3 films chronicle IBM's century of innovations

MANILA, Philippines - IBM is marking its 100th year as a company of innovators and inventions through a series of documentary films that chronicle the ways in which the company has changed the world through scientific and technology achievements and the “IBMers” who have been behind those breakthroughs.

The three films take the viewer on a series of journeys through IBM’s past, present and future.

The first film, “100 x 100,” features 100 people who describe an IBM achievement that took place the year they were born.

Joe Pytka, one of the most influential and prolific commercial directors, shot “100 x 100.”

The second film, “They Were There,” shot by Oscar-winning documentary director Errol Morris with music by famed composer Philip Glass, examines the leaders and inventors behind some of IBM’s most noteworthy contributions such as the invention of the UPC code, helping put a man on the moon, and the launch of the first mainframe computer.

The third film, “Wild Ducks,” now being filmed by Oscar-winning Davis Guggenheim, director of “An Inconvenient Truth” and “Waiting for Superman,” seeks to capture the spirit of invention and risk that defines the character of IBM.

“We are a company with a rich heritage of creative and forward thinkers who have made a profound impact on the world,” said James Velasquez, country general manager of IBM Philippines.

“While each centennial film has a specific purpose, each one represents a way for us to celebrate the people who have made IBM great, and speaks to IBM’s legacy of progress and innovation,” Velasquez added.

Created by long-time agency partner Ogilvy & Mather, the film series was produced to capture the ways IBM has changed the world.

The films look back at IBM’s earliest developments in computers to the ubiquitous bar codes on everyday products, to the world-changing breakthroughs in computer science.

The stories are told in the voices of IBM employees, capturing the real emotional depth and significance of these achievements.

The series is all about showing IBM’s real culture through the values of its people. The technology achievements are matched by the focus the company has on its employees and its business leadership in hiring disabled workers, promoting and training women, even being the first company to provide life insurance and other benefits.

To find out more information on IBM’s centennial, visit www.ibm100.com.