Documentaries taking no prisoners
JOHANNESBURG - Filmmakers are taking on Russian President Vladimir Putin, Elon Musk and AI itself.
It's all happening at the Encounters SA International Documentary Festival.
It kicks off in Cape Town and Johannesburg on 19 June and runs until the 29th.
The festival showcases documentaries from over 40 countries.
We discuss this with festival director Mandisa Zitha.
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Daily Maverick
6 hours ago
- Daily Maverick
Crossed Wires: Musk, Trump, Mountainhead and the epic battle for the reins of influence
The plot of the newly released film, Mountainhead, about four tech bros who have the power to move world opinion at the flick of an algorithm, feels very much like what is happening with Donald Trump and Elon Musk. Last week, a film called Mountainhead was released on HBO/Showmax. Social media has been all atwitter (sorry about the bad pun) since its release. The film is a darkly pointed satire, its four characters an amalgam of the world's most powerful tech barons. One of them, a guy called Venis, is inescapably Musk-ish, while the others are recognisable by personality and type, if not as specific people. The film's release coincided perfectly with the delicious and explosive outbreak of war last week between Elon Musk and Donald Trump and his party. Calling it 'delicious' calls into question my journalistic objectivity, I am sure, but when two of the world's most powerful and narcissistic men end up in a cage fight, it is a spectacle, and this writer is not immune to its pleasures. But they are transitory, these pleasures. There is more at stake here. Let's return to the film. Four tech bros gather in an ostentatious modernist monstrosity of a house in the mountains for a weekend of relaxation, alcohol, drugs and poker. Simultaneously, the world is aflame with violence stoked by AI-generated deepfake political videos which have been consumed by gullible populations. The four bros periodically glance at their smartphones where images of carnage and mayhem multiply in cities across the globe. They are interested, even fascinated, but they are not horrified, nor even are they disturbed. These are the little people killing each other as a result of tech that they have developed; the violence doesn't touch them in their gilded palaces and it is unimportant next to the grandeur of their visions. The plot, such as it is, springs from a falling out within the group, an attempted murder and an interpretation of friendship which ranks it significantly less important than their business transactions and desire for global dominance. Linking it to Musk's real-life outburst, there is a series of scenes in the film in which one of the characters is called by the US president and is put on hold. While he waits for the call to be put through, it becomes clear that none of the men gives a damn about what the president has to say. They have the power to move world opinion at the flick of an algorithm; their financial and human reach is incalculable. They see themselves as gods. Mere politics is the common man's delusion. This feels very much like what is now happening IRL. Musk has gone full tilt against his erstwhile supporters in Congress and the cabinet (including the president), presumably because he has calculated that he has more power to shape US opinion than the entire administration and its acolytes. The Tweet War – how it started The spat started slowly, with these two Musk tweets: 'I'm sorry, but I just can't stand it anymore. Shame on those who voted for [the budget]: you know you did wrong. You know it.' A short while later he ratcheted it up a notch… 'In November next year, we fire all politicians who betrayed the American people.' This was about as great a challenge to the GOP as one can imagine. Musk was threatening to use the full power of his bullhorn to unseat elected GOP members. Then it exploded, leaving even battle-hardened political journalists gasping. Trump, predictably, hit back with his own comments about his disappointment in Musk amid a few other choice barbs. Musk went nuclear: 'Time to drop the really big bomb. Donald Trump is in the Epstein files. That's why the FBI won't release them. Have a nice day DJT.' (This tweet has since been deleted; one wonders why.) Oof. There's no coming back from that. And it didn't stop there, as the veiled and not-so veiled threats continued on X from Musk and on Truth Social from Trump. Why did Musk start this war? There are a couple of unanswered questions here. First, what prompted Musk to start this war? There are a few possible scenarios: Like the boys in Mountainhead, perhaps he believes he has more power to shape public opinion than the entire GOP machine in Washington (or anywhere else), and he intends to use it. He is saying: the president's opinion doesn't matter as much as mine. Or, perhaps he is simply a child throwing his toys out of the cot because Steve Bannon and other GOP influencers have accused him of lying about Doge cuts and succeeded in getting him ejected from Washington. Or, he was so messed up on ketamine that he didn't know what he was doing. Or, he was furious that Trump had nixed his choice for head of Nasa, Jared Isaacman. Or, he is doing this to reclaim some respect from the Democrats, to scare up some Tesla sales and right his listing commercial ship. Perhaps he was really annoyed about being excluded from a $400-million armored EV contract by the State Department, especially after his pally relationship with the president. Or, he thinks the budget will hurt his companies, particularly Tesla which will lose its tax incentives. Or, perhaps he really does think the budget is catastrophic for the US and is just speaking his truth to power. My bet is on a combination of the first and the last scenario – he really does believe that X is the biggest weapon in history, his to wield as he sees fit, and he really does objectively hate the budget. What does Musk want? The second, more bewildering question concerns Musk's endgame. Where did he imagine this was going to lead him? Did he even think about the consequences of his tweets, particularly the threats to congressmen and what amounted to accusing the president of being a paedophile? I have tried to put myself in Musk's head (a stretch, I know), but I simply cannot see what his objective might be. Perhaps it is this: he launched an X poll last Friday asking whether it was time for a third political party, a centrist party. Presumably he wants to be its architect and founder. It has been tried many times before by big personalities in US history, most recently in the 1970s. They were all spectacular and embarrassing failures. That is not how US politics works, so good luck with that. Which leads us back to Bannon (now seemingly back in favour at the White House). In his Friday tweet he urged that Musk should be expelled as an illegal alien. Were it to happen, it would be the ultimate irony. There is one thing we can say, with reasonable certainty. Unless there is a rapprochement (unlikely, given that insults have been hurled and cannot be taken back), Musk will use X against Trump and Maga, probably all the way to the midterms in 2026. One of his whining tweets claimed that Trump would have lost to Kamala Harris without his financial and social media support, which is probably accurate given the mere 44,000 votes that separated them in the electoral college. A finely targeted X campaign could definitely influence the midterms, at least at congressional level, which could defang the president. And those who claim that no one can shake the absolute power of Trump would do well to recall that Trump's most recent favourable ratings were less than 50%, while Musk's were more than 75%. Who runs the world now, in these most chaotic of times? Governments? Or social media titans with their grandiose aspirations for humanity, like Venis in Mountainhead? We are about to find out. DM Steven Boykey Sidley is a professor of practice at JBS, University of Johannesburg, a partner at Bridge Capital and a columnist-at-large at Daily Maverick. His new book, It's Mine: How the Crypto Industry is Redefining Ownership, is published by Maverick451 in South Africa and Legend Times Group in the UK/EU, available now.
eNCA
a day ago
- eNCA
Documentaries taking no prisoners
JOHANNESBURG - Filmmakers are taking on Russian President Vladimir Putin, Elon Musk and AI itself. It's all happening at the Encounters SA International Documentary Festival. It kicks off in Cape Town and Johannesburg on 19 June and runs until the 29th. The festival showcases documentaries from over 40 countries. We discuss this with festival director Mandisa Zitha.
The South African
2 days ago
- The South African
Andrew Garfield set to portray Sam Altman in new drama ‘Artificial'
Luca Guadagnino, the acclaimed director behind Call Me By Your Name and Challengers , is gearing up to direct a gripping new film titled Artificial , starring reportedly Andrew Garfield. This film will be centred on the dramatic 2023 saga at OpenAI. The film will recount the extraordinary events surrounding the brief firing and swift rehiring of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Andrew Garfield is reportedly circling the lead role of Altman himself. This project marks a swift pivot for Guadagnino, who was previously slated to direct the DC Studios film Sgt. Rock , now postponed, according to The Hollywood Reporter. With Artificial , Guadagnino moves from war stories to the cutting-edge world of artificial intelligence. He will bring a sharp, cinematic eye to a real-life corporate thriller that captivated the tech world and beyond. Andrew Garfield, fresh from his role opposite Florence Pugh in We Live in Time , will soon to appear in Guadagnino's upcoming After the Hunt . The actor is no stranger to complex, layered characters. His involvement promises a compelling portrayal of Altman. Altman's 2023 ousting from OpenAI sparked a revolt among employees and investors, culminating in his reinstatement after just five days. Joining Garfield are Monica Barbaro, known for her scene-stealing role in A Complete Unknown . Monica is expected to play OpenAI's chief technology officer Mira Murati. Yura Borisov, the breakout star from Anora , will portray Ilya Sutskever, the co-founder who initially pushed for Altman's removal. Simon Rich pens the screenplay, describing it as a comedic drama that blends humour with the high-stakes tension of AI's rapidly evolving landscape The production is racing ahead at Amazon MGM Studios, with filming planned for this summer in San Francisco and Italy. This rapid timeline reflects the urgency and relevance of the story. The story can resonate strongly with people familiar with the global impact of AI technology and corporate governance. David Heyman and Jeffrey Clifford of Heyday Films are producing alongside Rich and Jennifer Fox, with Amazon MGM backing the project. Luca Guadagnino has established a strong collaboration with Amazon MGM by directing Challengers and the upcoming After the Hunt for the studio. Garfield commented on the project. 'Portraying Sam Altman offers a rare chance to explore the human side of a tech revolution that's reshaping our world. It's a story about leadership, trust, and the power of ideas — themes that resonate everywhere, including here in South Africa.' With a reported budget of around R350 million (converted from approximately $20 million USD), the filmmakers have positioned Artificial to become a major cinematic event. This film may offer a fascinating glimpse into the global AI debate, humanising the figures behind the headlines. It can also allow people to explore the ethical and personal challenges at the heart of technological innovation. Artificial promises to be a must-watch, combining star power, a topical story, and a director renowned for his emotional depth and visual flair. As filming gears up, all eyes will be on Garfield and Guadagnino to deliver a film that captures the zeitgeist of the AI era with wit and insight. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
