International Premiere
Though often relegated to a footnote in the aftermath of 9/11, the Battle of Seattle — otherwise known as the 1999 Seattle World Trade Organization protests — was a watershed moment foreshadowing 21st century American politics. Tens of thousands of peaceful protesters gathered in downtown Seattle in opposition to the antidemocratic effects of the WTO shaping economic globalization; in response, officials vilified the demonstrations, while ordering police forces to respond with escalating militarized force and tactics.
Painstakingly arranged from thousands of hours of archival footage — from protesters’ personal camcorders, police propaganda, news reports, bystanders — director Ian Bell reconstructs events with a panoramic view of the conflict from every possible perspective, revealing how narratives were constructed and manipulated in real time along ideological lines. An immersive experience exposing the myopic machinations of politicians and corporate interests in the face of democratic, nonviolent protests, it’s also breathtakingly prescient; a preview of present-day American politics, injustice, and the consolidation of power.
Oct 7: Q&A
Presented by
Community Partner
USA
2025
English
Book Tickets
Credits & Director
Executive Producer
Rachel Price
Producer
Laura Tatham, Alex Megaro, Ian Bell
Editor
Alex Megaro, Ian Bell
Original Music
Third Coast Percussion
Ian Bell
Ian Bell is the creator of VICE’s Source Material, a first of its kind found-footage news series. His short documentary, 808: How We Respond (2018), premiered at Sheffield Doc Fest, was in competition at AFI Docs, and won Best Documentary Short at the Tallgrass Film Festival. As a supervising producer at VICE News he contributed to the Emmy-nominated VICE on Showtime, VICE News Tonight, and VICE Special Report. Bell is an alumnus of Washington Filmworks’ Innovation Lab, Champs-Elysees US in Progress, Gotham’s Spotlight on Documentaries, and No Borders Film Market.
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
Late Fame
Based on a novella by Arthur Schnitzler (Eyes Wide Shut) this is a sly, poignant comedy about vanity and art from director Kent Jones, starring Willem Dafoe as a mailman belatedly acclaimed for a book of poetry he wrote in his youth.
Memory of Princess Mumbi
In 2093, a filmmaker arrives in the African village of Umata, where he meets Princess Mumbi, a woman torn between love, legacy, and the future of storytelling. It's a fabulous genre-blending fable about memory, invention and cinematic resistance.
Lessons of Darkness
Werner Herzog's unforgettable documentary reveals the unfolding disaster of the Kuwaitian oil fields in flames in 1991 as a sweeping inferno of mesmerizing power.
Beau Travail
Inspired by Herman Melville's Billy Budd, Claire Denis' transfixing Beau Travail is set in East Africa. Sgt Galoup (Denis Lavant) reflects on his time in the French Foreign Legion, and the impact of the handsome Sentain (Gregoire Colin).
But I'm a Cheerleader
Megan (Natasha Lyonne) is the perfect All-American Girl, or so she thinks. That is until she’s shipped off to conversion therapy. This pitch black comedy is wrapped in a saccharine bow, featuring the icon herself, RuPaul, as a conversion counsellor.