The Yes Men 2003

The Yes Men, subjects of this extremely funny documentary, are the consummate 21st-century guerrilla activists. Accepting invitations sent to their fake World Trade Organisation website, they have travelled the world appearing as global trade advocates at international gatherings of government and industry. With catchy Power Point presentations, and other peppy conference accessories, they speak out for the little-understood merits of re-legalised slavery, for example, or promote new technology to recycle hamburgers directly from McDonald’s toilets to the kitchens of starving Third-world nations. More often than seems possible they’re taken seriously, exposing the alarming readiness of certain educated, corporate audiences to accept anything that comes to them under the mantle of institutional authority. Outrageously cunning in their elaborate projections of the free-trade agenda, they’re seen here in preparation and in performance at the expense of CNN, students in the US, a ‘Textiles of the Future’ conference in Finland and a gathering of accountants in Sydney. — BG