Technology is a part of almost every aspect of our daily lives, and some companies know more about us than we think. Tom Hanks and Emma Watson will explore this phenomena in a new tech thriller, The Circle, which will have its much anticipated world premiere at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival.
The Circle will be part of the festival’s Gala event, but a world premiere date is not yet set. Tribeca has confirmed with Digital Trends the film will premiere before its scheduled April 28 theatrical release. Along with The Circle, the festival’s gala event will feature the Daniel Kaufman-directed Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop: The Bad Boy Story documentary on the 20-year history of Sean “P. Diddy” Combs’ legendary Bad Boys Records.
Based on David Eggers’ 2013 novel of the same name, The Circle examines how perilous it is for technology companies to know everything about you at all times. In The Circle, Mae Holland — played by Watson — joins the powerful internet company The Circle and comes in conflict with new technologies the company has developed, including a lightweight camera that can live-stream video to the company all day.
Hanks plays Edmon Bailey, the founder of The Circle, who assumes a role similar to the one played in real life by Steve Jobs; visionary with a penchant for grandiose keynote speeches. Hanks’ character sums up the existential crisis the film explores when he remarks that, “knowing is good, but knowing everything is better.” No Facebook post, or jog on the beach is private from The Circle.
A film exploring privacy concerns caused by technology companies mirrors recent news about mass governmental surveillance. Wikileaks recently released thousands of documents detailing unknown hacking tools used by the Central Intelligence Agency. One of the revelations is that the CIA allegedly has a way to turn on the microphone and record from Samsung Smart TVs, even when they have been turned off.
You can find out how to get tickets to The Circle screening at the Tribeca Film Festival official website.
