By end of July 2005, Steps for Democracy project had received some 300 documentary film proposals, of which the final selection of 10 commissioned documentaries will be made.

The working group anticipate that all selected projects will be in production by September. However, one project might be left open if any extra ordinary event happens.

The following projects have been granted development funding:


Liberia: The Rebirth of a Nation
Director: Jonathan Starck
Production company: Gabriel Film
Content: The director wants to document the course of events leading up to the election in October, 2005. He will build on the access and experience gained from AN UNCIVIL WAR and the already secured permission of the UN directorate. The plan is to follow several characters; from the head of the mission to a refugee family, from peacekeepers to ex-combatants and a number of the intended candidates. Result of the development will be a treatment and characters on tape.


The Village of Fools
Director: Nino Kirtadze
Content: 100 km southwest of Moscow is a village that looks like no other in Russia. In Durakovo people don’t have depressions, are not tormented by doubts about the future, don’t drink and don’t smoke. Everything is clean and bright. Freshly painted peasant huts look like illustrations from Russian fairy-tales, and the villagers themselves seem to be fairy-tale characters. They have found their happiness in Durakovo. They come from all over Russia to forget their troubles and become members of a happy village society. The director wants to explore how the small society really works. Result of the development will be a treatment.


The Return
Director: Thomas Balmes
Content: What is the benchmark of a functioning democracy? Are regular free and fair elections, a free press, an independent judiciary and a booming private sector signs that a country is advancing towards democratic maturity? By all these criteria, Papua New Guinea could be considered a cause for much rejoicing among those who claim an election to be a symbol of a country's freedom. And yet, as PNG prepares to celebrate 30 years of independence, recent studies have warned that the country "could fall off a cliff into full-scale state failure" within 15 years. Result of the development will be a treatment and characters on tape.


The Brand
Director Justin Webster
Production company: JWP, Barcelona, Spain

A group of rich and successful Spanish businessmen who are proposing a new way of dealing with world poverty. By branding an anti-poverty campaign ‘oneforthe world’ on commercial products, any participating person can vote on how the income will be used to alleviate poverty. Are there, as these businessmen think, millions of people desperate to vote to change the world but who simply lack the mechanism to do so?

The film is a long-term observational project, the story of a process. We follow the three Catalans from the brainstorming to the hiring of staff and the renting of offices, the business and research trips, the meetings with the multinationals, the continuous process of discovery about the underlying problem, the inevitable hopes and frustrations of such an ambitious project, the ground level investigation in poor countries, the public response, the personal and emotional voyage of the main characters and their wives and families.


The Inca Revolution

Director: Rodrigo Vazquez
(“Condor: Axis of Evil” which premiered at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival, was nominated by dozens of film festivals around the world and had a cinema release in France and UK).

In June 5th 2005 an insurrection of the Bolivian indigenous population led by the peasants’ and miners’ unions and left-wing parties toppled President Carlos Mesa. Their siege to La Paz paralyzed the country’s economy for one month. Politicians fled the capital. The Congressmen chose an interim President to get out of the crisis. But the indigenous people are not willing give up their insurrection. Their aim is not to change the President but the system, because they don’t believe in democracy anymore.

Latin American democracy is going through its biggest crisis ever as an increasing number of people lose faith in the system. They feel betrayed by the ruling White elite that promoted the idea of democracy but failed to improve people’s lives. Instead, the economy collapsed, unemployment rose and more people than ever before were excluded from the economy. They believe that the solution to the problems is to change the system and to go back to the principles of the Inca Empire. The centre-piece of the Inca system is “direct-democracy” - all government decisions have to be approved by the people’s assemblies throughout the country before they can be enforced. Their slogan: “representation is out, participation is in”.

This film will focus on the men who are struggling to redefine democracy in the Andes: the leaders of the popular uprisings in Bolivia and Peru, and the elites that control their governments. The indigenous leaders have the numbers, the elites have the guns, and the support of the US Governments and the foreign corporations. With four uprisings in three years and three presidents successfully overthrown by the people, these countries look as unpredictable as ever.


President Kirchner
Director: Rodrigo Vasquez
Content: The director has got behind-the-scenes access to the president of Argentina and his closest associates including the first lady. Main characters will be presented on tape as a result of the development.


Z is DEMOCRACY
Director: Hanna Yarovenko
Production company: Interfilm, Kiev, Ukraine
Content: Does Democracy really exist? The film will be based on the experiences of young people in Ukraine in the self-declared independent state of Z on the Crimean Peninsula. In July 2005 the first elections in Z will be held by presidential candidates with platforms of different political systems. The 100,000 'citizens' will decide which system they want to be governed by. Result of the development will be a treatment and characters on tape.


Longhair and Taipan

Australian filmmaker Tom Zubrycki will follow a well known politician from Hong Kong called Longhair. Not only does he have a eccentric and flamboyant personality, he still aspires to put into practice a radical agenda to achieve democracy for Hong Kong.


Belief

Director Liz Mermin (‘Beauty Academy of Kabul’) has submitted a comprehensive project to explore the compatability of democracy and religion.


India
Director: Not yet decided
Content: A film about inequality and poverty, based on the experiences of P. Sainath in his journeys amongst the poor in India. The result will be a treatment.


Good Morning Afghanistan


Enemies of Democracy

A headline film which would present views of people opposed to the notion and practise of democracy. This project has been devised from the STEPS working group, and is searching for a suitable director.