WTO/99
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Synopsis
An immersive archival documentary that depicts the four-day clash between the then-emerging World Trade Organization (WTO) and the 40,000+ people who took to the streets of Seattle in 1999 to protest the WTO Conference and the WTO's impact on human rights, labor, and the future effects of continued globalization.
Letterboxd User Reviews
3.9
1.3K
566
545
- Mar 1, 2025
There is no human problem on Earth that cannot be made worse by the presence of a police officer
Willy EvansMay 3, 202593 MFF '25 Film #9 This 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…
SilentDawnNov 16, 2025Perhaps surprisingly, this pairs really well with the Lilith Fair documentary as a statement on the difference between what my generation could have been (pluralistic idealism changing the world) and what it actually ended up as (political theatre in the face of state…
Sean Gilman - Feb 28, 2025
just such confident archival magic here. think just a couple reviews ago i said archival is always memory, which of course is true here, but the way it's organized makes it feel something more akin to a fever dream. also recognizes that you can still have talking heads with…
arlinMar 1, 2025Some documentaries just feel like a sock to the mouth. 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 (which feels akin to “Riotville USA,” another…
Robert DanielsDec 17, 2025Can’t stop laughing and crying as I witness the violent birth of the only world I’ve ever known
smalloceanwater - Nov 7, 2025
Blood boiling and vital. I don’t know how anyone can be alive and not be viscerally angry all of the time.
MarcusMar 1, 2025A masterpiece of archive, editing and intention that reminds you what movies are capable of. Instant classic status.
Abby OlceseFeb 19, 2026In retrospect, this feels like the last gasp of the old world, the one before venture capitalists bought up all the houses and the public voluntarily submitted to surveillance by fascist billionaires in exchange for an endless, mind-numbing scroll.
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Atom Users Reviews
Metacritic
Dec 5, 2025
While what we see on the streets of Seattle is engrossing and, at times, even startling, the lack of a singular protagonist keeps us from becoming as emotionally invested in the ultimate outcome of the protests as we might.
Tom O’Brien
Next Best Picture
Dec 5, 2025
One of the more fascinating elements of the documentary WTO/99, directed by Ian Bell, is that while it visually suggests a relic, the political observations feel as predictive as they are reflexive.
Dan Mecca
The Film Stage
Dec 1, 2025
WTO/99 sets out to correct misrepresentation by corporate media about the aims of the movement, but that attempt is hampered by the recycling of much of the same news footage from news broadcasts.
Steven Scaife
Slant Magazine
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is WTO/99?
The movie is 1hr 42min long.
What's WTO/99 about?
An immersive archival documentary that depicts the four-day clash between the then-emerging World Trade Organization (WTO) and the 40,000+ people who took to the streets of Seattle in 1999 to protest the WTO Conference and the WTO's impact on human rights, labor, and the future effects of continued globalization.
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