Why democracy ?

    Democracy is arguably the greatest political buzzword of our time and is invoked by everyone - but what does it mean? Can it be defined, measured, safeguarded? Can it be sold, bought, and transplanted? Can it grow? Can it die? What does it mean to people who can't even talk about it? What does it mean to people who don't believe in it? What does it mean to you? In October 2007 ten one-hour long documentary films about contemporary democracy will be shown simultaneously throughout the world, currently in 25 countries. The estimated audience will be a minimum of 150 million viewers.

The films are being made by independent award-winning filmmakers from different countries around the world, including China, India, Japan, Egypt, Liberia, USA, Bolivia, Denmark, Pakistan and Russia.


During broadcast the interactive website www.whydemocracy.net will be used to stage an extensive daily debate about the present condition of democracy. Short films on ‘what democracy means to me’ will be available for viewing and downloading, while viewers can upload their own short films.