George Clooney says “There’s Never Been a More Important Time to Talk About Disinformation”

Friedrich Moser Film GmbH in association with SIE Films, The Front Corner, SideXSide Studios, Rebel Entertainment are delighted to announce that their documentary HOW TO BUILD A TRUTH ENGINE, written and directed by Austrian documentary filmmaker Friedrich Moser and executive produced by George Clooney and Grant Heslov, will have its UK premiere at Leeds International Film Festival on 4th November following its European premiere in Vienna on 13th October and its world premiere at SXSW.

Disinformation and conspiracy theories have reached a level unwitnessed since the turmoil of the 1930s. Feature documentary, HOW TO BUILD A TRUTH ENGINE, portrays a crack-team of investigators from the fields of technology, journalism, folklore and neuroscience who show that if you hack the information feed, you can hack somebody’s mind. Following their personal journeys they take us from the information battlefields into the inner workings of the human brain and show how – through us – a web of lies can change reality.

Executive Producer George Clooney said: “There’s never been a more important time to talk about disinformation. Friedrich walks us through this complex world in painstaking detail. It’s like a slow moving train that everyone can see but no one can stop. At least this time we can’t say we weren’t warned.”

Writer/Director Friedrich Moser said: “I am grateful for George’s and Grant’s support and thrilled to announce that my film will finally have its European and UK premieres, after having had packed screenings at SXSW earlier this year!

I think this film could not be more timely ahead of the US elections, with disinformation and deep-fakes continuing to flood social media and our societies.

We really need to look into why we as humans are so prone to fall for falsehoods. This is exactly what the film reveals – a deeper understanding of our vulnerability, and what we can do about it. Because, as one of my protagonists says in the film, if we lose a grip on the truth, we lose our civilisation. Losing that grip is closer than what most people think.”

Friedrich Moser is also the cinematographer and leading producer of the film, with producers Ivan Williams, Robert Rippberger and Amina Bayou joining him from California. Tonmoy Monsoor, Patrick Lechner, Jamie Coughlin Silverman, Gabriel Silverman, Natalie Marciano, Rock Jacobs, Matthew Spain serve as executive producers, with David Jay Lasky and Batia Parnass being co-executive producers.

The film was produced by Friedrich Moser Film GmbH with support from the Austrian Film Institute, Film Industry Support Austria and broadcaster ORF, and in association with SIE Films, The Front Corner, SideXSide Studios and Rebel Entertainment.

The European Premiere is at Vienna’s gorgeous Gartenbaukino on Sunday 13 October, 16:00 and is the kick-off event for the film’s theatrical release in its home territory.

The UK Premiere is at the Leeds International Film Festival on 4 November, 20:00 at the Everyman Cinema, which marks the beginning of the film’s international festival tour.