'The Current War' Lights up the Screen at the Fall KCET Cinema Series on September 24

Q&A immediately following with director Alfonso Gómez-Rejón.

Thomas Edison (Benedict Cumberbatch) and George Westinghouse (Michael Shannon), the greatest inventors of the industrial age, engage in a battle of technology and ideas that will determine whose electrical system will power the new century. Backed by J.P. Morgan (Matthew Macfadyen), Edison dazzles the world by lighting Manhattan using direct current (DC). Westinghouse and his partner Nikola Tesla (Nicholas Hoult) see fatal flaws in Edison's design and bet everything on risky and dangerous alternating current (AC). Tom Holland and Katherine Waterson also star.

Director Alfonso Gómez-Rejon was interested in exploring the ruthlessness it takes to win versus the desire to leave a legacy. “How far would you go to be remembered or to win was also a question that I had asked before reading the script, and wanted to explore that part of,” he said. “Hopefully people will see a period film that is modern and relatable, not stodgy and old-fashioned. They were young men rejecting the past and changing the world, and hopefully the film puts you in their shoes.”

The film screens at 7:00 p.m. at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica. Deadline’s chief film critic Pete Hammond, who can also be seen on KCET’s Must See Movies, will moderate a Q&A immediately following with director Alfonso Gómez-Rejón ("Me and Earl and the Dying Girl").

The fall season of the KCET Cinema Series is generously sponsored by Deadline.com. The season begins on August 13 and runs through October 1. Season passes are available online and individual admissions are available at the door for $30 each. The Aero Theatre is located at 1328 Montana Ave, Santa Monica, CA 90403 and nearby parking is available. To learn more about the series call 201.747.5238.