https://www.filmplatform.net/product/freedom-for-the-wolf
Democracy is in crisis. A new generation of elected leaders is dismantling freedom and democracy, as we know it. Filmed over three years in five countries, FREEDOM FOR THE WOLF is an epic investigation into this new regime of illiberal democracy. From Indian comedians to Tunisian rappers to America’s #BlackLivesMatter activists, people from every corner of the globe are fighting the same struggle against elected leaders who trample on human rights, minorities, and their political opponents.
NB – Streaming access will be made available at a later date, TBD.
In 1989, the Berlin Wall fell. It marked the “End of History” and liberal democracy had won. Or so we thought. It wasn’t long before democratically elected leaders realized that democratic institutions could be used for authoritarian ends and that the language of “freedom” could be used as instrument of oppression rather than liberation. By 2014, this “new normal” was a global epidemic and I sought to capture this revival of “History.” And I think we have succeeded. We show how democracy can be managed, how the language of freedom can be manipulated, and how the police can easily turn against the very people they are supposed to protect. From the failure of the Umbrella Revolution in Hong Kong to the victory of Donald Trump in America, we saw first hand the awesome power of this new movement across the world. This film is the first chapter in the History of the rise of “illiberal democracies.” The question is, will it be the last?
Rupert Russell
Democracy is in crisis. A new generation of elected leaders are dismantling freedom and democracy as we know it.
Filmed over three years in five countries, FREEDOM FOR THE WOLF is an epic investigation into this new regime of illiberal democracy. From the young students of Hong Kong, to a rapper in post-Arab Spring Tunisia and the viral comedians of Bollywood, we discover how people from every corner of the globe are fighting the same struggle. They are fighting against elected leaders who trample on human rights, minorities, and their political opponents. Donald Trump is the latest and perhaps most dangerous to assume power. Philosopher Isaiah Berlin warned against this political hijacking long ago, “Freedom for the wolves has often meant death for the sheep.” Now the wolves are on the rise. Can they be defeated?
A ground-breaking original statement on the status quo of global politics, FREEDOM FOR THE WOLF is the first film that provides the global context for understanding the Trump phenomenon.
