Algorithm Takedown
2023 · 4m · USA
Directed by Alex Budovsky
Tones: darkly comic, provocative, tense
An animated music video addressing digital manipulation and algorithmic influence on society, featuring music by legendary drummer Lenny White and lyrics performed by rapper Walter West, with animation synchronized to the beat and wordplay.
Picked by Zoe
The scouts
Animated rap music video about algorithms by a Miles Davis drummer and a Russian animator — sounds like a TED Talk that learned to scratch. The Oscar long-list pedigree on a four-minute novelty earns a glance, not a seat.
A four-minute music-video critique of platform manipulation with Cannes World Festival pedigree, yet the form (hip-hop conscious lyric with animation) sits closer to commercial work than curatorial cinema. Earnest but slight.
4 minutes, Cannes World Festival 2023, Oscar Long List — but only 4.4K views and a thin YouTube footprint, which makes me cautious that the hand-craft might not match the institutional ambition. Lenny White + Walter West is a genuinely interesting collaboration spine; I'd watch but reserve full enthusiasm.
Reviews
Mind-blowing... so groovy, albeit dealing with a serious topic of concern to everyone.
Qualified for the Academy Award, making it to the Oscar Long List for Best Animated Short.
Festivals
- Cannes World Film Festival 2023, Nominated for Best Music Video and Best Song
- Vegas Shorts Film Festival 2023, Nominated for Best Animation
- Martha's Vineyard International Film Festival 2023