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Three tech titles to take in at the Philadelphia Film Festival

From Oct. 18–28, get a behind-the-scenes look at the iPhone's real origin story, enjoy a dark sci-fi thriller or a Japanese drama lived in the Y2K cybersphere.

From the presentation by Jeremy Lewis and Hannah Nordgren at Brooklyn Internets January 2014 Meetup. Photo by Brady Dale.

For its 27th annual edition, the Philadelphia Film Festival will be showing 125 films at a handful of Philly theaters, including a few creator’s tribute to the world of technology.

From Oct. 18 to 28, the festival will open with a screening of the recovery-themed drama “Ben is Back,” starring Julia Roberts, and will include a Q&A with director Peter Hedges.

“2018 has proven to be an incredibly strong year for new film, and we’re thrilled to bring many of the most anticipated, exciting and original films to Philadelphia first,” said the event’s executive director J. Andrew Greenblatt. “The films premiering in this year’s Festival will be discussed and remembered for a long time to come.”

For the tech crowd, though, here are just three titles of interest:

“General Magic”

Before carrying a computer in your pocket became normalized, a trailblazing startup in Silicon Valley was prototyping its way towards the smartphone. This documentary tells the story of how a company named General Magic became a virtual unknown.

Ritz Five Theater, Oct. 22 and 23. 

“Empathy Inc.”

A flamed out venture capitalist is searching for redemption in a too-good-to-be-true virtual reality company. The black and white sci-fi thriller is the second piece from director Yedidya Gorsetman.

Philadelphia Film Center. Oct. 28.

All About Lily Chou Chou”

The 2001 Japanese drama harnesses Y2K-era cyberculture and the “downward spiral of two troubled, pop-music obsessed teens” playing out through online bulletin boards.

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