Transcendent Man (2009)

Director:

Robert Barry Ptolemy

Genre:

Documentary

Plot:

Ray Kurzweil is on a journey to bring his ideas to the world.

Plot Keywords:

Singularity | Kurzweil | Future | Technology | Transhumanism

Cast

Tom Abate	...	Himself
Hugo De Garis	...	Himself
Peter Diamandis	...	Himself
Neil Gershenfeld	...	Himself
Ben Goertzel	...	Himself
William Hurlbut	...	Himself
Dean Kamen	...	Himself
Kevin Kelly	...	Himself
Aaron Kleiner	...	Himself
Raymond Kurzweil	...	Himself
Sonya Kurzweil	...	Herself
Robert Metcalfe	...	Himself
Colin Powell	...	Himself
Philip Rosedale	...	Himself
William Shatner	...	Himself
Stevie Wonder	...	Himself
Kevin Warwick	...	Himself (uncredited)

Directed by
Robert Barry Ptolemy

Produced by
Joe Disanto	....	executive producer
Drew Dowdle	....	executive producer
John Erick Dowdle	....	executive producer
Oliver Luckett	....	executive producer
Felicia Nainoa	....	producer (as Felicia Ptolemy)
Robert Barry Ptolemy	....	producer
John Ramsay	....	executive producer
Wren Waters	....	executive producer
Doobie White	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Philip Glass

Cinematography by
Shawn Dufraine

Film Editing by
Meg Decker
Doobie White

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Don Schechter	....	second unit director

Sound Department
Russell Johnson	....	sound designer
Russell Johnson	....	sound re-recording mixer
Doobie White	....	sound designer

Camera and Electrical Department
Trevor Chamberlain	....	camera operator
Bruce Petschek	....	second unit director of photography
Don Presley	....	assistant camera
Dan Shimer	....	camera operator
Jason J. Tomaric	....	additional director of photography

Editorial Department
Amy K. Bostrom	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Trevor Gureckis	....	music editor: music preparation

Other crew
Daryl Blonder	....	production assistant
David Bouley	....	production assistant
Emma Cameron	....	production coordinator: San Diego
Erik Clabeaux	....	production assistant
Liz Jones	....	second unit production assistant
Sam Nainoa	....	production assistant
Seth Peterson	....	production assistant

Thanks
Sam Eigen	....	special thanks
Ehren Koepf	....	special thanks
Brian Sweet	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Ptolemaic Productions (in partnership with)
• Therapy Content

Distributors

• Isis International Pictures (2012) (Non-USA) (video) (Middle East)
• Mongrel Media (2011) (Canada) (DVD)

Runtime:

USA:83 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Filming Locations:

Brazil

Company:

Ptolemaic Productions

Trivia:

Will compete in the World Documentary Feature Competition at the Tribeca Film Festival 2009.

Efficient Documentary Mostly Stays Out of the Way of the Mesmerizing, Thought-Provoking Material it Presents

One part biography, one part brain food; as an appetizer to the thought path of noted futurist Ray Kurzweil, it can be difficult at times to separate fact from fragment over the course of this documentary. Kurzweil's favorite subject is one of increasing relevance, perhaps even by the minute: he seeks to pinpoint the moment of so-called "singularity," when mankind's built-in body chemistry will finally cross the line into his rapidly-developing technological and biological know-how. In short - how soon will we be able to back up our thoughts and feelings to an external hard drive, what sort of moral and philosophical arguments will be made for and against the practice, and where will the ball of wax roll after that debate is behind us? Though its post-production effects can get a bit over-the-top at times, reminding viewers more than once of the over-ambitious "world of tomorrow" predictions popular in the 1950s, the film is largely successful at fostering a curious sort of fascination with the current point in history and the staggering number of possibilities present within our lifetime. Kurzweil himself is to thank for much of that, as his smooth, relaxed speaking gives the impression that anything is possible, even if (as some of his detractors point out during the film's apex) he completely overlooks humanity's tendency to use such moments for evil causes as well as good. Intensely interesting stuff that effectively sows the seeds of conception.