Coming at a moment of profound political and social crisis, What Is Democracy? reflects on a word we too often take for granted. Director Astra Taylor’s idiosyncratic, philosophical journey spans 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. Featuring a diverse cast—including celebrated theorists, trauma surgeons, activists, factory workers, asylum seekers, and former prime ministers—this urgent film connects the past and the present, the emotional and the intellectual, the personal and the political, in order to provoke and inspire. If we want to live in democracy, we must first ask what the word even means.
Post-Screening Panelists:
Astra Taylor, writer, activist, director of What is Democracy?
Lea Marin, Producer, What is Democracy?
Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, activist, author of #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation
Silvia Federici, noted author and feminist, featured in What is Democracy?
January 18, 2019, 7:35PM
IFC Center
323 6th Ave (between West 3rd and West 4th Street)
Free tickets will be distributed at IFC Center starting at 6pm on January 18, on a first come, first served basis, with a limit of 2 tickets per person.
