought by Sony Classics, but not made by them) and many other true indies this year? The landscape is changing, and fast, but it isn’t dying. This is a changing of the guard, if a difficult one.”
http://www.slashfilm.com/2009/11/02/end-of-an-era-miramax-president-quits-disney-all-but-shutters-the-label/

AdPulp
Control Your Screens, Or Your Screens Will Control You
“Back away from the screen. Turn the cell phone off and walk outside for at least one hour. Do it now…”
http://www.adpulp.com/archives/2009/06/control_your_sc.php

Sound Screen
“[Josh Harris] decides to launch a ‘social experiment’. In return for abandoning their lives for a month the prisoners (for once you are in, you are not allowed to leave) are granted free food and drink. There’s a cereal bar! And an arms room bursting with all manner of guns, rifles and weaponry! It doesn’t take long for events to spiral out of control….”
http://www.sound-screen.co.uk/index.php/2009/10/the-times-bfi-london-film-festival-live-blog-reviews/

Fuck Off Film
“I found this documentary just fucking fascinating… this is a great watch and for me one of the surprises of the year.”
http://www.fuckofffilm.com/movie-and-film-reviews/2009/11/11/we-live-in-public.html

The Blarg
Quick Movie Review: WE LIVE IN PUBLIC
“[WE LIVE IN PUBLIC] left me feeling embarassed for Harris, ashamed of what humans are capable of, and terrified for the future that lies ahead. I can’t wait to see it again.  Big Brother is now.”
http://theblarg.wordpress.com/2009/10/22/quick-movie-review-we-live-in-public/

Imagine This.
“WE LIVE IN PUBLIC is the most f*cked up movie i have ever seen, because it’s real and it’s happening.”
http://journal.marisaduma.net/2009/11/08/imagine-this/

Mellotron Sounds
“If you get the chance to catch this on a big screen, jump at it. This one seems like it very well could define a generation…”
http://www.mellotronsounds.com/2009/11/trailer-rush-splurge-i.html

The Web And Me
“[WE LIVE IN PUBLIC] did speak to some of the fears I have about extreme Internet use. One of these is my worry about the effects of obsessive use on human interactions and other behaviours… Yes, Google Streetview is cool, but if I can see the pansies on my front porch, what do the authorities see? (Hi guys!)”
http://thewebandme.blogspot.com/2009/10/we-live-in-public.html

We are excited to be nominated for two Cinema Eye honors — Outstanding Achievement in Editing and Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Score.  Cinema Eye is an organization founded by talented filmmaker and indie-champion AJ Schnack and is backed by IndiePix, HBO and Doc/Fest.  Congrats to Josh Altman and Ondi on the editing nomination and to Marco D’Ambrosio and Ben Decter for the amazing score.   They will announce the winners at the Cinema Eye Honors Ceremony on January 15th, 2010!

We are honored that Variety chose We Live In Public to be part of a special screening series.  They hosted us in New York recently and brought us to the Arclight in Los Angeles last night.  We had packed houses and amazing crowds — thanks Variety!

Check out this post-screening interview by Variety from our New York appearance:

And one starlet from last night’s screening was so spooked by our cautionary tale about living in public, she couldn’t resist tweeting about it .  Thanks Tia!

As WE LIVE IN PUBLIC tours around the world, we are racking up tons of great press and blog attention.  Big kisses to the Windy City and Canada for all of the recent love, and we are excited by the media response in the UK that is just starting to roll in as we gear up to play the London Film Festival…

National Public Radio / WBEZ
Eight Forty-Eight Reviews We Live in Public

“Maybe it was the money, maybe it was the attention… but things started going odd with Josh Harris… Ondi Timoner’s documentary focuses on a man through whom we can see the profound socio-cultural transformation wrought by technology in the last several decades.”

The Globe and Mail
Vancouver Int’l FIlm Festival 2009 Reviews

“[Josh Harris'] personal social skills are negligible, but his vision of society has been spot on.”

Chicago Sun-Times: Review by Roger Ebert

“This is a remarkable film about a strange and prophetic man. [FOUR STARS]”

Chicago Reader

“[Timoner] uses her access to create a frightening portrait of a man whose technological genius fails to compensate for his gaping emotional deficits… CRITIC’S CHOICE”

Chicago Tribune

“Here’s a cautionary tale for the virtual campfire… Timoner’s film offers a ton of surface flash and a hard-driving editing rhythm… provocative.”

Canada.com

“…a provocative and compelling examination of dot-com millionaire Harris and his cutting-edge art projects that attempted to plumb the profound differences between our understanding of private and public space.”

The Review List

“Provocative doc about ‘the greatest Internet pioneer you’ve never heard of’… Ondi Timoner has followed him for 15 years, in good times and bad, and returned with a portrait of a genius/eccentric/screwball who left it all to grow apples. For Harris, the brave new world is behind him. Four stars.”

Stop Smiling

“Documentarian Ondi Timoner stormed Sundance in 2004 with Dig!, her chronicle of rockers The Dandy Warhols and the Brian Jonestown Massacre. It won her the Grand Jury Prize — a feat she repeated in 2009 with We Live in Public, her take on privacy in the Internet age, as told through the lens of Web entrepreneur and artist Josh Harris.”

The Times (UK)

“The documentary maker Ondi Timoner specialises in portraits of charismatic, dynamic and dangerously deluded characters…”

EFilmCritic
VIFF ’09 Interview with Ondi Timoner

“Timoner: Since our premiere at Sundance this year, we have had such a passionate response to the film; spawning debates that last for hours. People write and say they cant sleep or have been up for days. I say the film could be billed as a horror movie…”

Three Cheers for Darkened Years! Film Articles by Witney Seibold

“We Live in Public” is fascinating, raw, amusing, and… fascinating to look at.”

prePoSTeRoUS

After the film ended, Director Ondi Timoner addressed the audience and asked the following question, “are we losing our individuality and creativity through the internet?”… Don’t worry, I’m not going to drop off the grid or anything, but thanks to the thoughts provoked by this movie, I am going to try to do more things that none of you will see.

MovieSet Dailies

“Josh Harris’ path through the 90’s — from .com millionaire to web-casting visionary to financial refugee, hiding in Ethiopia from US creditors — is painted across Ondi Timoner’s film with great candor and remarkable fairness for Harris, who left a wake of alienated and estranged relationships when he left the map at the end of his fall…. Provocative.”

Gen X Reflects

“Mind-boggling… Run to this movie!”

Electric Sheep

“Ondi Timoner’s excellent documentary We Live in Public offers a fascinating insight into the way that living virtually through technology can affect our physical lives and our personal identities.”

Daily Freep

“Harris was a myopic visionary, a man who saw the future more vividly than his own life.”

Curtis Andersen Super Blog!

“Following [Josh Harris'] life and those who were affected by it and his projects, is shockingly self affronting and made both Rene and I re-examine just why we interacted with social media the way we do.”

And these two recent reviews made our last press round-up but deserve another shout-out!

Vancouver Sun
VIFF Reviews include the stunning documentary, We Live In Public

“(Critic’s Pick) Watching the social network short-circuit and the entire fabric of civility shred before your eyes can be very compelling, and Timoner doesn’t miss a syncopated beat in this detailed study of public personality, and the self denied… Timoner captures the blurry line between who we really are, and what we pretend to be.”

Wired
Smart We Live in Public Probes Web Genius’ Hubris

“Disturbing… [Timoner] captures the de-evolution of optimistic arty types into semi-deranged test subjects… Imminently watchable.”

We are excited to head to England for the unmemorably-titled but amazing fest — The Times BFI 53rd London Film Festival.  WLIP has four screenings:

Friday October 23  6:15pm   Vue Screen 7
Friday October 23  6:30pm   Vue Screen 6
Sunday October 25  1:30pm  Vue Screen 6
Monday October 26  3:30pm  Vue Screen 5

Find out more about the festival and get your tickets HERE!

London has been proffering up a warm welcome in advance of our arrival.  Check out our feature in The Times.

“The documentary maker Ondi Timoner specialises in portraits of charismatic, dynamic and dangerously deluded characters…”
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article6877690.ece

Tell your mates on the other side of the pond to put down their Pimm’s cups and come support our doc!