We Are Legion

We Are Legion: The Story of the Hacktivists is a 2012 documentary film about Anonymous, directed by Brian Knappenberger. It was first screened on January 20, 2012 at the Sundance Film Festival. Topics covered include 4chan, Project Chanology and background about hacktvism. The film won Best Picture at the Downtown Film Festival, and Best Documentary at the Fantasia Film Festival. Quotes They are kind of the rude boys of hacktivism. There's a rude rough edge to them, which I think also is one reason why they garner so much love and hate from people too. They represent a certain sort of chaotic freedom. Gabriella Coleman The hacker ethos has a passion for truth. It wants what's real to be out there. And it uses kind of a Philip K. Dick definition of reality: Reality is that when you stop believing in it, refuses to go away. Richard Thieme We stand for freedom. We stand for freedom of speech. The power of the people. The ability of them to protest against their government. To right wrongs. No censorship, especially online, but also in real life. Anonymous (group) We have members throughout society, at all stratas of it, worldwide. Yet we have no leadership. Anonymous (group) It's one voice, it's not individual voices, that's why we don't show our faces, that's why we don't give our names. We're speaking as one, and it's a collective. Anonymous (group) You want to see Anonymous rise up - try to shut down the message. Try to squash the message. Try to chill our speech. Then you'll see what Anonymous can do. Anonymous (group) It's my community. It's my culture. I identify with Anonymous. Anonymous (group) Production thumb|We Are Legion filmmakers. From left: John Dragonetti (composer), Brian Knappenberger (director/writer/producer), and Andy Roblerston (editor). I was kind of mesmerized by what was going on. This is an attempt to define that culture. Film director Brian Knappenberger, quoted in — Doug Gross Anonymous members speak out at surreal SXSW panel March 13, 2012 CNN Austin, Texas http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/13/tech/web/anonymous-sxsw/ We have studied closely but are in no way affiliated with Anonymous. Brian Knappenberger, quoted in — The Daily Caller November 7, 2011 http://dailycaller.com/2011/11/07/anonymous-to-release-self-aggrandizing-documentary/ Documentary in the works praising ‘Anonymous’ hackers About Writer-director Brian Knappenberger takes an inside look at Anonymous, the collective of 'hacktivists' who take civil disobedience to the Internet. Sean P. Means The Salt Lake Tribune December 16, 2011 Utah Slamdance goes for the offbeat in annual Park City film festival An intimate look inside the world of Anonymous, the radical 'hacktivist' collective that has redefined civil disobedience for the digital age. Slamdance Film Festival Park Record Park City, Utah January 13, 2012 Slamdance announces Narrative and Documentary competition films We Are Legion might be the first to portray the group’s members as true revolutionaries, and it could serve as a time capsule if the kind of online sit-ins and retaliatory strikes that Anonymous has helped create become the new model for civil disobedience across the globe. http://www.wired.com/underwire/2012/01/we-are-legion-documentary/ Wired News Anonymous Documentary We Are Legion Peels Back Hacktivist Group’s History Angela Watercutter January 22, 2012 Conde Nast Anonymous, the collective of skilled hackers, has put fear into the hearts of businesses and governments across the globe. Documentary filmmaker Brian Knappenberger delves into the history of other "hacktivists" and draws a line to the loose-knit community of folks fomenting civil disobedience through technological resources. The film includes interviews with current members of Anonymous, writers and academics. Matthew Odam March 8, 2012 Wrapping up the top movies and panels Austin American-Statesman Texas T20; Section: Austin360 Knappenberger's film chronicles the rise of Anonymous from a disparate group hanging out in the forums of notorious website 4chan to the day recently when members of the Polish parliament, in protest of a vote they said would restrict Web freedom, donned their own Guy Fawkes masks in solidarity with the group. Doug Gross Anonymous members speak out at surreal SXSW panel March 13, 2012 CNN Austin, Texas http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/13/tech/web/anonymous-sxsw/ Essential viewing for those frustrated by the media's seeming inability to digest one of our moment's most important stories, We Are Legion offers an impressive introduction to an amorphous movement that is alternatingly demonized, caricatured and misunderstood by outsiders. Colorful and substantive enough to sustain a theatrical run, it will likely stand for some time as an excellent point of entry for the non-hacker public. March 20, 2012 The Hollywood Reporter http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/sxsw-2012-we-are-legion-review-302134k John DeFore We Are Legion: SXSW Review Brian Knappenberger’s film about tech-savvy activist organizations like Anonymous, WikiLeaks, and LulzSec is a nimble, multi-faceted look at the formation of leaderless global protest movements in the last decade or so. April 26, 2012 http://www.nowtoronto.com/guides/hotdocs/2012/story.cfm?content=186433 Now Toronto Toronto, Canada We Are Legion: The Story of the Hacktivists Norman Wilner We Are Legion has almost impossibly high production values. This is a documentary, but it is a documentary for the children of the Internet era. It has narrative and plot structure; it has aesthetics; it has design and artistic value. http://thirdcoastdigest.com/2012/09/we-are-legion-anonymous-and-the-new-era-of-activism/ Ryan Findley Third Coast Digest September 29, 2012 “We Are Legion”: Anonymous and the new era of activism Vital Media Group See also Freedom of speech Freedom of the press Internet Wikileaks External links We Are Legion We Are Legion We Are Legion, official website We Are Legion: The Story of the Hacktivists - Trailer, YouTube 2177843 We Are Legion We Are Legion, Rotten Tomatoes Category:Documentary films Category:2012 films Category:2010s American films