Freedom Downtime
/favicon.ico
Missing image

Shimo-Golstein-Mitnik.jpg

Freedom Downtime is a 2001 documentary film sympathetic to hacker Kevin Mitnick, directed by Emmanuel Goldstein and produced by 2600 Films.

The documentary centers around the fate of Kevin Mitnick, and how they feel it was misrepresented in the reality-based movie Takedown produced by Miramax and adapted from the book by the same name by Tsutomu Shimomura and John Markoff. A number of computer enthusiasts drive across the United States searching for Miramax representatives and demonstrating their discontent with certain aspects of the bootleg Takedown script they had acquired. The development of the Free Kevin movement is also documented.

One major point of criticism of the Takedown movie was that it ended with Mitnick being convicted to serve a long-term jail sentence. In the real world, at the time the movie was produced, Mitnick had not been in front of a court, but nevertheless was imprisoned for five years without bail in high-security prisons.

The movie also touches on what has happened to other hackers, particularly after being sentenced to jail. It questions the rationality of placing computer hackers who went over the edge in the same jail as sex offenders and murderers.

Several notable hacker icons appear in the movie, including Phiber Optik (Mark Abene), Bernie S (Ed Cummings) and Emmanuel Goldstein (Eric Corley). Freedom Downtime tries to communicate a different view of the "hacker community" than what is usually shown in mainstream media. Hackers are depicted as curious people who rarely intend to cause damage, driven by a desire to explore and conduct pranks.

It also contains interviews with people related to Kevin and hacker culture in general. The authors of Cyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier, ex-couple Katie Hafner and John Markoff appear in very different roles. While Katie Hafner's empathy for Mitnick has grown, John Markoff continues to defend his book and articles in The New York Times about the hacker. Markoff is ridiculed, as the narrator points out his factual errors in the interview he agreed to. Reba Vartanian, Mitnick's grandmother, also appears in a number of interview segments. Furthermore, lawyers, friends and libertarians give their view of the story. Footage and interviews from DEF CON and H.O.P.E. try to dispel some hacker myths and confirm others.

The film saw a limited release, but was shown on some film festivals and independent theatres. It has also been released on VHS, and sold from the 2600: The Hacker Quarterly web site. In June 2004, a DVD release, after years in production, was released, including 3 hours of extra footage on two discs. There is also an interview with Kevin Mitnick after his release from prison. It also included subtitles in 20 languages, provided by volunteers.

External links