They spent 10 years chasing a TV dream that never got made. That dream was “Manifesto!”—an unscripted series about real activists and disenfranchised communities.
Trailer for “We Want the Airwaves”
You Can’t Make This Sh!t Up
- They pitched “Manifesto!” to roughly 50+ networks and production companies and still could not get it greenlit.
- While they were getting rejected, the kind of “real people” unscripted TV they were trying to make started becoming mainstream anyway.
- They ended up with hundreds of hours of failed pilot footage. They had to turn that wreckage into a completely different film about free speech, gatekeeping, and who really controls the airwaves.
Watch “We Want the Airwaves”
You can watch “We Want the Airwaves” on Prime Video and Apple TV.
Ratings:
- My Rating: 95/100
- IMDb Rating: 9.3/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 100/100 (Users); not yet rated (Critics)
Director’s Note: Scott Ryan directs this 83-minute documentary. It feels like a long, frustrating, very real look at what happens when outsiders try to get something politically sharp and socially useful onto commercial television.
Release Date: 2022
Other Unique Stuff
- The project “Manifesto!” was trying to spotlight activists before that became trendy TV. By the time networks caught on, the original creators were already shut out.
- The filmmakers slowly realize they are documenting their own exclusion in real time, which flips the entire purpose of the project.
- There’s a subtle tension between staying true to activist voices vs. reshaping the show to make it more “sellable”.
Wrap Up
I liked “We Want the Airwaves” because it is really two documentaries in one. A dream-chasing story and an autopsy of modern television. If you care about activism, media power, or the gap between what Hollywood says it wants and what it buys, this one is worth your time.
Thanks for reading!
Heather Fenty, Guest Writer, Daily Doc