Movies About Computer Science

From Brian Knappenberger, starring Aaron Swartz, Tim Berners-Lee, Cindy Cohn, Gabriella Coleman
Rated Not Rated

The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz is a 2014 documentary film directed by Brian Knappenberger. The film details the life of programming prodigy and information activist Aaron Swartz. It covers his involvement in the development of the basic internet protocol RSS, his co-founding of Reddit, and his work fighting for open access to information. The film also depicts Swartz's struggles with depression and his legal battles with the U.S. government. Ultimately, Swartz was charged with a variety of computer fraud charges, and took his own life in 2013 at the age of 26. The film serves as both an homage to Swartz’s life and an examination of how his story speaks to larger issues of the criminal justice system, freedom of information, and the power of the internet.

From Laura Poitras, starring Edward Snowden, Glenn Greenwald, William Binney, Jacob Appelbaum
Rated R

Citizenfour is a 2014 documentary film directed by Laura Poitras, chronicling the events surrounding the 2013 disclosure of classified information from the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) to the public that were leaked by Edward Snowden. The film follows Snowden from his home in Hawaii to Hong Kong and Moscow, and shows him working with journalists to expose the extent of the U.S. government's worldwide surveillance activities. It also features interviews with journalists and NSA whistle-blowers. The film provides an in-depth look into the story of Edward Snowden and the NSA’s massive surveillance program, and the backlash that followed.

From Seth Gordon, starring Steve Wiebe, Billy Mitchell, Mark Alpiger, Adam Wood
Rated PG-13

The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters is a 2007 documentary directed by Seth Gordon that follows the efforts of Steve Wiebe, a Seattle-area teacher, as he attempts to set a new Donkey Kong world record. The film follows the rivalry between Steve and Billy Mitchell, the current champion, who has held the title since 1982. The film follows the players as they compete at various Donkey Kong tournaments, with both men trying to achieve the high score of 874,600 points. As the story progresses, Steve and Billy's rivalry intensifies as each strives to be crowned the King of Kong. The documentary also follows other players, including Walter Day, the creator of Twin Galaxies, the organization responsible for tracking and verifying video game records. It also features interviews with Steve and Billy's family and friends, as well as other video game players and video game experts. In the end, Steve achieves his goal and is crowned the King of Kong.

From Cullen Hoback, starring Max Schrems, Moby, Mark Zuckerberg, Orson Scott Card
Rated Not Rated

From Oliver Stone, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Shailene Woodley, Melissa Leo, Zachary Quinto
Rated R

From Brian Knappenberger, starring Anon2World, Anonyops, Julian Assange, Aaron Barr
Rated Not Rated

From Werner Herzog, starring Elon Musk, Lawrence Krauss, Lucianne Walkowicz, Kevin Mitnick
Rated PG-13

From Alex Gibney, starring Julian Assange, Adrian Lamo, John 'FuzzFace' McMahon, Alex Gibney
Rated R

From Jeremy Snead, starring Sean Astin, Al Alcorn, Peter Armstrong, Cliff Bleszinski
Rated Not Rated