Someone’s Filming A British Movie Titled ‘iBrotha’ -- No, Really

by , 10:00 AM EST, March 29th, 2002

While eating lunch here at The Mac Observer Towers, a few of us spit Jolt Cola out of our nostrils when we read that Brit film director Jake Barnes is seeking actors for his short movie titled -- get this -- "iBrotha," a film about people who love their Macs.

You can guess who we would suggest for the starring role.

According to an article at Macworld UK,

the movie tells the story of a man so passionate about the platform that he turns into well-known revolutionary leader, Malcolm X.

Now, we most definitely know who should star in this movie :-)

Seriously, though; we contacted the director and he reveals that came up with the idea independent of our own iBrotha:

People's devotion to the Mac can touch on the fanatical/ religious, hence the use of Malcolm X to portray this. It's an affectionate look at Mac radicalism but also a recognition that it's a bit silly. By equating the popularity of an OS with a human rights struggle we can show the lack of perspective that sometimes affects Mac heads.

It's also something I've passed through myself. There was a time when the highlight of my day was the updating of Macsurfer's and I would go into shops just to check the Macs were running fine and at optimum levels (virtual memory off, cursor blinking on fast etc.) . But that's mostly passed now.

Seems to have struck a chord with people on the race and platform level. The reaction's been almost unanimously good. It's also a London thing, style, attitude and music wise. Copland is a yoot.

So, if you're in the London area, love the Mac and want to flex your inner thespian muscles, send an e-mail to Barnes. According to Macworld UK, he's looking for people to play the roles of "Copland," the main character; "Newton," Copland's right-hand man; another character who is the “founder and spiritual leader of the Temple of Mac”; yet another character who is “a Rastafarian from Birmingham [probably not Alabama]”; and one more character who is “an overweight mid-forties software programmer”; among others.

The filming will occur over four days in June in London. Actors will be paid £38 plus expenses per day. Upon completion, Barnes plans to enter the film in as many major competitions as he can, thanks to support from the British Film Council.

Still interested? Write the director at jake@hiphop.com.

The Mac Observer Spin:

What we want to know is did the director talk to Rodney O. Lain about using his stage name? And if so, how much is the iBrotha getting for rights to his name? Seriously, we know that Rodney isn’t the litigious type, but we are glad that the “iBrotha” name is reaching across the ocean to broader audiences.

Macworld UK's Article