The Conspiracists

Four years ago, writer Noelle Cook and Liz Smith, film director set off on a road trip across America with Yvonne and her ‘patriot’ friends This is a surprising and tender documentary and like all good documentaries, there’s no direction on what to think. The women speak for themselves, and they are treated with dignity, compassion and empathy. Just announced after film screening Liz Pendleton (chair) @media_revolution in conversation with Liz Smith film (director) @liz-smith.com The film offers a fascinating insight into the minds of one woman Yvonne and her ‘patriot’ friends. Four years ago Noelle Cook (writer, ethnographer and researcher ) and Liz Smith (the film’s British Director) set off on a road trip across America with Yvonne. Yvonne and her patriot friends are MAGA supporters, most of whom were involved in the January 6 2021 storming of the Capitol in Washington DC. Noelle Cook (aka Tara in the film) initially approached the women as part of an academic study. But she found herself getting involved in their lives. We see plainly, she was sometimes the only person they felt they could reach out to for help. Yvonne, an ex-Marine drill sergeant is a proud patriot, who felt it was her duty to invade the Capitol. She’s rapid-fire talkative, assertive and clearly relishes being seen as fearless. And she loves to livestream her life on Facebook In the first part of the film Yvonne talks non-stop, reeling off a seemingly unending and intricately woven blend of spirituality, religion and conspiracy theory, all delivered with absolute certainty. Along the route they meet Tammy, another January 6er, who claims she’d decided to go along mainly for the company. Among the scenic hills where she lives, Tammy is clearly struggling to come to terms with her own trauma, which becomes apparent. Noelle Cook’s observations feature more prominently in the second half, and add insight to what we’ve been witnessing. As someone who has been there for these women when no-one else has, and even though she despairs of how deep down the conspiracy rabbit hole they have gone, she’s still holding tightly on to them. She gets very emotional at times, a real testament to her warmth and patience. After watching the film it will prompt questions - what do conspiracy communities give people beyond the beliefs themselves? Certainty, purpose, identity, and belonging. 6th January 2021 was one outcome of that world, but it was never the whole story. In the vastness and emptiness of middle America, isolated did lonely people turned to the internet in search of a sense of community. What they found instead was misinformation and disinformation. Liz Pendleton is co-founder and co-ordinator and media justice and rights campaigner of Media Revolution Mediarevolution.org. Liz writes about media standards and how handling sensitive topic with ethical rigor can literally mean the difference between life and death Liz is also part time coordinator of Hacked Off & Press justice Project (PJP) @hackedoff campaign (Instagram) + @pressjusticeproject. Currently: planning Media Democracy Festival ’27 & forming a Media Consumer Union. Ex XR Coordinator. Liz Smith @liz-smith.com is a award-winning British independent investigative film maker. Her work explores the forces driving populism and democratic backsliding and the systems of power that enable them. Her films are shaped by years of research into these issues, but she believes analysis alone is not enough. By spending extended time with communities on the frontline of political and social change, she develops a deeper understanding of the lived realities behind these movements, while also scrutinising the institutions and individuals who shape them. Her films seek to humanise rather than judge, while holding those in power to account. Noelle Cook’s book ‘The Conspiracists Women, Extremism and the Lure of Belonging’. https://www.noellecook.com/book