Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
  • cocktails & hors d'oeuvres served

The story of the most ambitious project ever conceived on the Internet. In 2002 Google began to scan millions of books in an effort to create a giant global library, containing every book in existence. They had an even greater purpose – to create a higher form of intelligence, something that HG Wells had predicted in his 1937 essay “World Brain”. But over half the books Google scanned were in copyright, and authors across the world launched a campaign to stop Google, which climaxed in a New York courtroom in 2011. A film about the dreams, dilemmas and dangers of the Internet.

Presented by URI’s Harrington School of Communication & Media

In partnership with Redwood Library & Athenaeum (All proceeds will benefit both newportFILM & the Library)

6:00 PM Wines by Jonathan Edwards Winery & Hors d’oeuvres by IsaCooks

7:00 PM Film, followed by a Q&A session with Director Ben Lewis & film participant/founder of Internet Archive Brewster Kahle, moderated by Director of University of Rhode Island’s Harrington School of Communication & Media Renee Hobbs

There will be limited tickets available for purchase at the door.

Run time: USA / 90 min
Directors: Ben Lewis
Producers: Carles Brugueras, Bettina Walter
Google And The World Brain
This is a past event

…intriguing … H.G. Wells wasn't far off when he imagined the future being home to a 'world brain'. Lewis' documentary isn't that different from the science fiction author's own forward thinking.

Hollywood.com

The message of this beautifully crafted film is that the Internet is exactly half of what you think it is… 'Google and the World Brain' is a masterful documentary. It will undoubtedly have an effect on anyone who sees it.

Indiewire

Whatever Sundance is, it has fine documentaries. 'Google and the World Brain'. A whip-smart examination of the pros and cons of Google's desire to digitize every book on Earth.

Los Angeles Times

A useful step forward in a conversation most of us don't realize we should be having... Doc offers convincing reasons to pay more attention to Google's utopian schemes.

The Hollywood Reporter

Endlessly fascinating and engaging...It's probably the best documentary you'll see all year...I'll be stunned if this doesn't end up on the Oscar doc short-list. 

Film shown in partnership with