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G E N E R A L M A G I C - T H E M O V I E
The General Magic documentary captures one of the most influential failures in Silicon Valley history—told through rare archival footage filmed inside the company as it happened, before anyone knew how the story would end.
S Y N O P S I S
In 1990, a small team of engineers left Apple to build the future. They envisioned a handheld computer that would connect everyone to everywhere—touchscreens, networked communication, app stores, emoji. It was the smartphone, fifteen years before the iPhone.
They worked around the clock. They slept in bunk beds at the office. They believed they could change the world. The company raised $200 million, partnered with Sony, Motorola, and AT&T, and went public on NASDAQ. Then it collapsed.
But the people didn't disappear. Tony Fadell went on to co-create the iPod and iPhone, then founded Nest. Andy Rubin built Android. Kevin Lynch created Dreamweaver for Macromedia, then went on to lead the Apple Watch. Megan Smith became U.S. Chief Technology Officer. Pierre Omidyar founded eBay. The modern mobile ecosystem—the platforms and technologies now shaping billions of lives—was built by people who learned their craft at General Magic.
This is a film about ambition, heartbreak, resilience, and the human cost of being right too soon. It's also a film about what happens next—when the people who failed spectacularly get a second chance to build the future.
A W A R D S / A C C O L A D E S :
World Premiere | Tribeca Film Festival
Best Documentary | Phoenix Film Festival
Best Documentary | Los Angeles Film Awards
Best Documentary | Napa Valley Film Festival
Best Documentary | Arch1 Festival of Film Festival
Best Documentary | Irvine International Film Festival
Best Documentary | Montana International Film Festival
Best Documentary | Santa Cruz International Film Festival
Best Documentary | Williamsburg Independent Film Festival
THE FILMMAKERS
From Left to Right:
ADAM GREENUP (Associate Producer), JAY MAUDE (Cinematographer), REYNOLD D'SILVA (Executive Producer), FAWNA XIAO (Production Manager), MABEL EVANS (Production Assistant), DEE GARDETTI (Co-Producer), CLAIRE FERGUSON (Senior Editor & Co-Producer), STEVE MALLER (Aerial Co-Ordinator), SARAH KERRUISH (Director, Producer & Writer), EMMA SINCLAIR (Development Producer), MATT MAUDE (Director, Producer, Cinematographer, Writer & Additional Editing), TOBY WARREN (Post Production Manager & Assistant Editor), MICHAEL STERN (Executive Producer), CLARE WILLAN (Production Co-Ordinator), ANNA MELLER (Editor), CERIDWEN TALLETT (Story Team and Co-Producer), KEITH FERREIRA (Associate Producer)
Learn From Silicon Valley Legends
C A S T
The team that built the future — before anyone knew what the future looked like. This award-winning documentary features legendary members of the original Macintosh team alongside young, future creators, all who brought us the technologies we rely on today.
T O N Y F A D E L L
Co-inventor of the iPod and iPhone, founder and former CEO of Nest Labs, Principal at FutureShape, and NYT Bestselling Author of Build: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making.
M E G A N S M I T H
Engineer and humanitarian, former U.S. Chief Technology Officer within the Obama Administration, former VP at Google and co-founder of The Malala Fund and shift7.
J O A N N A H O F F M A N
Member of the original Apple Macintosh team, Head of Marketing at General Magic and the woman who famously stood up to Steve Jobs.
