Suggests: JOYBUBBLES Screening at Sundance Film Festival

Joybubbles discovers he can manipulate the telephone system by whistling a magic tone. Born blind and yearning for connection, his early obsession unwittingly lays the groundwork for a subculture that shapes the future of hacking and technology.

A film as uplifting as its protagonist’s chosen name, JOYBUBBLES recounts the story of Joe Engressia, a lonely boy who turned his love for the telephone into a way to connect with the world. One of the first “phone phreaks,” protohackers who used technology to subvert the monopoly of the global telecom network, he defied a paternalistic, ableist society to fulfill his dreams of living an independent life — and insisted on having fun along the way. From operating the Zzzzyzzerrific Funline and adopting the name Joybubbles, to renouncing adulthood’s responsibilities and declaring himself a perpetual 5-year-old, he reclaimed a childhood haunted by trauma to spread joyful wonder to anyone willing to listen. Rachael…