‘The Communists Are Coming’ – global tour of RCI documentary a smash hit!

It has been almost two months since we debuted our new, feature-length documentary, The Communists Are Coming – A Visual Manifesto. The film has been a huge success, with over 40,000 views on YouTube already, and a flood of write-ins from young revolutionaries inspired to join our ranks! A worldwide theatrical tour concluded this weekend in London and Zurich, following packed screenings across four continents.

[You can watch the documentary on YouTube here]

When we began work on this documentary almost two years ago, the intention was to chart the founding year of the Revolutionary Communist International. It was a far busier and more dramatic year than we expected, with our comrades ruffling the feathers of capitalist politicians, the press, and billionaire parasites like Elon Musk. 

All of this is reflected in the film, but what comes across above all is the youth and dynamism of our ranks. As Alan Woods, our leading member and main theoretician, says in the documentary: 

“I have never in my life known a time when the ideas of Marxism were more attractive to people, particularly the youth.” 

We show our young comrades enthusiastically building revolutionary communist parties across the world, all contributing to the establishment of our new International, culminating in our founding conference in June 2024. We are proud to have captured a glimpse of this incredible event for future generations to experience through the medium of cinema!

In a pivotal scene, leading comrade Hamid Alizadeh gives a speech where he explains that, unlike the liberals and reformists, who go about the world in a state of panic and confusion, the communists alone are filled with confidence and optimism:

“We are extremely lucky to have a guiding principle that gives us insight… that allows us to go about the world with a deep sense of belonging. Belonging to the world, belonging to an international organism, which works across the planet… belonging to the general course of history which has brought humanity to this fateful moment.”

This guiding principle is rooted in our theory. As Alan states in the film, there are no other ideas that remotely compare “in their profundity, their scientific exactness, their sheer brilliance, with the ideas of Marxism.” The insight and explanations provided by Marxism are precisely what the new generation of class fighters is seeking. 

“That's what people are looking for, that's what serious people are looking for…” Alan notes in the documentary. “The power of ideas ultimately is decisive. As Lenin once said, Marxism is all powerful because it is true.” Hence why this ‘visual manifesto’ offers an overview of our programme and philosophical outlook. And it seems to have resonated with people! 

Since the film’s release, we have seen a big increase in the number of people writing in from around the world asking to join us, citing The Communists Are Coming as the reason for reaching out. Some of these messages are extremely telling of the radical mood in society today, where the masses are faced with the deepest ever crisis of capitalism. Here is one example, sent by a young man writing from Italy:

“I have been identifying as a communist since the age of 17. I recognised that true equality and the enforcement and protection of human rights is not possible within the capitalist system. After realizing that the left party of my country (PdL) is more concerned with ruling the country than actually fighting for a better society I have been looking for an alternative, a real way to make the world a better place. After watching ‘The Communists Are Coming – A Visual Manifesto’ on YouTube, I want to join this organisation because I am hopeful it will manage to end capitalism on a global scale and not shatter like all the other internationals did.”

Another, from Denmark:

“For a long time I've been completely disillusioned by our capitalist society. With the state the world is in right now, worse than ever, this feeling has reached its peak. I've been reading my theory and trying to engage others in Marxist thought but it's time for me to start organizing with others. The documentary you put out on your Youtube channel (which was great by the way) convinced me to join. I desperately want things to change and I want to be a part of that change.”

A final example, from Germany:

“I've always been on the left in an environment of ever-increasing right-wing extremism. Year after year, I became more radicalised… The final straw was Germany's involvement in the genocide of Palestine, with 47 percent of arms exports, weapons of mass destruction, and all the propaganda in the media, like AIPAC in the USA (equating antisemitism with anti-Zionism). Today I saw your hopeful film and [I give] thanks from the bottom of my heart.”

These are only a few of many such messages rolling in! Aside from newcomers, our existing comrades have also expressed great pride in what we have accomplished with this documentary. It has been a real pleasure to read their messages from all over the world, for instance:

“Getting to watch this while I'm dealing with political repression from my university in Canada is really inspiring! I'll likely be returning to it many times if I'm ever in need of a pick me up. Long live the RCI! Workers of the world unite!”

And from Sweden:

“Fantastic! The pinnacle of what we have achieved as of yet with this medium. Watching this from a watch party in Karlstad together with comrades. Long love the RCI!”

The road of revolution is not always easy, and we received a few comments from former comrades brought back into the struggle by the film, after falling out of activity for various reasons. Here is a particularly moving example:

“I've been a member of IMT/RCI since 2016 here in Brazil. I left organised struggle one month ago after nine years, for personal and health issues. I watched this… and I really wanted to show it to my father, because he has always been a sympathiser. But, in the beginning of last month, he got sick, and now we discovered that it is a prion disease. He is in the hospital, almost unconscious, and it's just a matter of time for him to pass away. He would love to watch it. I will use his legacy to put myself back up and return to organised struggle as soon as possible.  We will win, comrades! Long live the world proletarian revolution!”

Appropriately enough, the documentary ends with a dedication to all comrades of the RCI, “past, present and future!” No matter your level of experience, we hope everyone who watches it comes away with a better idea of what we stand for, and a desire to educate themselves further. 

The feedback and comments across the board, even from non-members (and non-communists) note the film’s quality, and its Letterboxd entry has received overwhelmingly five-star reviews. We have also provided subtitles in nine different languages (with more in the works).

Aside from the online release, we took the film on the road. We held theatrical premieres in 20 locations across more than 15 countries, including the USA, Canada, Switzerland, Denmark, Pakistan and Brazil. All of these events were a great success, with reports of not a dry eye in the room at some points. Our comrades held simultaneous screenings in Denmark's four biggest cities; 100 attended cinema screenings in East London and Zurich; and the film was watched by hundreds of comrades in Marxist schools across Toronto, Chicago, and New York.

This film provides us with a great calling card as an International, distilling the essence of what we stand for. It is a testament to our achievements, a celebration of our struggle, and a bridge to our next layer of recruits. In conjunction with our written Manifesto, it will be an important weapon in our arsenal as we seek to build the RCI into a world party of communist revolution! We invite all our readers to watch the movie if you haven’t already, post a comment, write a review, and share it widely!