Zeitgeist (film series)
film series
Zeitgeist is a series of three documentary films released between 2007 and 2011 that promote a number of conspiracy theories, as well as proposals for broad social and economic changes. The films, Zeitgeist: The Movie (2007), Zeitgeist: Addendum (2008) and Zeitgeist: Moving Forward (2011) are all directed by Peter Joseph.
Zeitgeist: The Movie
Zeitgeist: The Movie is a 2007 film by Peter Joseph presenting a number of conspiracy theories. The film assembles archival footage, animations, and narration. Released online on June 18, 2007, it soon received tens of millions of views on Google Video, YouTube, and Vimeo. According to Peter Joseph, the original Zeitgeist was not presented in a film format, but was a "performance piece consisting of a vaudevillian, multimedia style event using recorded music, live instruments, and video".
Synopsis
The film's introduction features animations, footage of war, explosions, and the September 11 attacks and audio quotes from Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Jordan Maxwell, and George Carlin.
Part I claims the Christian religion is mainly derived from other religions, astronomical assertions, astrological myths, and other traditions. The Christ myth theory, which disputes the historicity of Jesus, asserts that Jesus is a literary and astrological hybrid, nurtured by political forces and opportunists. Part I was influenced by the work of Acharya S.
Part II alleges that the September 11 attacks were either orchestrated or allowed to happen by elements within the United States government to generate mass fear, justify the war on terror, provide a pretext for the curtaillment of civil liberties, and produce economic gain.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Zeitgeist (film series)” is film series. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Zeitgeist, film and series, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “film series” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Attribution, date and provenance are strongest when supported by the original work, a catalogue record and documented transmission. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 14, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q25471041. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2007, 2011 and 2008.
Titles can refer to several editions, objects or performances, making precise identification essential before interpretation. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.
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The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.
Three-step research path
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- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
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This entry incorporates text from “Zeitgeist (film series)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.