The Anarchists

In 2015, Jeff Berwick, a Canadian entrepreneur-turned-provocateur, launched a conference in Acapulco, Mexico in hopes of promoting anarchy in its purest form – an ideal espousing the absence of government with absolute individual self-rule. The event, called “Anarchapulco,” draws an international array of libertarians, fugitives, and families seeking to “unschool” their children to protect them from the bureaucracies of modern life, as well as crypto-currency evangelists and others attracted to the idea of creating a stateless community, free from governments and central banking systems.

Unfolding over six years, The Anarchists, a six-part documentary series, chronicles a strange and deadly series of events. What begins as an impulsive one-off gathering turns into an ever-growing annual event attracting sponsorship from crypto-currency companies and featuring speakers such as Ron Paul and BitCoin investor Roger Ver. And when rule-avoidant freedom activists come together in one of the most dangerous cities in the world, utopian ideology collides with the unpredictability of human nature. Relationships are fractured, rivalries are forged and, ultimately, lives are lost.

With intimate access to the main players, The Anarchists features candid, first-hand accounts from Berwick, the reluctant figurehead of the movement; anarchy activists Lisa and Nathan Freeman who left the United States with their children to find a freer life in Mexico; and John Galton and Lily Forester, American fugitives on the run from drug charges, among others.

HBO Documentary Films presents A Blumhouse Television Production: The Anarchists. Directed by Todd Schramke; executive producers, Jason Blum, Jeremiah Crowell, Kim Kylland and Todd Schramke for Bird Murmur, Chris McCumber, Jeremy Gold, Mary Lisio, James Buddy Day, Andre Gaines, Allen Bain; co-executive producer, Ben Parry. For HBO: senior producer, Tina Nguyen; executive producers, Nancy Abraham and Lisa Heller.