OPEN is a documentary film project in the early stages of development.  The aim is to make a feature length film for cinema, web, and TV distribution that will tackle the history, philosophy, and contemporary developments in the mushrooming culture of open source working. We are currently looking for stories, working out what the film will cover and how it will be told. In keeping with the ethos of the open source movement, we’ve decided to be unusually public-facing during this early stage of the process, and are making an open call to enlist the help of anyone interested in shaping the content and progression of the project.

Director Emily James has been circling around the subject for a while, reading, attending conferences, hanging out in hack-spaces, talking to ‘experts’, and generally trying to find the story to tell. She has received a great deal of healthy encouragement from people such at Paula Le Dieu, Cory Doctorow, Brett Gaylor and Becky Hogge, among others. There seems to be a consensus that an entertaining, well researched and well told doc could really contribute to the wider understanding and further development of the open source movement.

“It seems to me that there is a conversation happening within more technically minded circles, which needs to be translated to a wider audience. Those in the know can see that open source represents a potentially seismic shift in the architecture of society, and yet outside of the initiated this message largely falls on deaf ears, due to lack of understanding. I hope that this project will help bridge that divide, and bring more people into the conversation.” Emily James

So, we invite you to come help us make this film – suggest stories, interviewees, reading, or anything you think we need to know about. Frame the subject: what is open source? Support us by investing in the film, or join the team: we’ve got a number of roles to fill, from web producer, to WP experts, camera ops and editors, as well as a long list of little tasks that need to be taken on.

Already a number of heavy-weights from the doc world have come forward to be part of the project. We’re pleased to say that fellow filmmaker Mark Kitchell has recently become attached as US producer, and documentary editor extraordinaire Kurt Engfehr is signed on to edit. Their participation helps us feel confident that this film will indeed come together, but it’s going to take a whole lot more help, so pile on and let’s get going!