In September 2011, The Occupy Wall Street movement propelled issues of economic inequality into the spotlight. 99% – The Occupy Wall Street Collaborative Film goes behind the scenes of the movement, definitively revealing what happened, and why. Personal stories imbue analysis of big picture issues with the real-world struggles of those compelled to take action, speak up, march, and risk arrest and brutality at the hands of oppressive police forces around the country. Supporters, participants, experts and critics shed light on why and how this movement took off with such explosive force, and ask what the next phase might encompass.
The film situates Occupy within the recent emergence of decentralized resistance movements that are challenging the top-down structures of corporate and governmental hierarchy. From the formation of new communities, to protestors and police battling in what many describe as the criminalization of protest, the film reveals a web of power and privilege that consolidates political power and wealth in the hands of a few elite players, while shining a light on the unrest this has caused amongst a diverse cross-section of people who call themselves the 99%.
Made in a unique and unprecedented collaboration of almost 100 filmmakers across the country, the production process of this feature film offers a uniquely diverse way of bringing context to the movement that has swept up America, and much of the world, with its story.
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