Work hard and pay your taxes—it’s the duty of every law-abiding citizen. But this social contract is crumbling away, and now those who earn money with the least effort are also contributing the least to society. Instead, they funnel their capital into tax havens, empty oilfields at bargain prices, and wield their political power to earn yet more money.
In this sometimes sad, sometimes hopeful film, Fredrik Gertten (Push, Bikes vs Cars) takes stock of a decaying system to show that while corruption and social inequality are a growing problem worldwide, there are still plenty of people who want to reverse this trend. Scenes of activists in multiple countries living their everyday lives talk about what made them decide to resist, and what opposition they face.
These scenes alternate with reflections from Dutch historian Rutger Bregman (author of the bestseller Humankind: A Hopeful History) and US author Sarah Chayes, as they reflect on the question of whether global corruption will prevail or whether honesty and fairness will ultimately emerge victorious.
IDFA X De Balie
IDFA on Stage: Tuning Room
Three experimental short films: A luxury hotel room dreams of idyllic holiday destinations; an airplane feels the weight of time, starts to panic, and hijacks itself for an unmanned flight into an existential crisis; as it slowly dies, a data centre hallucinates the Internet before finally fizzling out forever. Through a mediumistic channelling of sound,
IDFA X De Balie: Bad Press + Talk
Reporter Angel Ellis of Mvskoke Media fights for her job in a turbulent soap opera replete with corrupt, power-hungry officials, featuring the disputed elections of a new chief.
IDFA X De Balie: Transition + Talk
Australian Jordan Bryon, an experienced journalist and filmmaker, had been in Afghanistan for five years when the Americans withdrew from the country in 2021 and the Taliban took power.
