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
Köln 75
The true story behind the greatest solo concert in jazz history, this is Keith Jarrett's legendary 1975 Köln Concert — as organized by 18-year-old rebel music promoter Vera Brandes. Fun, inventive and feminist, it's the Bend It Like Beckham of jazz films.
Nollywood: Filmbusiness African Style
If you've wondered how one of the world's highest-producing film industries sustains itself, this documentary breaks down the inner workings of Nigeria's most lucrative creative economy, the second largest film industry in the world according to UNESCO.
Frankenstein
Frankenstein and Guillermo del Toro might have been made for each other. The movie does not disappoint, a ripping yarn of grand adventure, spectacle, hubris, passion and XXL body parts, a tale of the fantastic that rings the imagination. Screening in 35mm.
Train Dreams
A lovely, ruminative movie set in the Pacific Northwest in the first half of the last century. Robert (Joel Edgerton) is a lumberjack, a taciturn man who comes to appreciate the life slipping between his fingers.
