99%: The Occupy Wall Street Collaborative Film

In 2011, seemingly overnight, Occupy captured the imagination of our nation – and the world. The sweeping story of the birth of a movement, 99% - The Occupy Wall Street Collaborative Film follows a disparate group of activists who converged on lower Manhattan’s Zuccotti Park to build a new society. Inspired by the idea that wealth and power were disproportionately wielded by an elite few, parks from Pittsburgh to Minneapolis to Jackson Mississippi were soon Occupied. But what did they want? And would their own processes hinder them in achieving it? As mainstream news failed to find answers, and with police forces around the country perpetrating indelible acts of violence against American citizens, established New York filmmakers Audrey Ewell and Aaron Aites decided to tell the story themselves - with a little help from their friends. Using an unprecedented production model that tested the processes - but was unaffiliated with - the Occupy Movement, over a hundred people across the US came together to craft this unique portrait. Now, after thousands of activists have been arrested and forcibly evicted from their encampments, the Occupation finds itself at a crossroad: what’s next? In an era of hopelessness and resignation, 99% offers a striking portrait of those who refused to accept the status quo, while analysis from activists, experts, and detractors finally brings the story into focus.