Tom Hanks thriller ‘The Circle’ will have world premiere at Tribeca Film Festival

By Keith Nelson Jr. March 8, 2017

Technology is a part of almost every aspect of our daily lives, and some companies know more about us than we think. Tom Hanks and Emma Watson will explore this phenomena in a new tech thriller, The Circle, which will have its much anticipated world premiere at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival.

The Circle will be part of the festival’s Gala event, but a world premiere date is not yet set. Tribeca has confirmed with Digital Trends the film will premiere before its scheduled April 28 theatrical release. Along with The Circle, the festival’s gala event will feature the Daniel Kaufman-directed Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop: The Bad Boy Story documentary on the 20-year history of Sean “P. Diddy” Combs’ legendary Bad Boys Records.

Based on David Eggers’ 2013 novel of the same name, The Circle examines how perilous it is for technology companies to know everything about you at all times. In The Circle, Mae Holland — played by Watson — joins the powerful internet company The Circle and comes in conflict with new technologies the company has developed, including a lightweight camera that can live-stream video to the company all day.

Hanks plays Edmon Bailey, the founder of The Circle, who assumes a role similar to the one played in real life by Steve Jobs; visionary with a penchant for grandiose keynote speeches. Hanks’ character sums up the existential crisis the film explores when he remarks that, “knowing is good, but knowing everything is better.” No Facebook post, or jog on the beach is private from The Circle.

A film exploring privacy concerns caused by technology companies mirrors recent news about mass governmental surveillance. Wikileaks recently released thousands of documents detailing unknown hacking tools used by the Central Intelligence Agency. One of the revelations is that the CIA allegedly has a way to turn on the microphone and record from Samsung Smart TVs, even when they have been turned off.

You can find out how to get tickets to The Circle screening at the Tribeca Film Festival official website.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Keith Nelson Jr.

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Keith Nelson Jr is a music/tech journalist making big pictures by connecting dots. Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY he…

Entertainment

This action film is one of the most popular movies on Netflix. Here’s why you should watch it

the mother reasons why you should watch netflix action movie holding a rifle

The action genre is a tried and true formula that will never cease to be popular. It's often the spectacle of watching a sole individual achieve the impossible through the sheer force of will. And while the climactic moments of these films are often miles from reality, it's the power fantasy and the jolt of adrenaline these explosive sequences often deliver that make action movies so appealing. What ultimately makes or breaks an action film are the characters at the heart of the story. We'll return time and time again to watch Tom Holland's plucky Spider-Man experience the next big upset in his web-slinging career. And let's not forget Vin Diesel's Dom Toretto and his family of specialists who seem to hold an unshakeable power over death itself.

But in Netflix's latest offering, The Mother, the breathless velocity is laced with a serious edge. Jennifer Lopez sheds her rom-com persona and assumes a tough, surprisingly effective action-hero persona. As an expert assassin, Lopez must protect the child she gave up years ago from being killed by former associates who want both of them dead. The Mother is a lean, often brutal action movie, one that has proven to be a hit with audiences as it's one of the most popular movies on Netflix. Here's why you should watch it right now.
Jennifer Lopez shines in an action-heavy role

Audio / Video

Best streaming devices for 2023: Apple TV, Roku, and more

An Apple TV 4K sits on a media stand.

There now are so many ways for you to get all the shows and movies you want on all your favorite streaming services, be it Netflix, Max, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Disney+. For many, using whatever is built into to your TV is just fine. That could be one of the more popular streaming platforms, like Roku, Amazon Fire TV, or Google TV. But there are plenty of reasons to use an external streaming device, too.

The major players in the streaming device game — Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV, Google TV, Roku — are all fighting for your money, so we're here to make sure you throw it at the right streaming device for you and your budget, which typically ranges from as low as $30 to as high as $200.

Entertainment

Does Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse have a post-credits scene?

Miles Morales soars through the air in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is a big, bold, ambitious film. The long-awaited sequel to 2018’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse not only reaches the same visual and narrative heights as its predecessor but blasts past them — delivering a stylistic experience that is as overwhelming as it is rejuvenating. In case that wasn’t enough, Across the Spider-Verse also ends in a way that may be exciting to some and confounding to others, but is guaranteed to start discussions among everyone who sees it.

Along the way, Across the Spider-Verse packs in more than a few surprises, but do the film’s numerous shocking moments include a scene or two during its end credits? Here’s what viewers should know heading into the blockbuster’s release this week.
Is there a post-credits scene in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse?