WTO/99

ERIC SAYS Few documentaries have the visceral immediacy of WTO/99. Built entirely from video captured as the events unfolded—seemingly sourced from news organizations, activists, police, World Trade Organization conference attendees, and passersby in a way that creates the illusion of an all-seeing eye–-Ian Bell’s documentary situates us in the 1999 Seattle WTO protests in Seattle with sometimes frightening immediacy. And as the tensions swell and conflicts erupt, we begin to sense a widening divide between the events we’re witnessing and the narrative the power structure spins.

WTO/99 brilliantly makes the case for the Seattle WTO protests as a watershed moment in modern history—one with urgent significance in understanding issues we face today. The militarization of the police, the proliferation of right-wing media and fake news, the collapse of our democracy into fascism, and the ever-growing power of multinational corporations all seem to be taking hold before our eyes in this film. WTO/99 accomplishes this convincingly and artfully, seamlessly weaving together primary sources in a bravura manner akin to Jason Osder’s Let the Fire Burn or the documentary work of Sergei Loznitsa. (Eric Allen Hatch)