A FEATURE DOCUMENTARY
What can we believe?
In the digital age, we are bombarded with endless access to contradictory information, destroying the authority of any given source. As shared trust collapses and truth is up for grabs, digital networks enable the spontaneous mobilization of an alienated public and trigger a crisis of authority among institutional elites. The Fifth Wave, drawing on the work of Martin Gurri, reveals why this collision has become the defining cataclysm of our time.
Martin Gurri saw it coming
Former CIA analyst, Martin Gurri, developed a framework that explains the January 6 riot, Brexit, the Arab Spring, Climategate, antivaxers, and a highly charged 2024 presidential election between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris—all before they happened. These controversial and divisive events didn’t happen because half of society is crazy or brainwashed, but because of changes in our information structure: the Fifth Wave of information. This feature documentary will help audiences understand Gurri’s ideas of how a tsunami of digital information has ruptured the relationship between the elites and the public. Nothing less than the future of democratic institutions across the globe is at stake.
CONCEPT TRAILER
SYNOPSIS
We live in paradoxical times: never before has the human race had more access to information, and never before has the public been more unsettled and our governing institutions more fragile.
The Fifth Wave explains the paradox as cause and effect. It unpacks the crisis of authority (e.g., government, industry, academia) through the lens of Martin Gurri’s groundbreaking theory that humanity has entered a new information era—one that has shattered the legitimacy of 20th-century institutions and unleashed a massively networked and perpetually dissatisfied public.
Through global case studies, examination of contemporary public revolts, and intimate conversations with participants, technologists, political figures of various denominations, and Gurri himself, the film reveals why uprisings fueled by our new digital age so often succeed at tearing systems down but fail to deliver any enduring institutional reform. Rather than leaving audiences in despair, The Fifth Wave ultimately offers clarity—and cautious hope—by illuminating the potential to reinvent democracy, rebuild trust, and restore shared meaning in a world forever changed by information overabundance.
Story
OUr narrative guide
Martin gurri
Institution: Retired CIA
Author Martin Gurri will provide the film’s theoretical framework and serve as the lead interpreter, historian, skeptic, and hopeful observer throughout the film. Secondary narrative reinforcement interviews with other theorists, historians, former elites, participants in the events, and technologists will provide compelling supporting evidence.
Our “main character”
HOMO INFORMATICUS
networked builder and wielder of the information sphere, poses an existential challenge to the legitimacy of every government he encounters.
story beats
THe revolt of the public
“arab spring”
2010-2011
black lives matter
2020
January 6th riot
2021
Across the world, digitally connected publics have repeatedly erupted around specific triggering events, a video, a death, an election, an act of humiliation, transforming personal grievance into mass action almost instantly. These revolts are rarely planned or centrally led; they emerge accidentally as networks amplify outrage, collapse fear, and expose the fragility of legacy institutions. What they share is force without program: the ability to delegitimize authority and tear systems down, without the cohesion, structure, or trust required to replace what falls.
The following examples trace how these revolting publics form, mobilize, and overwhelm established power, even as they struggle to build something durable in its wake.
man sets self on fire: image incites revolution
Footage of George Floyd murder leads to global movement
United States capitol building stormed
the crisis of the elites
“rather-Gate”
2004
brexit
2016
covid pandemic
2020
In the wake of repeated public revolts, legacy institutions now operate in a state of permanent exposure, where authority is continuously questioned, audited, and undermined in real time. Digitally networked publics no longer grant trust by default; they scrutinize every failure, contradiction, and misstep, stripping institutions of legitimacy faster than they can respond or adapt. What emerges is a crisis of authority, not because power has disappeared, but because it can no longer command consent, coherence, or belief at scale.
The following examples explore how governments, media, and expert institutions struggle to function once their authority is visible, contested, and no longer taken for granted.
Facebook post undermines credibility of Dan Rather and CBS
British elites stunned as vote to leave EU passes
Pandemic messaging breeds distrust in government, healthcare, big Pharma, etc.
is reform possible?
estonia
the free press
unscripted media
As legacy authority continues to erode, it is increasingly clear that there is no return to the way democracy once functioned. The world has entered a period of turbulence, where revolt and crisis are not aberrations but transitional forces, and the future of democratic legitimacy and global economic stability depends on moving through, not around, this phase. What comes next will require a flattening of power, deeper public participation, and a redefinition of the relationship between elites and the public, or perhaps a more fundamental reconfiguration in how we understand those categories altogether.
We are in the early decades of this cataclysmic change. So far we have experienced turbulence, shock, and sociopolitical conflict. Our goal must be to convey everything of value in the old system, like civil rights and liberal democracy, into the new era. The following are a few current developments that point to a reconfigured future:
Estonian Government leads effort to digitize citizenship
bari weiss attempts to rebuild public’s trust in journalism
Rogan’s unedited content allows viewers to develop own opinions
WHAT IT’S LIKE
Navalny — Navalny is the story of one man and his struggle with an authoritarian regime. The film follows Navalny’s poisoning and his subsequent investigation into the poisoning. The Fifth Wave will also be an investigation into how our democracy has arrived at it’s current state and a challenge to think differently about politics and worldviews.
The Edge of Democracy — This Brazilian political documentary follows the filmmaker’s personal journey through the rise and fall of multiple presidents and governments. Similarly, The Fifth Wave will be a personal look at a massive tipping point in American politics.
The AI Doc — The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist is a hand-made, eye-opening documentary about the most powerful technology humanity has ever created... and what’s at stake if we get it wrong.
PROJECT GOALS & AUDIENCE
GOALS
Share the observations, analysis and theses of Martin Gurri’s life’s work.
Create smarter consumers of information.
Equip people to understand the tectonic collision between an angry public and reactionary elites that underlies every political controversy today.
AUDIENCE
The General Public - our unsettled citizenry who sense something is broken—but don’t have a framework to articulate why, ultimately creating more media-literate consumers.
Educators, Students, and Academic Communities - people shaping how the next generation understands democracy, media, and power.
Policy Makers, Journalists & Institutional Leaders - insiders with the power to reform the systems under pressure.
HOW CAN I HELP?
We’re looking for executive producers and key funders.
FILM MAKING TEAM
FILM TEAM
Martin Gurri, Producer
Tyler Thompson, Producer & Art Director — TCI
Jeff Ostenson, Producer & Co-Director — North Forty
Charles Atkinson, Producer, Co-Director & DP — North Forty
Skylar Wagner, Editor — North Forty
* Outreach and Distribution Producer (TBD)
ABOUT NORTH FORTY
North Forty has been producing documentaries and other commercial media since 2006. They have 10 regional Emmy nominations for their work broadcasted on cable and public television, and their films has been distributed on Netflix, Hulu, iTunes, Prime, TED, and NBC Universal Sports Network.
ABOUT TCI
TCI is a multi-disciplinary design & art studio based in the Pacific Northwest. TCI Specializes in branding & art direction.
NORTH FORTY PROJECTS
Fish War - fishwarmovie.com
Era of Megafires - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtkmJ8h4E6g
Pedal-Driven: a bike-umentary - https://shorturl.at/hkrLZ
Killing the Klamath - https://www.pbs.org/show/killing-klamath/
PRODUCTION SCHEDULE & COSTS
ESTIMATED COSTS
Total cost to complete the film: $750,000 to $850,000.
Initial marketing costs: $300,000 to $400,000.
MILESTONES
Production complete: Mid 2027
Estimated film completion date: Late 2027
Film festival premiere: Early 2028
Major streaming service: Late 2028
This schedule is subject to change based on funding.
DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS
Film Festivals
Educational Distribution and Grass Roots
Screenings
Major Streaming Service
International Sales