Absolutely fucking searing. A meltdown portrait of triumphant immediate success and retrospective powerlessness. Especially indictive of a complicit bootlicking media. Can't wait to watch BLM/20 in 2046.
Cinemas
Directed by Ian Bell
WTO/99
A grounded, gritty documentary.
Documentary
2025
1h 40m
3.9(861)via Letterboxd
An immersive archival documentary that reanimates the clash between the then-emerging World Trade Organization (WTO) and the more than 40,000 people who took to the streets of Seattle to protest the WTO's impacts on human rights, labor, and the environment.
Where to watch
1WTO/99 is showing in 1 cinema in Los Angeles - next screening Sunday 16 August at 16:20 at Laemmle Glendale.
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WTO/99 showtimes, refreshed every morning
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Cast & crew
1What people say
There is no human problem on Earth that cannot be made worse by the presence of a police officer
93MFF '25 Film #9This is an astonishing archival feat. Not only immediate and thrilling but it does so in the hopes of rejuvenating the collective rage that was felt at the end of the 20th Century. The film goes even further and rightfully makes the claim that this anger has never dissipated, merely unleashed for different causes - a snapshot of the WTO '99 protests could be given a vertical aspect ratio and an IG live sheen and it would look just like the summer of 2020 after the murder of George Floyd. Brilliant structuring, also. Too often in archival documentaries, the aesthetic takes an advantage and it's difficult to place yourself in the geographical reality of the space. WTO/99 travels day by day, from one intersection to the next, while providing a balance of vital street footage and news reels. As spectators, we're constantly comparing the reality of the situation with journalists and broadcasters attempting to smother the valid political reasoning behind the protests. What happened that week and what was sold to the general American public watching at home are two entirely different things. When the film cut from footage of one of the activists to footage from one of the cops on active duty, the two sides unknowingly acknowledging the other via camcorder, my heart sank. This is what great documentaries can do.
Common questions
What is WTO/99 about?+
This immersive documentary utilizes extensive archival footage to chronicle the 1999 World Trade Organization protests in Seattle, examining the clashes between demonstrators and authorities.
Who directed WTO/99?+
Ian Bell directed the 2025 film, which reconstructs historical events using footage from over a thousand hours of archival recordings.
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