General Magic
Synopsis
Spun out from Apple in 1990 to create the ‘next big thing’, the ideas that now dominate the tech industry and our day-to-day lives were born at General Magic. The first smartphones. Social media. E-commerce. Even the beloved emoji. But this was before the web, before 3G, before Google, before everyone had a mobile phone in their pocket. The world was not ready in 1994 to hold the world in its hands. And though General Magic died, those concepts and the people who pioneered them went on to change almost everything.
Combining rare archive footage with contemporary stories of the Magicians today, this documentary tracks the progress of anytime, anywhere communication from a thing of sci-fi fiction in 1994 to a reality in our pockets and on our wrists today.
With members of the original Mac team and the creators of the iPhone, Android, eBay and more, this is the story of one of history’s most talented teams and what happens when those who dream big fail, fail again, fail better and ultimately succeed.
Official Selection Tribeca Film Festival 2018 - Spotlight Documentary - World premiere
Details
- Year
- 2018
- Type of film
- Features
- Running time
- 90 mins
- Format
- Digital
- Director
-
Sarah Kerruish, Matt Maude 1st Feature
- Producer
- Sarah Kerruish, Matt Maude
- Executive Producer
- Reynold D'Silva, John Giannadrea, Michael Stern
- Editor
- Claire Ferguson, Anna Meller
- Screenwriter
- Sarah Kerruish, Jonathan Key, Matt Maude, Michael Stern, Ceri Tallett
- Director of Photography
- Jay Maude, Matt Maude
- Sound
- Alastair Sirkitt
- Music
- Benji Merrison, Martin Phipps
- Principal cast
- Tony Fadell, Marc Porat, Megan Smith
- Film Image
- © Spellbound II Productions
Categories
Production Status
Production Company
US, UK coproduction
Spellbound II Productions (US), Left Eye Blind Productions (UK)
Left Eye Blind Productions
Matt Maude113 Hackney Downs Studios
London
E8 2BT
Sales Company
Cinetic Media
555 W. 25th Street, 4th FloorNew York
NY 10001
Page updates
This page was last updated on 12th May 2025. Please let us know if we need to make any amendments or request edit access by clicking below.
See also
You may also be interested in other relevant projects in the database.
Spacewoman
Director: Hannah Berryman
Year: 2024
A landmark feature documentary about astronaut Eileen Collins, the first woman to pilot and command the Space Shuttle.<br /> Eileen’s incredible journey starts with her smalltown beginnings, sees her smash through many glass ceilings, and culminates in four dramatic space shuttle missions, the last being possibly the most dangerous and most important of them all.<br /> At its heart the film is the moving human drama of one family, where a mother’s extraordinary career takes us straight to the big philosophical question of what is the level of acceptable risk in human endeavour? <br /> This film celebrates Commander Collins’ trailblazing NASA career which opened the way for women to become spacecraft pilots and commanders, and proved a perfect riposte to a previous generation of male astronauts who thought there was no place for women to lead the way in space. <br /> Official Selection DOC NYC 2024 - World premiere<br /> Official Selection CPH:DOX 2025 - European premiere
The Disco, a Portrait of Simon Eilbeck
Director: Alex Hetherington
Year: 2025
A 16mm sound and image experimental portrait of d/Deaf DJ Simon Eilbeck and the Queer, Trans, alternative and non-binary communities who gather at his monthly disco Hot Mess.
What About Gary?
Director: Tristan M Copeland
Year: 2025
WHAT ABOUT GARY is a raw and emotive documentary that delves into the tragic consequences of misinformation, exploring how conspiracy theories led to the death of Gary Matthews from Covid-19. The film intimately portrays the profound grief of Gary's family and friends as they grapple with this senseless loss.<br /> Director Tristan Copeland, Gary's cousin, questions the purveyors of these falsehoods, driven by a need to understand why they ensnared Gary. Through vérité footage, archival materials, and Gary's own paintings, the film explores Gary’s descent into a distorted reality, seeking the root causes of his susceptibility to misinformation.<br /> Shot during the pandemic in Shrewsbury, England, WHAT ABOUT GARY captures the isolation that made many, including Gary, vulnerable to manipulation. With kinetic editing, evocative camera work, and a poignant score, the film examines how society failed to protect its citizens from misinformation.<br /> A potentially controversial yet vital work that questions how conspiracy theorists wield such influence and whether others can be saved from similar fates. A cautionary tale for a world grappling with truth in the digital age, and a tribute to a life tragically cut short, driven by a need to understand why.