"Hearing all opinions is what democracy is all about. Besides, if you close your ears to dissent, you could miss out on the sharp, often funny documentary Culture Jam: Hijacking Commercial Culture."
     – Marke Andrews, The Vancouver Sun

This film delivers a fascinating rap on the 20th Century movement called Culture Jamming, introducing a new breed of revolutionary who wages war on logos and symbols. It follows three outlandish individuals: media tigress Carly Stasko, New York's Reverend Billy of the Church of Stop Shopping, and Jack Napier with the notorious Billboard Liberation Front in San Francisco. Pranksters and subversive artists, their mission is to artfully reclaim our mental environment by causing a bit of brand damage to corporate mindshare. Armed with anti-ad stickers, custom neon and stuffed mice on crosses, these culture jammers hijack, subvert and reclaim media space.

Ultimately, theirs is a war of meaning that uses the tools of the media to rewire the message. Will Disney's Mickey Mouse represent a "world of laughter" or will he become the anti-Christ symbolizing "sweatshop labour practices." The verdict of public perception lies in the battle between their guerilla tactics and the billion-dollar PR campaigns they combat.

Hard hitting, controversial, wacky and engaging, this film captures the drama of jammers in action and asks some vital questions: Is Culture Jamming civil disobedience? Senseless vandalism? Or the only form of self-defense left?

Subject(s): Advertising, Communications, Consumerism, Globalization, Media studies