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Saturday, June 14
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WTO/99

Director

Ian Bell

Executive Producer

Rachel Price

Producers

Laura Tatham, Ian Bell, Alex Megaro

Archival Producer

Debra McClutchy

Editors

Alex Megaro, Ian Bell

Consulting Editor

Co-Editor

Assistant Editor

Cinematographer

Additional Cinematography

Music

Sound

Narration

Contact

Ian Bell wto99llc@gmail.com

From November 30 to December 3, 1999, tens of thousands filled the streets of downtown Seattle to protest the World Trade Organization (WTO) and its impact on the environment, human rights, and labor—marking the largest demonstrations against economic globalization the U.S. had ever seen. The protests brought together anarchists, environmentalists, labor unions, consumer advocates, pro-democracy groups, and religious organizations in direct action, aiming to dissuade world leaders from supporting the WTO and raise awareness about the future it would create.

Built from over 400 hours of never-before-seen footage, WTO/99 reanimates the ideological conflicts that drew thousands into the streets, hoping for a better future. This immersive visual artifact captures the pivotal week when 40,000 protesters—initially dismissed as rabble-rousers but now seen as prophetic—warned of environmental collapse, a disappearing middle class, and the consequences of China’s inclusion in the WTO. They were met with extreme violence from a militarized police force, an all-too-fitting prelude to a new century defined by the U.S.’s failure to address climate change and escalating state aggression.

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Ian Bell

Director, WTO/99

Ian Bell is the creator and director of VICE’s Source Material, a first-of-its-kind found footage news anthology series. Ian is the executive producer of the series In The Cards, which premiered at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival, and the producer behind Inspector Ike (Factory 25), which won the Jury Prize at the New Orleans Film Festival. His short documentary 808: How We Respond premiered at Sheffield DocFest, screened in competition at AFI Docs, and won Best Documentary Short at the Tallgrass Film Festival. His latest work, Mass Shooting America (Tubi), examines the impact of mass gun violence in America. Ian was a supervising producer at VICE News, where he contributed to the Emmy-nominated VICE on Showtime and VICE News Tonight, which won the Emmy for best Nightly News Cast in 2021.

Ian is an alumnus of Washington Filmworks’ Innovation Lab, Champs-Élysées US in Progress, as well as IFP’s Spotlight on Documentaries and No Borders Film Market.

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