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
Connected poster
Directed byTiffany Shlain
Written byTiffany Shlain
Carlton Evans
Sawyer Steele
Ken Goldberg
Produced byTiffany Shlain
Carlton Evans
Narrated byPeter Coyote
Edited byDalan McNabola
Tiffany Shlain
Sawyer Steele
Music byGunnard Doboze
Distributed byPaladin Films (US)
ro*co films (outside US)
Release date
Running time
85 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

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

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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[promotion?] on DVD and digital platforms including iTunes,[13] Netflix[14] and more.[15]

Reception

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Critical reception has been mixed. The film received 36% positive reviews on the aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.[16]

Awards and festivals

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References

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  1. ^ "Connected: An Autoblogography About Love, Death & Technology". IMDb. Retrieved 7 Nov 2011.
  2. ^ "Synopsis" Archived 2011-01-27 at the Wayback Machine connectedthefilm.com, accessed February 14, 2012
  3. ^ Macaulay, Scott (16 October 2011). "Director Tiffany Shlain on Connected - Filmmaker Magazine".
  4. ^ "The 10 Best Films From Sundance 2011". pastemagazine.com. 2 February 2011. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
  5. ^ Guadan, Deborah (September 15, 2011). "Movies opening this week, Sept. 15". The San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
  6. ^ "Tiffany Shlain's Connected, opening this weekend / Boing Boing". boingboing.net. 14 September 2011.
  7. ^ Los Angeles Times (4 September 2011). "Fall Sneaks list". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
  8. ^ Kehr, Dave (September 16, 2011). "October Release Schedule". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
  9. ^ "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.
  10. ^ "AFS 2012 – American Film Showcase". usc.edu. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
  11. ^ "American Film Showcase: 'Connected' in Cape Town". International Documentary Association. 2 October 2012. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
  12. ^ "Punk Rock Diplomacy: What Is It And What Can It Do For The World?". The Huffington Post. 31 October 2014. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
  13. ^ Amanda Walgrove (6 February 2013). ""Connected" Film Explores Future of Web Communication Through Personal Lens, Now Available on iTunes". What's Trending. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
  14. ^ "The 50 Best Documentaries Streaming on Netflix 2014". pastemagazine.com. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
  15. ^ "Cinema Assassin". cinemaassassin.com. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
  16. ^ "Connected". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  17. ^ "2012 (I) Winners". thelamovieawards.com. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
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