(February 13th) “What is Democracy?” POSTPONED TO FEB. 28th.

Co-presented with Transition Sooke

Coming at a moment of profound political and social crisis, “What is Democracy” reflects on a word we too often take for granted. This 2018 National Film Board documentary spans millennia and continents from ancient Athens’ where modern democracy was born to the financial collapse of present-day Greece and from capitalism’s roots in medieval Italy to the U.S., with its growing gap between rich and poor and persistent racism. 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.

Director Astra Taylor notes: “A word we say and hear all the time but rarely reflect on, democracy is both an ideal and a reality, a rousing aspiration and a devastating disappointment……(W)ho are the people, especially in this moment of increasing hostility and division? And what about the fact that, as wealth and influence concentrate the people are not very powerful at all? Can self-government even live up to its promise of universal inclusion? Do we even want to rule ourselves? “

“(T)his documentary (is) a deliberate challenge to complacency and, as such, it’s a great watch”____________________The Guardian

After the film Transition Sooke co-president Michael Tacon will facilitate an audience discussion on any topics or thoughts raised by the film.