CLOSING NIGHT FILM PRESENTATION!
Launched in 1982 by three friends at a Houston diner, Compaq Computer set out to build a portable personal computer. Standing in their way? IBM, the world’s most powerful tech company whose dominance of the computing sector was unrivaled. Many had tried cloning the industry leader’s code, only to be trounced by IBM and its high-priced lawyers. SILICON COWBOYS explores the remarkable David vs. Goliath story, and eventual demise, of Compaq, an unlikely upstart who altered the future and whose revolutionary ideas paved the way for the modern-day ubiquity of digital technology. Directed by Oscar®-nominated director Jason Cohen, this evocative film offers a fresh look at the explosive rise of the 1980’s PC industry, Compaq's three maverick founders, and is a refreshing alternative to the familiar hagiographic narratives of Jobs, Gates, and Zuckerberg. -Chris Metzler