it's not all fiction
While there are few cyberpunk movies, there are even fewer documentaries on the subject. "Cyberpunks" and "cyberspace" are often mentioned in passing, but few that i have seen actually address the concept of cyberpunk. Perhaps there are more out there, but I've been keeping an eye out and haven't caught them.
if you do want to pursue the factual side of cyberpunk, you should definitely read "The Hacker Crackdown" by Bruce Sterling.
documentaries
"Cyberpunk"
Produced by Peter von Brandenberg, Directed by Marianne Trench. © Intercon 1992. Distributed in Australia by Fineline Films.
The best documentary on cyberpunk i've ever seen... even given that it's actually the only one i've come across dedicated in its entirety to the movement. It covers everything from computer crime, cp as an aesthetic, industrial music, "mind machines", smart drugs, advanced prosthetics and other interesting things.
It has dated a little now because it was produced before the boom of the information superbandwagon (spot the 9600 modem...), but the message is still pertinent. It's also startling to see just how right some of the predictions are. A note for William Gibson fans: this doco includes an on-screen interview with the man himself, telling the hard drive story and talking about a project he'd heard of working to develop a way to let blind people watch TV. This was before the release of Virtual Light, so... maybe.
The Cutting Edge "Hacker Attack"
For the Discovery Channel, © 1994
An interesting study of hacking/computer-related crimes, "Hacker Attack" was very serious in driving home the gravity of the situation but generally managed to contain the hysteria and alarmism. It takes a fairly factual approach, and is basically impartial - both sides are given a fair hearing, IMO. Traces of the extreme can be detected but they are not the focus of the documentary - big brother tendancies of the authorities are allowed to show around the edges, just as the militance of some hackers can be detected.
The documentary includes interviews with Phiber Optik (during his one-year prison term) and Emmanuel Goldstein (including a story about buying beer, which shows a lot about his feelings on the world). Topics range from hacking, trying to catch hackers, what can realistically be done, phone crimes and theft of intellectual property.
TCE is an excellent program, btw. It (they..?) did an excellent piece on Nike's marketing strategies, but that's another story.
The Cutting Edge "Hackers"
"Hackers" Neil Docherty, 2001
An excellent rundown on the evolution of hackers from "damn kids" to leading computer professionals. it goes into detail about the reality of computer crime and the fact that hackers and security experts have to come together to trade knowledge.
Beyond 2000 "Cyberspace"
It's not really a cyberpunk documentary, it's an early-ish report on internet. Because it was done fairly early in the net boom, it appears quite naive (but then, Beyond 2000 always did include a lot of speculation about where technology would/could lead). Virtual towns, Machine Screw broadcasting the first live gig on internet (according to them), ostensibly trying to make internet accessible for African-Americans. It talks about hackers and has a section on chat rooms and online "dating" that's pretty funny, really. It includes filming a realspace gathering for the patrons of what prides itself as being a raunchy chat room. I think the whole show was worth it just for that bit ;)
It also talks to Lori Anderson, who looks like she went in to make some quick bucks out of internet. She did some "performance art" type shows, visuals plus minimalist music, with her on stage reciting mindless drek she claims to be poetry. Really all she was doing was spouting web urls. Just because she could say "dotcom" and had made a web page she was considered some amazing new cyber-performer or something. I don't know, chalk another one up for the skivvy brigade.
Cyberpunk Films
[Reader suggestion; sent in by Andrew J. Holden]
"The Cyberpunk Educator" a literary and political study of 1980s
'cyberpunk' film, is composed entirely of TV, Video-Game, Film, and
Commercial footage from the 1980s. It uses the literary analysis
techniques developed by Northrop Frye to provide an incisive political and
social commentary on the 'cyberpunk' label.
Cyberpunk Films offer several works for download on www.cyberpunkfilm.com.