We Are Legion: The Story of the Hacktivists (2012)

A documentary on the workings and beliefs of the self-described "hacktivist" collective, Anonymous.

Director:

Brian Knappenberger

Writer:

Brian Knappenberger

Stars:

Anon2World, Anonyops, Julian Assange

3 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Anon2World	...	Himself
Anonyops	...	Himself - Anonymous
Julian Assange	...	Himself - Founder, WikiLeaks (archive footage)
Aaron Barr	...	Himself - Former chief executive, HBGary Federal
Barrett Brown	...	Himself
Adrian Chen	...	Himself - Editor, Gawker.com
Stanley Cohen	...	Himself - Defense lawyer (archive footage)
Gabriella Coleman	...	Herself - Researcher, McGill University
Joshua Corman	...	Himself
Josh Covelli	...	Himself
Peter Fein	...	Himself - Hacktivist
Mercedes Haefer	...	Herself
Homocarnula	...	Herself
Gregg Housh	...	Himself - Internet activist
Tim Hwang	...	Himself - ROFLCon

Storyline

WE ARE LEGION: The Story of the Hacktivists, takes us inside the complex culture and history of Anonymous. The film explores early hacktivist groups like Cult of the Dead Cow and Electronic Disturbance Theater, and then moves to Anonymous' own raucous and unruly beginnings on the website 4Chan. Through interviews with current members - some recently returned from prison, others still awaiting trial - as well as writers, academics and major players in various "raids," WE ARE LEGION traces the collective's breathtaking evolution from merry pranksters to a full-blown, global movement, one armed with new weapons of civil disobedience for an online world.

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Plot Keywords:

anonymous | civil disobedience | 4chan | wikileaks | scientology | 

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Genres:

Documentary

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 October 2012 (USA)

Also Known As:

Anonymous - L'esercito degli hacktivisti

Company Credits

Production Co:

Luminant Media

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in 30 Rock: Idiots Are People Two! (2012)

User Reviews

Clever documentary about the Anonymous collective

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.

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.