Once upon a time, about 10-15 years ago, Vice Media was all the rage: an upstart alternative magazine from Montreal that swiftly became a media empire. But by the 2020s, Vice was a shadow of its former self, declaring for bankruptcy and a relic of a cultural era swiftly overtaken by other trends and technologies. What caused such a swift downfall of a brand ubiquitous with the early-mid 2010s? Multi-hyphenate Eddie Huang‘s doc “Vice Is Broke” looks to answer those questions, and the truth may be even more chaotic than any Vice fan realizes…
READ MORE: The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2025
Here’s an official synopsis for “Vice Is Broke,” courtesy of MUBI:
The meteoric rise and spectacular fall of Vice magazine—from scrappy Montreal alt-punk ’zine that made fringe culture mainstream, to media empire of the indie sleaze era valued at $5.7bn, up to its recent bankruptcy—directed by author, producer, host and chef Eddie Huang. A disaster capitalism exposé that’s emblematic of an era, from the irresistible insider’s point of view of a man on a mission to tell it like it is.
Producers on “Vice Is Broke” include Huang, Raymond Mansfield, Sean McKittrick, and Maya Rodrigo. Edward H. Hamm Jr. executive produces the doc.
“Vice Is Broke” had its world premiere last year at TIFF, where it scored high with critics.
“Vice Is Broke” streams exclusively on MUBI starting on August 29. Watch a trailer for the doc below.
