Startup.com

Every citizen has the right to apply for a fishing permit in the middle of the night. This is more or less the idea behind govWorks.com, a creation of the two friends Kaleil Isaza Tuzman and Tom Herman. Their website allows direct access to the municipal authorities for services such as applying for a driver’s license, or paying a parking ticket online. With this brilliant idea, the two manage to raise $ 60 million  in investments within a short time and transform govWorks.com from a two-man operation into an enterprise employing 200 people. The documentary closely follows the rise and inevitable fall of the company. Best friends since their schooldays, Tuzman and Herman are confronted with success, stress in their relationships and at work, and some very stiff competition. The enormous pressures that come along with this life in the fast lane also take their toll on their friendship, the tragic low being a conflict around the leadership of the company and the subsequent rift between the two chums. The camera, omnipresent without becoming obtrusive, infallibly unveils the subdued tensions and intimate emotions. Old hand Chris Hegedus (, ) and newcomer Jehane Noujaim have turned this boys’ adventure tale into a poignant and personal document.