-
Title
-
Hippies From Hell
-
Description
-
Documentary about the Hippies from Hell community that played an important role in the introduction of the internet in the Netherlands. Contrary to other European countries, in the Netherlands the first internet providers were organized around independent groups of tinkerers, artists, engineers, programmers, encryption specialists and, indeed, 'hackers'. Artist, filmmaker and journalist Ine Poppe, as well as her son Zoro, were part of this community. Poppe presents an intimate portrait of a closely knit group of people, their social structure and (sub-) culture. Hippies from Hell is a historical document that provides an insight in the background, the motives and strategies of the trailblazers of the internet in Europe. We follow Ine Poppe in her exploration of the Hippies from Hell community she became a part of around the end of the last millennium. Poppe interviews one of the kingpins of the Dutch (and international) hacker movement, Rop Gonggrijp, other community members and shows the community during activities like parties and dinners. The film elaborates on one of the popular hacker-hobbies: lock picking. An important moment in the film (spoiler alert!) is when an undercover agent for the Dutch police is exposed during a lock pick activity. Hippies from Hell shows the journey of the maker exploring the span-width of the word 'hacking' as a mentality rather than its general meaning of breaking into computer systems. It also indicates the importance of the Hippies from Hell community during this intense moment in tech-history. (imdb)
-
Date Issued
-
1 June 2002
-
Identifier
-
ark:/45490/bIizhd
