“Some documentaries just feel like a sock in the jaw. Ian Bell’s fiery and explosive archival picture WTO/99 is that kind of film. Built on local news footage, MiniDV videocassettes, CCTV images, and more, Bell’s charged film… takes viewers back to 1999, a moment when class united more than politics divided.” – Robert Daniels, RogerEbert.com

In late 1999, members of the emerging World Trade Organization convened in Seattle, Washington, for what was supposed to be a series of routine negotiations. Instead, they were met with one of the largest U.S. protests of global powers in the 20th century. Protesters from across the aisle representing everything from labor rights to environmental protections filled the streets in droves, with signs and video cameras in tow. Crafted from a stunning array of newscaster broadcasts and outtakes, citizen journalist tapes, home videos, and press conferences, WTO/99 is an entirely archival film chronicling this consequential four-day event. In a galvanizing, layered, and occasionally cheeky manner, a direct line unfolds between the WTO protests and the issues of corporate control and environmental degradation we still reckon with 25 years later.

Want to chart the degraded trajectory of the U.S. power elite even further? Then grab a ticket to the mind-melting mash-up film HELLO DANKNESS, which takes surrealistic satirical aim at our present political calamity. Together, these films form a double-header charting the precipitous decline of the AmeriKKKan ruling class.

WTO/99 is playing twice at Arkadin, once on Dec. 5 at 7 pm and again on Dec. 6 at 4:30 pm. Please make sure to select the correct showtime on checkout.