PR Newswire

Trade Off - 1999 Seattle WTO protests documentary

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• published: 18 Dec 2014
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Released June 8, 2000 http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/trade-off---the-first-feature-length-documentary-about-the-wto-protests-in-seattle-set-for-world-premiere-73261062.html SEATTLE, May 22 /PRNewswire/ -- "TRADE OFF" -- the first feature-length documentary about the World Trade Organization (WTO) protests in Seattle -- will premiere at the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) on June 8th 2000. The film highlights five days in Seattle that shook the world -- November 28th through December 3rd, 1999 -- when the World Trade Organization's first meeting on U.S. soil was met with protests by tens of thousands of people. Transcending the violent media images of "The Battle in Seattle" that captured international headlines, TRADE OFF provides a substantive look at the issues that inspired the demonstrations and unified a broad coalition of activists, launching a new political movement. With appearances by activists, organizers, policy experts, and politicians, the film features, among many others, satirist Michael Moore, U.S. Senator Paul Wellstone, California State Senator Tom Hayden, Jello Biafra, and the music of the Laura Love Band and Spearhead. Shot entirely on location, this balanced overview of the week in Seattle weaves together a compelling visual tapestry of rallies, demonstrations, teach-ins, street action, press conferences, and interviews. The issues explored in "TRADE OFF" are those faced by civil society -- the effects of global trade policy on the environment, food and agriculture, labor and human rights, and the future of democracy around the world. These same issues also provided the inspiration for a unique cross-generational collaboration of emerging filmmaker Shaya Mercer and industry veteran Thomas Lee Wright, each with strong roots in the Seattle area. "When I heard that 50,000 people were descending upon Seattle to protest the World Trade Organization, I knew it had to be important," said Shaya Mercer, who makes her feature documentary directing debut with "TRADE OFF." "But when I looked further into the WTO, and learned how its policies affect every aspect of our lives -- from the air we breathe, to the food we eat, to our working conditions, and our very participation in the democratic process -- I knew I had to get involved, join the protests. And then my phone rang and it was Tom, and he'd had the same sense that this was big, and we agreed that it should be filmed. So instead of picket signs, we picked up cameras and hit the streets." Mercer, a Seattle native, was raised in the San Juan Islands, and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Film and Television Direction with high honors from Western Washington University. After ten years of experience in production, working on commercials, music videos, independent shorts and features, studio films, and the television show "Northern Exposure," Mercer was excited to capture the significance of the events unfolding in her home town. Mercer's mentor and "TRADE OFF" producer Thomas Lee Wright directed/produced the award-winning Discovery Channel documentary about gang members during the L.A. riots, "Eight-Tray Gangster: The Making of a Crip," which was selected by the Seattle, London, and American Film Institute-Los Angeles International Film Festivals and aired on television world-wide. As a screenwriter, he has worked for every major studio and authored the original screenplay for the Warner Brothers hit "New Jack City." Other projects have dealt with such volatile topics as the Irish Republican Army, Chinese Democracy Movement, and the Ramparts-L.A. police scandal. TRADE OFF is the inaugural project of Wright Angle Media LLC, a new multi- media entertainment company. Shot and edited on digital beta, "TRADE OFF" will be projected digitally at SIFF on the wide screen of Seattle's newly refurbished Cinerama Theatre on June 8th at 7:15PM, with a special press screening the week before. For more information on the film or to obtain an advance screening copy, please contact Celia Alario: 310-721-6517 or calario@hotmail.com. SOURCE Wright Angle Media LLC