SOPHIA

California Premiere


TRAILBLAZERS | MIND THE GAP | DOC

US 2022, 89 min, Director: Crystal Moselle, Jon Kasbe

An exploration of brilliance and frailty in the pursuit of artistic perfection, Crystal Moselle and Jon Kasbe’s documentary follows ingenious but unsettled roboticist David Hanson as he and his team struggle to create Sophia, the most lifelike artificial intelligence ever built. Although at odds with investors, short of funds to live his own life, and dealing with a seemingly never-ending series of glitches in Sophia’s development, Hanson’s belief never wavers, even as pressure mounts to deliver a final product ready for the consumer marketplace. Equally fascinating is Sophia itself, which bristles at being the center of attention at showcases for potential backers, even while assuring audiences that it’s designed to help, not harm, people. A portrait of an uneasy inventor who just wants to work rather than deal with a world pushing and pulling at him, Sophia is a sharp study of the possibilities and limits of the human imagination. —David Riedel

Guests expected: directors Crystal Moselle and Jon Kasbe


Showtimes

Director

San Francisco native and Tamalpais High School graduate Crystal Moselle made her documentary feature debut with THE WOLFPACK (2015), winning the Sundance Film Festival’s documentary Grand Jury Prize. Her other documentaries include OUR DREAM OF WATER (2017) and UNTOLD: CAITLYN JENNER (2021). She made her narrative debut with SKATE KITCHEN (2018), and received a Gotham Independent Spirit Award nomination for Breakthrough Series – Shortform for BETTY (2020-2021). Jon Kasbe is a cinematographer, editor, and producer as well as a director. He made a number of documentary shorts before making his first feature documentary, WHEN LAMBS BECOME LIONS (2018). He previously worked with Crystal Moselle as a cinematographer on her film OUR DREAM OF WATER (2017).

Film Info

countries:

United States

Year:

2046

Running Time:

89

Director:

Crystal Moselle, Jon Kasbe

Producers:

Bits Sola, Jon Kasbe, Crystal Moselle, Sally Campbell, Tim Nash

Cinematographers:

Jon Kasbe

Editors:

Daniel Koehler, Enat Sidi, Jon Kasbe

Writers:

Daniel Koehler

Cast:

David Hanson

sections:

DOCS

venues:

Rafael 1
|
Rafael 2