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Us Now
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<h2 id="synopsis">Synopsis</h2> <p>The <i>Us Now</i> website describes the project as an examination of the role of the internet, and more specifically <a href="/facts/Web_2.0/mn8W4Xnu">Web 2.0</a> in facilitating direct public governance without the need for politicians. The film tells the stories of the online mass collaboration projects such as <a href="/facts/Mumsnet/wGP7xf0X">Mumsnet</a>, <a href="/facts/CouchSurfing/DygsTg9Y">CouchSurfing</a>, <a href="http://www.slicethepie.com/">Slice the Pie</a> and <a href="/facts/My_Football_Club/6Ax97nyC">My Football Club</a> whose <a href="/facts/Self-organization/NSGBKxUa">self-organising</a> structures may "threaten to change the fabric of government."<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="release-and-distribution">Release and distribution</h2> <p>Us Now premiered at the <a href="/facts/Prince_Charles_Cinema/dtTQgaba">Prince Charles Cinema</a> in December 2008 and was released in spring '09 for free online viewing.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a> All of the material generated during the project is available to view and download on a <a href="/facts/Creative_Commons_license/6AV3V7UJ">Creative Commons license</a> "and also encourages others to remix the core content with the 20 hours of footage available on the Us Now website (and presumably their own material) to draw other conclusions."<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a> Following release online the film was screened on Channel 4's More4 on 11 July 2009.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a> In late 2009 Us Now was the first film to be distributed on <a href="/facts/VODO/9ezprqD4">VODO</a>,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8"><sup>8</sup></a> a legal torrent distribution website, and received 100,000 downloads in its first five days of being available.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9"><sup>9</sup></a> The film has been translated and subtitled into 29 languages on the dotSUB<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10"><sup>10</sup></a> platform and has been screened in many locations across the world.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:11" href="#fn:11"><sup>11</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Electronic_direct_democracy/1a0hB6pK">Electronic direct democracy</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Open_source_governance/9k7tlB5r">Open source governance</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Participatory_democracy/4VekQMHp">Participatory democracy</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/E-democracy/1a0hB6pK">E-democracy</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Participatory_culture/YDlmSykF">Participatory culture and technology</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Collaborative_e-democracy/JEyfIHvI">Collaborative e-democracy</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Metagovernment/9k7tlB5r">Metagovernment</a>, international group of projects instantiating a vision similar to the one in this film</li></ul> <h2 id="external-links">External links</h2> <ul><li><a href="http://banyak.co.uk/#/us-now/">Official website</a></li> <li><a href="https://vimeo.com/4489849">Us Now</a> on <a href="/facts/Vimeo/3f9cQCEt">Vimeo</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1555154/"><i>Us Now</i></a> at <a href="/facts/IMDb_(identifier)/uWrqVYVy">IMDb</a></li> <li><a href="https://archive.org/details/VODO12UsNow"><i>Us Now</i></a> is available for free viewing and download at the <a href="/facts/Internet_Archive/PHStU8Lo">Internet Archive</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/5319535/Us-Now-and-social-networks-interview-with-director-Ivo-Gormley.html">Us Now and social networks: interview with director Ivo Gormley</a> on Telegraph.co.uk</li> <li><a href="http://www.estadao.com.br/noticias/tecnologia+link,acao-colaborativa-pode-mudar-forma-de-gerir-o-mundo,2911,0.shtm#">Ação colaborativa pode mudar forma de gerir o mundo</a>. Estadao newspaper (Brazil)</li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>"Us Now website". Usnowfilm.com. Archived from the original on 23 September 2009. Retrieved 15 September 2010. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090923120922/http://www.usnowfilm.com/" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20090923120922/http://www.usnowfilm.com/</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>Giridharadas, Anand (12 September 2009). "'Athens' on the Net (Published 2009)". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 6 May 2022. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/13/weekinreview/13giridharadas.html" target="_blank">https://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/13/weekinreview/13giridharadas.html</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>FourDocs Review Archived 23 January 2009 at the Wayback Machine <a href="http://blogs.channel4.com/fourdocs/2008/12/11/us-now-documentary-collection-action-via-the-internet/" target="_blank">http://blogs.channel4.com/fourdocs/2008/12/11/us-now-documentary-collection-action-via-the-internet/</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>"Financial Times Review". Ft.com. 20 February 2009. Retrieved 15 September 2010. <a href="https://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/ae12516c-fedf-11dd-b19a-000077b07658.html" target="_blank">https://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/ae12516c-fedf-11dd-b19a-000077b07658.html</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>York, Anna (15 May 2009). "Harvard Kennedy School of Government". Hks.harvard.edu. Archived from the original on 25 October 2012. Retrieved 15 September 2010. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20121025010204/http://www.hks.harvard.edu/news-events/news/articles/us-now-film-may09" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20121025010204/http://www.hks.harvard.edu/news-events/news/articles/us-now-film-may09</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>"Oliver Marks (ZD Net)". ZDNet. 4 March 2009. Archived from the original on 11 August 2011. Retrieved 15 September 2010. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20110811060419/http://www.zdnet.com/blog/collaboration/interview-with-us-now-collaboration-film-director/383" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20110811060419/http://www.zdnet.com/blog/collaboration/interview-with-us-now-collaboration-film-director/383</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:7"><p>"Channel 4". Channel 4. Retrieved 15 September 2010. <a href="http://www.channel4.com/programmes/us-now" target="_blank">http://www.channel4.com/programmes/us-now</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:8"><p>"VODO". VODO. Retrieved 15 September 2010. <a href="http://vodo.net/usnow" target="_blank">http://vodo.net/usnow</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:9"><p>Cooper, Sarah (19 October 2009). "Screen Daily". Screen Daily. Retrieved 15 September 2010. <a href="http://www.screendaily.com/news/digital/uk-ireland/100000-downloads-for-first-vodo-release/5007038.article" target="_blank">http://www.screendaily.com/news/digital/uk-ireland/100000-downloads-for-first-vodo-release/5007038.article</a> <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:10"><p>"DotSub". DotSub. 6 May 2009. Retrieved 16 April 2011. <a href="http://dotsub.com/view/34591ca8-0ef5-48fb-82e6-163a9f21298d" target="_blank">http://dotsub.com/view/34591ca8-0ef5-48fb-82e6-163a9f21298d</a> <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:11"><p>"Us Now Global Screening Project". Netsquared.org. 5 August 2009. Retrieved 15 September 2010. <a href="http://www.netsquared.org/blog/celinaagaton/the-us-now-global-screening-project" target="_blank">http://www.netsquared.org/blog/celinaagaton/the-us-now-global-screening-project</a> <a href="#fnref:11" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>