Pirate Radio USA is a 2005 documentary film written and directed by Jeff Pearson, with musical director Mary Jones. Its running time is 82 minutes in length.

Summary

The film showcases illegal radio, or pirate radio

Pirate radio

Pirate radio is illegal or unregulated radio transmission. The term is most commonly used to describe illegal broadcasting for entertainment or political purposes, but is also sometimes used for illegal two-way radio operation...

 in America

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. DJ’s Him and Her (Pearson and Jones respectively) travel throughout the country meeting and interviewing radio pirates, taking action against the FCC

Federal Communications Commission

The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...

 and the World Trade Organization

World Trade Organization

The World Trade Organization is an organization that intends to supervise and liberalize international trade. The organization officially commenced on January 1, 1995 under the Marrakech Agreement, replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade , which commenced in 1948...

's 1999 Seattle conference

WTO Ministerial Conference of 1999

The WTO Ministerial Conference of 1999 was a meeting of the World Trade Organization, convened at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center in Seattle, Washington, USA, over the course of three days, beginning November 30, 1999. A week before the meeting, delegates admitted failure to agree...

.

Soundtrack

As well as starring in the film, Mary Jones was also the music director. The soundtrack featured songs from Jello Biafra

Jello Biafra

Jello Biafra is an American musician, spoken word artist and leading figure of the Green Party of the United States. Biafra first gained attention as the lead singer and songwriter for San Francisco punk rock band Dead Kennedys...

 and Utah Phillips

Utah Phillips

Bruce Duncan "Utah" Phillips was a labor organizer, folk singer, storyteller, poet and the "Golden Voice of the Great Southwest". He described the struggles of labor unions and the power of direct action, self-identifying as an anarchist...

.

Release

While using low-budget and basic filming technology, this film was a success internationally, and was
shown at the Bermuda International Film Festival, the Victoria Independent Film Video Festival, and the Austin Film Festival

Austin Film Festival

The Austin Film Festival was started in 1994 in Austin, Texas and is claimed to be "the first organization of its kind to focus on the writer’s unique creative contribution to the film and television industries"...

. It also won Most Original Documentary at the Wine Country Film Festival and Best Feature-Judges Award at the Zion Independent Film Festival.

Cast

• Jeff Pearson as DJ Him
• Mary Jones as DJ Her
• Stephen Dunifer as himself
• Mark Alan as himself
• Oregon Senator Ron Wyden
  Ron Wyden
  Ronald Lee "Ron" Wyden is the senior U.S. Senator for Oregon, serving since 1996, and a member of the Democratic Party. He previously served in the United States House of Representatives from 1981 to 1996....
  
  as himself
• FCC Compliance and Information Bureau lawyer, Pam Hairston as herself
• Petri Dish
• DJ Realtime
• DJ Sara Zia

External links

• http://www.pirateradiousa.com/
• http://www.bside.com/films/pirateradiousa