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1971 (79' & 60')

Directed by Johanna Hamilton

  • “Exciting and enlightening...”
    The Hollywood Reporter
  • “A well-constructed, vividly detailed account... ”
    Variety
  • “...a cat and mouse thriller, told in well-handled reenactments...”
    The Wrap
  • “It's one of the best documentaries I've seen this year.”
    Michael Moore

From the Producers of E-TEAM and Executive Produced by Academy Award-nominee and Edward Snowden confidante Laura Poitras.

On March, 8 1971 eight ordinary citizens broke into an FBI office in Media, Pennsylvania, a town just outside Philadelphia, took hundreds of secret files, and shared them with the public. In doing so, they uncovered the FBI’s vast and illegal regime of spying and intimidations of Americans exercising their First Amendment rights.

On the night of the “Fight of the Century” boxing match between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, the activists, calling themselves the Citizens’ Commission to Investigate the FBI, picked the lock on the door of the small FBI field office. They took every file in the office, loaded them into suitcases, and walked out the front door.

Mailed anonymously, the documents started to show up in newsrooms. The heist yield a trove of damning evidence that shattered the wall of secrecy that had previously enveloped the FBI. The documents proved that the FBI was deliberately working to intimidate civil rights activists and Americans nonviolently protesting against the Vietnam War. The most significant revelations was an illegal program overseen by lifelong FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover knows as COINTELPRO – the Counter Intelligence Program.

Despite searching for the people behind the heist in one of the largest investigations ever conducted, the FBI never solved the mystery of the break-in, and the identities of the members of the Citizen’s Commission to Investigate the FBI remained a secret.

Until now.

For the first time, the members of the Citizen’s Commission have decided to come forward and speak out about their actions. 1971 is their story.

Told through a combination of exclusive interviews, rare primary documents from the break-in and investigation, national new coverage of the burglary and dramatic re-creations, the story of the Citizen’s Commission unfolds, with haunting echoes to today’s questions of privacy in the era of government surveillance.

For more info please visit: http://www.1971film.com/
"1971 in the New Yorker" In The Press
The New Yorker: This documentary, from 2014, by Johanna Hamilton, unpacks a crucial but little-known episode in modern political and journalistic history. MORE +
Bitch Flicks: Johanna Hamilton’s ‘1971’ - A Thrilling Portrait of ActivismMORE +
Yedioth Ahronot (Israel): 1971 featured, interview with burglars John and Bonnie RainesMORE +
New York Review of Books: 1971 in The Years of RageMORE +
Jerusalem Post (Israel): YES Docu to broadcast 1971 as a part of "10 Days of Movies That Will Make You Think Twice" seriesMORE +
Martha's Vineyard Times: The Martha’s Vineyard Film Festival announces summer schedule, includes 1971MORE +
CNN: Mistrust of U.S. surveillance has origins in 70s break-inMORE +
Financial Times: 1971 is an enthralling documentary about the burglary that lifted the lid on nefarious FBI activitiesMORE +
Radio Times: 1971 grips like a thriller...4 starsMORE +
The Times of London: 4 stars...1971 is a fascinating documentary that unearths the human story behind a burglary of the FBIMORE +
The Guardian: 4 stars...1971 is a compelling documentary about a real-life FBI scandalMORE +
Watch This Space Mag: I can only applaud Johanna Hamilton and what she has achieved with this masterpiece that is 1971.MORE +
Die Tageszeitung (Germany): In 1971, citizens subvert the FBIMORE +
Time Out: 1971 offers a remarkable insight into people power in action.MORE +
BBC Radio 3: Director of 1971 Johanna Hamilton discusses dissent and surveillanceMORE +
Filmmaker Magazine: A Different Approach to Dissent” - 1971 Director Johanna Hamilton and Whistle Blowers on Government AbusesMORE +
LA Times on 1971: It's Snowden before Snowden.MORE +
Next Avenue: '1971' Reveals the Break-In That Changed the FBIMORE +
LA Times: 1971 is one of Monday TV highlights. MORE +
PBS: Nine Movies about American Radicals including 1971MORE +
Way Magazine (Thailand): 1971 examines how a group of young people took on the US government. MORE +
Bangkok Cinema: 1971 in Bangkok as part of Doc Holiday series at SF World Cinema MORE +
SVT (Sweden): Edward Snowden was not first. In March 1971, broke eight ordinary Americans into one of the FBI's office.MORE +
BoingBoing: Burglars from 1971 film praised on the floor of the US CongressMORE +
The Nation: What I Learned From Breaking the Law, 1971 Doc Subject Speaks MORE +
Alibi: 1971 is a searing portrait of still timely (hello, Edward Snowden) political rebellionMORE +
Michigan Public Radio: 1971 tells the story of eight courageous citizens who unveiled the FBI's illegal actionsMORE +
Pasadena Weekly: 1971 illustrates what average citizens did to right social wrongsMORE +
Pop Matters on 1971: The story told here couldn’t be more significant or more timely.MORE +
Planet Siol: 1971 illuminates what led up to the first investigation into US intelligence agencies in its historyMORE +
The Film Corner on 1971: This is great filmmaking. It must be seen by everybody.MORE +
Now Toronto on 1971: As a look at the earliest iteration of America as a security state, it's essential.MORE +
One Movie Our Views: 1971 is an impressive achievement... a powerful companion piece to the Oscar-winning CitizenFour,MORE +
Philly Inquirer on 1971: Riveting, revelatory...3.5/4 stars.MORE +
Scene Creek on 1971: Cinematically stylish renderings of true events MORE +
New Yorker: 1971, including its cat-and-mouse aftermath, adds the intricate excitement of a thriller to righteous historical outrage.MORE +
Willamette Week: 1971 is an important documentaryMORE +
Maine Today: 1971 is a brisk, suitably tense tale of the power and pitfalls of youthful idealismMORE +
BOMB Magazine: Surveillance, J. Edgar Hoover, and effective activism. Interview with 1971 Director, Johanna HamiltonMORE +
News Blaze on 1971: Whistleblowers Reveal Controversial FBI Documents That Shocked AmericaMORE +
Blog Talk Radio: Law and Disorder Podcast with 1971 director Johanna Hamilton (AUDiO)MORE +
Big Picture, Big Sound on 1971: There is real tension here...3/4 stars.MORE +
Film Journal: Filmmaker Johanna Hamilton achieves something quite special with 1971MORE +
Blog Critics: 1971 is a superb and thrilling true accountMORE +
New America: In 1971, director Johanna Hamilton skillfully splices together archival footage and confessions (AUDIO)MORE +
Times Colonist on 1971: Genuine suspense generated during the heist matched by unexpected humour.MORE +
Santa Fe Reporter: It's astounding...1971 is a must-see documentary about this tumultuous period in American history. MORE +
Saint Augustine News: 1971 is a belated tribute to some fearless patriots MORE +
What (Not) To Doc: The true power of 1971 is its reminder of the dangers of unchecked powerMORE +
Independent UK: 1971 reveals how citizen burglars broke into FBI office and exposed huge abuse and public surveillanceMORE +
WNYC: Director Johanna Hamilton talks about her latest documentary 1971 (AUDIO)MORE +
Entertainment Weekly on 1971: A fiery truth-to-power documentaryMORE +
New York Times: In 1971, Stolen Files Reveal Spying on Antiwar Activists MORE +
Flavorwire: The Case for Reenactment in Documentary Cinema featuring 1971MORE +
Village Voice on 1971: A meditation on how felonies carried out to expose greater evils should be less punishable.MORE +
LA Weekly: 1971 is gripping from start to finishMORE +
CutPrintFilm: 1971 is equal parts informative and exciting — a perfect blend that many documentaries struggle to achieve.MORE +
The Dissolve: 1971 certainly has the urgency of the past speaking to the present.MORE +
NYC Movie Guru: 1971 is "riveting and illuminating"MORE +
Unseen Films: The great documentary 1971 opens FridayMORE +
Flavorwire: 1971 makes Guide to Indie Flicks to see in February MORE +
Wall Stree Journal on 1971: A mix of often humorous interviews, archival materials and well-staged re-enactments MORE +
Pasadena Weekly: Behind Every Mailbox and the 1971 BurglaryMORE +
The Stake: As a piece of cinema, 1971, directed by Johanna Hamilton, is excellently made.MORE +
Philly Mag: John and Bonnie Raines - The Whistleblowers Whose 1971 FBI Raid Anticipated Edward SnowdenMORE +
Hollywood Reporter: 1971 wins ABC Videosource Award at IDA Documentary AwardsMORE +
Zeit (German): Johanna Hamilton sheds light on the other side of the war - the deeply divided US society - in her film in 1971 MORE +
De Nieuwe Reporter (Holland) on 1971: Without a doubt, one the best stories this year.MORE +
Tip Berlin: 1971 reconstructs an early case of data theft in the interest of the common goodMORE +
Berliner Film Festivals (German): Be Mature As Human Rights Demand - 1971 at Kino ArsenalMORE +
Dutch News: 10 Documentaries You Must See at IDFA includes 1971MORE +
ExBerliner: 1971, Analogue heroesMORE +
Parool (Netherlands): 1971 selected as another 10 films not to miss at IDFAMORE +
Indiewire: 1971 nominated for Cinema Eye Spotlight AwardMORE +
Times Union: Lights and a lot of action - 1971 at Williamstown Film FestivalMORE +
Polska Times (Poland): 1971 selected as Special Doc at American Film Festival PolandMORE +
Krytyka: 1971 revealed the scale of illegal surveillance of citizens and citizens of the US government.MORE +
Modkraft (Denmark): Political Cinema Activism in 1971MORE +
E Tudo Verdade (Brazil): Washington Post's Ben Bradlee, COINTELPRO, and 1971. MORE +
Skip (Austria): In 1971, eight activists went on the counteroffensive.MORE +
The Wrap: 1971 nominated for IDA ABCNEWS VIDEO SOURCE AwardMORE +
Herald Sun: 1971 is a piece of history and a thrillerMORE +
Vorarlberg Online: Numerous prominent feature films and documentaries at the Vienna Film Festival including 1971. MORE +
Kultura (Slovakia): Do not miss the year 1971MORE +
On Milwaukee: The story of these brave and bold individuals in 1971 is riveting enough to make history feel like entertainment.MORE +
DOG Movie Reviews on 1971: 5/5 - a great documentary that plays out like a thriller. MORE +
Frontline Club London: 1971 The Year They Took the TruthMORE +
Milwaukee Record: 1971 taps into political paranoia of the past, presentMORE +
Milwaukee Mag: Moviegoers Unite, Milwaukee Film Fest Kicks Off with 1971MORE +
Wisconsin Gazette: 1971 tells the story of the Citizens’ Commission, a group of Americans who exposed evidence of widespread government surveillance years before Watergate or WikiLeaks. MORE +
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 1971 is about the power of the individual to affect their timeMORE +
1971 selected for Bergen International Film FestivalMORE +
1971 to open the 2014 Milwaukee Film FestivalMORE +
Watch Salon (GER) on 1971: Women of the week - Snowden's smart predecessors MORE +
Frontline Club to screen 1971: How one successful heist struck a blow at the foundations of a national counter-intelligence programme.MORE +
Indiewire: Michael Moore Wants The World To Watch 1971 TodayMORE +
ULoop: Traverse City Film Festival To Connect Audiences Around The World With Screening Of "1971"MORE +
Showbiz 411: Michael Moore selects 1971 to play on all seven continents at the same time during Traverse City Film Festival 2014MORE +
Michael Moore on 1971: It's one of the best documentaries I've seen this year.MORE +
Free Press: Surveillance Lessons from 1971 Still Resonate TodayMORE +
1971 wins Best Documentary at Philadelphia Independent Film Festival 2014MORE +
Guardian UK on 1971: The parallels between Nixon-era FBI whistleblowers and Edward Snowden's NSA revelations are almost eerie in their similarity.MORE +
Marketplace on 1971: The activists who changed American surveillanceMORE +
Belief Net: 1971 selected as 3 Great Documentaries about the Failure of Law Enforcement at AFI DOCS 2014MORE +
Washington Post: In an uncanny instance of past-is-prologue juxtaposition...the riveting “1971” revisited the fascinating case of antiwar activists who plundered a Pennsylvania FBI officeMORE +
DC Outlook: 5 Questions with 1971 Director, Johanna Hamilton from AFI DOCSMORE +
Washington City Paper: 1971 is a deep discussion of the risks these young men and women tookMORE +
DCist: 1971 succeeds in adding important context to the country’s ongoing intelligence conundrum. MORE +
Washington Post: 1971 selected as What To See at AFI DOCS 2014MORE +
Gazette Net: New documentary on 1971 burglary among AFI DOCS highlights MORE +
Hey U Guys: 1971 is a beautifully constructed, meticulous account of the break-in MORE +
Washingtonian: 1971 is a compelling documentary that provides a powerful perspectiveMORE +
Filmmaker Magazine: 1971 Director Johanna Hamilton and Whistle Blowers on Government AbusesMORE +
Variety on 1971: A well-constructed, vividly detailed account of the FBI break-in that exposed the agency's shocking illegal practices to the public.MORE +
The Hollywood Reporter: 1971 deserves big-screen exposureMORE +
The Wrap on 1971 : An examination of the abuses of government power that could hardly be timelierMORE +
Forbes: 1971 FBI Break-In Traces Path to Snowden & Wikileaks MORE +
Pop Matters: 1971 crafts a thrilling lesson about how authoritarianism can be curbed, sometimes, by one simple and well-targeted blow.MORE +
Indiewire: 1971 is an incendiary political documentaryMORE +
Sheffield Morning Daily: 1971 is a reminder of cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead’s words: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.MORE +
WIP: 1971 tells a riveting story and should create quite a stir.MORE +

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