Jul 11, 20223 min read

Interview with Todd Schramke, Director of New HBO Docuseries "THE ANARCHISTS"

The new HBO Original six-part documentary series "THE ANARCHISTS" Directed by Todd Schramke and produced by Blumhouse Television, debuted on Sunday JULY 10 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT) with new episodes airing on subsequent Sundays at the same time on HBO and will be available to stream on HBO Max.

"THE ANARCHISTS" docuseries introduces viewers to Canadian entrepreneur turned provocateur Jeff Berwick, who in 2015 launched a conference in Acapulco, Mexico in hopes of promoting anarchy in its purest form – an ideal espousing the absence of government and 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 chronicles a strange and deadly series of events. What begins as an impulsive one-off gathering, turns into a full-on, annual event, growing in size and attracting sponsorship from crypto-currency companies 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.

Tammy Reese of Heart of Hollywood Magazine obtained an exclusive interview with the director, Todd Schramke.

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.

THE ANARCHISTS follows individuals engaged in this movement with full access to the drama that ensues as a community tries to live alongside tourists and drug cartels with only the principles of anarchy as their guideposts. The loosely defined ideology proves unable to hold the community together and many of the radical expats eventually find their dream of an anarchist paradise crumbling around them. Ultimately, this stranger-than-fiction tale evolves from a critique of our modern culture into a dramatic observation of the limitations of ideological thinking and the consequences of rejecting consensus.

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.

About the Director:

Todd Schramke is a filmmaker and musician originally from New Jersey, now based in Nashville. He started producing both videos and music autodidactically around age 12 with whatever equipment he could get his hands on. At 13 he started playing in bands, and at 18 he began producing professional video content while studying Journalism at Rutgers University.

From 2016–2022 he directed his first major television documentary, which follows a community of self-proclaimed “anarchists” as they try to navigate away from a world of centralized governments and financial systems.

In 2019 he was the cinematographer for the indie comedy-drama feature, Generation Wrecks.

His commercial credits include a range of business and nonprofit clients spanning across corporate, retail, real estate, politics, sports, and performing arts. Notable clients include the New York Yankees, Greyhound, and Mohawk Flooring.

Fun fact: Todd’s wife, Kim Kylland, Executive Producer & Co-Creator of "THE ANARCHISTS", has two original songs in docuseries. She wrote the songs (inspired by the series). Todd played bass and produced them. The songs are the end credit tracks of episodes 4 and 6.