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Return engagement following BC premiere at VIFF. Astra Taylor’s NFB feature doc What Is Democracy? asks the question that impacts us all—starting December 7 at the Vancity Theatre.

PRESS RELEASE
29/10/2018

October 29, 2018 – Vancouver – National Film Board of Canada (NFB)

Astra Taylor’s timely and provocative National Film Board of Canada (NFB) feature What Is Democracy? is back in Vancouver at the Vancity Theatre, starting December 7 (complete schedule below).

If we want to live in democracy, we must first ask what the word even means. What Is Democracy? is an idiosyncratic, philosophical journey spanning millennia and continents: from ancient Athens’ groundbreaking experiment in self-government to capitalism’s roots in medieval Italy; from modern-day Greece grappling with financial collapse and a mounting refugee crisis to the United States reckoning with its racist past and the growing gap between rich and poor.

Celebrated theorists Silvia Federici, Cornel West, Wendy Brown, and Angela Davis are joined by trauma surgeons, activists, factory workers, asylum seekers, former prime ministers and others, in a film that connects past and present, the emotional and the intellectual, the personal and the political, to provoke critical dialogue about our future.

What Is Democracy? is produced by Lea Marin and executive produced by Anita Lee for the NFB’s Ontario Studio in Toronto.

Taylor is a filmmaker, writer, and political organizer whose credits include the NFB documentary Examined Life (TIFF 2008) and Zizek! (TIFF 2005). She has a new book, Democracy May Not Exist, but We’ll Miss It When It’s Gone, published by Metropolitan Books in early 2019.

Vancity screening schedule:

Friday, December 7, 2:45 p.m.
Monday, December 10, 2:10 p.m.
Tuesday, December 11, 8:50 p.m.
Wednesday, December 12, 8:15 p.m.
Thursday, December 13, 5:00 p.m.

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Promotional Material

Electronic Press Kit | Images, trailers, synopsis: What Is Democracy?

Associated Links

Vancity Theatre

Media Relations

  • About the NFB

    For more than 80 years, the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) has produced, distributed and preserved those stories, which now form a vast audiovisual collection—an important part of our cultural heritage that represents all Canadians.

    To tell these stories, the NFB works with filmmakers of all ages and backgrounds, from across the country. It harnesses their creativity to produce relevant and groundbreaking content for curious, engaged and diverse audiences. The NFB also collaborates with industry experts to foster innovation in every aspect of storytelling, from formats to distribution models.

    Every year, another 50 or so powerful new animated and documentary films are added to the NFB’s extensive collection of more than 14,000 titles, half of which are available to watch for free on nfb.ca.

    Through its mandate, its stature and its productions, the NFB contributes to Canada’s cultural identity and is helping to build the Canada of tomorrow.