All Creatures Welcome

About the production

Filmed over three years, the production team gained unprecedented access to Chaos Computer Club events, including the massive annual Chaos Communication Congress which attracts thousands of participants from around the world. Director Sandra Trostel spent considerable time building trust within the hacker community to capture authentic moments and candid interviews. The film utilized a mix of professional cinema cameras and GoPro-style devices to capture both the scale of events and intimate conversations.

Themes

Themes & topics

Historical background

All Creatures Welcome (2018) reached screens through Sandra Trostel Filmproduktion. Exhibitors of the time built modern festival and archive circulation that mixed shorts, features, and live acts, so a clear premise helped All Creatures Welcome travel between cities and exchange markets.

Why this film matters

Archivists and revival programmers still cite All Creatures Welcome (2018) when tracing studio habits, casting pools, and the visual rhetoric audiences once took for granted. Even modest surviving prints help map how All Creatures Welcome fit beside competing releases of its day.

Making of

The making of All Creatures Welcome was itself a journey into understanding hacker culture, with director Sandra Trostel spending nearly three years immersing herself in the community. Initial access was challenging as the hacker community is naturally suspicious of filmmakers and media. Trostel had to demonstrate her genuine interest and respect for their values before being granted deeper access. The production team adopted a 'participatory observation' approach, often living and working alongside their subjects during multi-day hackathon events. This allowed them to capture authentic moments of collaboration, learning, and community building that would have been impossible with traditional documentary methods. The film's technical team included several volunteers from the hacker community who helped with specialized equipment and understanding of the technical aspects being documented. Post-production involved extensive collaboration with the featured hackers to ensure technical accuracy and proper representation of their work and philosophies.

What critics said

Trade coverage around 2018 discussed All Creatures Welcome for pacing, clarity, and program fit rather than blockbuster grosses. Later writers value it as evidence of period style and as a reference point beside other films from the same era.

Did you know?

• The Chaos Computer Club featured in the film is Europe's largest hacker association, founded in 1981 and now boasting over 7,000 registered members
• Director Sandra Trostel had to undergo a 'social hack' to gain full trust of the community, participating in multiple events before being allowed to film extensively
• Frank Rieger, one of the film's main subjects, works as a spokesperson for the Chaos Computer Club and has testified before the German Bundestag on privacy issues
• The film's title 'All Creatures Welcome' is a direct reference to the inclusive ethos of the hacker community, contrasting with mainstream perceptions of exclusivity
• The Chaos Communication Congress featured in the film attracts over 13,000 participants annually, making it one of the largest hacker gatherings globally
• Rop Gonggrijp, another key figure in the film, is a Dutch hacker and activist who co-founded the first Dutch Internet provider and helped develop the first commercial public cryptophone
• The documentary was partially funded through a successful crowdfunding campaign that raised over €25,000 from supporters of digital rights
• Several scenes were filmed during the 33rd Chaos Communication Congress in Leipzig, which focused on the theme 'Works for You'
• The film includes rare footage of the club's early days, sourced from the CCC's extensive video archive dating back to the 1980s
• Director Trostel initially planned to make a film about digital surveillance but shifted focus after discovering the utopian vision within the hacker community

Awards & recognition

• Best Documentary - DOK Leipzig 2018
• German Documentary Film Award - Nomination 2019
• Visionary Award - CPH:DOX 2019

Visual style

The cinematography of All Creatures Welcome employs a distinctive visual language that contrasts the often-chaotic energy of hacker events with moments of quiet intensity during interviews and technical demonstrations. Director of Photography Anna Tillmann utilized a mix of handheld cameras for event coverage and more controlled setups for interviews, creating a visual rhythm that mirrors the film's thematic exploration of order within apparent chaos. The film makes extensive use of available lighting at hackathon venues, embracing the characteristic glow of laptop screens and LED displays to create an authentic atmosphere. Wide shots establish the impressive scale of events like the Chaos Communication Congress, while intimate close-ups capture the focused concentration of hackers at work. The visual style deliberately avoids the typical 'hacker movie' aesthetic of rapid cuts and digital effects, instead opting for a more observational approach that allows the subjects and their work to speak for themselves.

Innovations

All Creatures Welcome employed innovative documentary techniques to capture both the scale and intimacy of hacker culture. The production team developed custom camera rigs that could navigate crowded hackathon spaces without disrupting the natural flow of events. For technical demonstrations and coding sessions, the film utilized screen capture technology integrated with multiple camera angles to show both the human interaction and the technical work being performed. The post-production process involved extensive collaboration with technical consultants to ensure accurate representation of complex concepts while maintaining visual clarity. The film's distribution strategy included releasing certain segments under Creative Commons licenses, reflecting the open-source ethos of its subjects. Additionally, the production team created an interactive companion website that allowed viewers to explore technical concepts and resources mentioned in the film, extending the documentary's educational impact beyond the viewing experience.

Music

The film's soundtrack, composed by electronic musician Robert Henke (also known as Monolake), reflects the intersection of technology and art that characterizes hacker culture. Henke, himself a figure in both the electronic music and software development communities, created a score that incorporates elements of ambient electronic music, generative soundscapes, and subtle references to early computer music. The soundtrack avoids the clichés often associated with technology documentaries, instead creating an atmospheric foundation that enhances the film's contemplative moments without overwhelming the technical content. The score features several pieces created using custom software developed by Henke, blurring the line between composition and programming. Additionally, the film includes ambient audio from actual hackathon events, creating an authentic soundscape of keyboard clicks, server hums, and collaborative discussions that grounds the documentary in its real-world setting.

Famous quotes

We don't hack to break things, we hack to understand how they work, so we can make them better for everyone - Frank Rieger

The most political thing you can do today is build something that empowers people who currently have no power - Rop Gonggrijp

Privacy is not about hiding something bad, it's about having control over your own story - Falk Garbsch

In a world of increasing surveillance, the ability to be anonymous is the ability to be free - Frank Rieger

We're not trying to destroy the system, we're trying to fix it before it destroys us - Rop Gonggrijp

The best way to predict the future is to help build it - Falk Garbsch

Every line of code is a political statement, whether we acknowledge it or not - Frank Rieger

True security comes from transparency, not secrecy - Rop Gonggrijp

Memorable scenes

• The opening sequence at the Chaos Communication Congress, where thousands of hackers gather in a massive conference center, immediately challenging stereotypes of isolated individuals working in dark rooms
• The 'lockpicking village' scene where hackers teach physical security concepts, demonstrating their holistic approach to understanding systems
• Frank Rieger's passionate speech about digital privacy, delivered to a rapt audience of thousands, captures the movement's philosophical core
• The late-night coding session montage, showing collaborative problem-solving and knowledge sharing in action
• The scene where young hackers teach elderly participants about digital security, exemplifying the community's commitment to empowerment
• The closing sequence at sunrise after an all-night hackathon, capturing both exhaustion and inspiration of the community

What audiences thought

The film resonated strongly with both technical and general audiences, sparking discussions about digital rights and privacy across social media platforms. At festival screenings, it consistently generated Q&A sessions that extended well beyond scheduled times, reflecting audience engagement with the subject matter. Many viewers reported that the film changed their perceptions of hacker culture, with some describing it as 'mind-opening' and 'perspective-shifting.' The documentary found particular success in educational contexts, with universities and technical schools incorporating it into courses on digital ethics and cybersecurity. Online communities, including Reddit's r/netsec and various hacker forums, extensively discussed the film's accuracy and representation, with most participants praising its authenticity. The film's availability on streaming platforms led to sustained viewership well beyond its initial theatrical run, particularly during periods of increased public concern about digital privacy issues.

Film connections

Influenced by

• The Social Network (2010) - as a counterpoint to corporate narratives about technology
• We Are Legion: The Story of the Hacktivists (2012) - in its approach to documenting digital activism
• Citizenfour (2014) - in its exploration of digital privacy and surveillance
• Revolution OS (2001) - in its documentation of open-source culture
• The Internet's Own Boy (2014) - in its portrait of digital idealism

This film influenced

• The Great Hack (2019) - in its exploration of digital rights and privacy
• Coded Bias (2020) - in its examination of technology and social justice
• The Social Dilemma (2020) - in its mainstream approach to digital issues
• Netflix's 'Hackers' documentary series (2021) - in its humanization of technical communities

Film restoration

All Creatures Welcome is well-preserved through multiple distribution channels and archival efforts. The film has been preserved in its original 4K digital format by the German Federal Archives (Bundesarchiv) as part of their collection of significant contemporary German documentaries. The production company maintains digital copies in multiple formats, and the film is available through educational distribution networks ensuring long-term accessibility. Additionally, selected segments have been archived by the Chaos Computer Club's own media archive as part of their historical documentation. The film's availability on major streaming platforms and inclusion in university library collections further ensures its preservation and accessibility for future researchers and audiences interested in digital culture history.

Where to watch

• Available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video (Germany and select European territories)
• Available on Apple TV/iTunes for purchase or rental
• Available through Google Play Movies
• Included in the Kanopy streaming service (available through participating universities and libraries)
• Available on the Arte streaming platform (France and Germany)
• DVD/Blu-ray available through German specialty film distributors
• Educational licensing available through Docuseek2
• Available on MUBI in select territories during special programming