Big Brother is Watching: Schamus' Speech @ LFF

Bucking current trends in industry keynote addresses, James Schamus, studio head of one of the sole surviving indie labels, Focus Features, delivered a speech entitled "Lessons in Storytelling From the Department of Homeland Security: An Anti-keynote Speech" in which he highlighted the government's use (or abuse) of information collected during online purchases. While I'm sure the speech raised a few attendees' eyebrows, it's an interesting and worrisome topic that I hope people like Schamus will continue to report on.

The technological shifts of the last decade have only made it easier for our government to track and follow our every move. How long will it be until any purchase of questionable literature or video is followed by a call from a Homeland Security officer? The intersection between art and government can sometimes produce great work (see Europe's various film funds) but more often than not is a negative force of censorship, manipulation and control. The thought of using someone's artistic predilections as a weapon is frightening at best and a legitimate and pertinent concern as more and more content is purchased and consumed via the web.

#LFF: Schamus Delivers Lessons in Redacted Storytelling