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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

    Founded in 1939, the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) is a one-of-a-kind producer, co-producer and distributor of distinctive, engaging, relevant and innovative documentary and animated films. As a talent incubator, it is one of the world’s leading creative centres. The NFB has enabled Canadians to tell and hear each other’s stories for over eight decades, and its films are a reliable and accessible educational resource. The NFB is also recognized around the world for its expertise in preservation and conservation, and for its rich and vibrant collection of works, which form a pillar of Canada’s cultural heritage. To date, the NFB has produced more than 14,000 works, 6,500 of which can be streamed free of charge at nfb.ca. The NFB and its productions and co-productions have earned over 7,000 awards, including 11 Oscars and an Honorary Academy Award for overall excellence in cinema.