democracy
Reporting Democracy’s Faultlines
Are we living in a new age of protest? Journalists who have been covering some of the world’s most dramatic recent protests and civil unrest will discuss how people across the political spectrum are making their voices heard, and with what consequences.
Global Populism: Leaders, Parties and Ideologies
Join our esteemed panel as they examine the internal dynamics of populism around the globe, with a particular focus on populist ‘charismatic’ leaders and the ideology and organisations of populist parties.
Coding Democracy
Hackers have a bad reputation, as shady deployers of bots and destroyers of infrastructure. In Coding Democracy, Maureen Webb offers another view: hackers as vital disruptors, inspiring a new wave of activism in which ordinary citizens take back democracy.
The World in 2020: Hong Kong to Iran and Beyond
To mark the start of a new decade, Frontline brings together a panel of experts to discuss the future of Hong Kong, recent dramatic events involving Iran, the continuing tensions between Russia and Ukraine, and other unfolding stories around the world. What are the common threads which tie them together? Are we headed for more unrest in 2020 and the decade ahead?
Erdogan Rising: What next for Turkey and the West?
The original modern populist, Recep Tayyip Erdogan is a complex, polarising figure who mastered macho divide-and-rule politics a decade and a half before Donald Trump cottoned on. Many believe he has used it to lead his country – a young democracy on the fringe of Europe – into spiralling authoritarianism. As president, he commands a […]
Byline Festival with Frontline Club 2019
Join us in Pippingford Park, East Sussex at the world’s first festival for independent journalism and freedom of speech – to debate, discuss, dance, laugh, and change the world. Frontline will be running a specially curated series of talks and documentary screenings exploring this year’s key festival themes: Defending Democracy and The Power of Journalism.
George Soros: The Saint And The Sinner
To discuss the Soros legacy we’re joined by the president of the ‘Open Society Foundations’ Patrick Gaspard, reporter and academic James Kirchick, Deputy Editor of the Financial Times Roula Khalaf, and sociologist and writer Frank Furedi. This debate will be chaired by broadcaster and historian Jonathan Dimbleby.
Watch the video stream of George Soros : Saint or Sinner
Ctrl, Alt, Delete. How Politics and the Media Crashed Our Democracy
Interviewing everyone from Tony Blair to Michael Gove, top journalists to Russian bloggers, and tech giant execs to online activists, Tom Baldwin describes a vicious battle for control of the news agenda.
Third Party Event: Trumping Democracy
Real Money. Fake News. Your Data. This explosive documentary showcases how Trump won the 2016 Presidential Election.
The Changing Face of Myanmar
By Helena Kardova L to R: Richard Cockett, Hkanhpa Sadan, Wai Hnin Pwint Thon, Robert Cooper, Paul French Meanwhile certain regions of Burma are about to learn how to cast a ballot on November 8, ethnic minorities in rural areas are fleeing their homes that are being burnt by the military forces. On Tuesday September 22, a […]
Screening: The Look of Silence + Q&A
This screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Joshua Oppenheimer via Skype.
In this multi-award winning companion piece to The Act of Killing, filmed before its release, Joshua Oppenheimer further explores the terrible legacy of the Indonesian genocide fifty years ago, this time through the lens of one family.
The Red Web: The Struggle Between Russia’s Digital Dictators and the New Online Revolutionaries
On the eighth floor of an ordinary-looking building in an otherwise residential district of southwest Moscow, in a room occupied by the Federal Security Service (FSB), is a box the size of a VHS player marked SORM. The Russian government’s front line in the battle for the future of the Internet, SORM is the world’s most intrusive listening device – monitoring e-mails, Internet usage, Skype, and all social networks.
In a new book, The Red Web, Andrei Soldatov and Irina Borogan peel back the history of advanced surveillance systems in Russia. They will be joining us to discuss what they found and to reveal how a free global exchange can be coerced into becoming a tool of repression and geopolitical warfare.
From Military Rule to Democracy: The Changing Face of Myanmar?
On 8 November, the people of Myanmar will go to the polls in an election that is being seen as a step towards full democracy, after nearly half a century of military rule. With a panel of experts we will explore what life is like in Myanmar, the political and ethical divisions and what change the election will bring.
Screening: Welcome to Leith + Q&A
In September 2012, the tiny prairie town of Leith, North Dakota, saw its population of 24 grow by one. Trouble had come to town. The newcomer was Craig Cobb, a notorious white supremacist. Quietly snapping up plots of land, he planned to take over the town government and establish Cobbsville, a haven for white separatists.
This screening will be followed by a Q&A with directors Michael Beach Nichols and Christopher K. Walker.
In Conversation with Alaa Al Aswany: Democracy is the Answer
In nearly four years, Egypt has seen a revolution, the fall of a dictator, its first democratically elected president ousted by the military and the rise of a new leader. All this has been captured in the weekly columns of novelist Alaa Al Aswany for the newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm. In a new book Democracy is the Answer: Egypt’s Years of Revolution, Al Aswany brings together his newspaper columns to give a picture of Egypt’s recent history. He will be joining us in conversation with BBC Middle East editor, Jeremy Bowen, to reflect on events of the past four years, the divisions that they have created and the hope for the future.
Thailand: A Kingdom in Crisis
In May 2014, Thailand underwent its 12th successful military coup since the establishment of a constitutional monarchy in 1932. This time, there has been no promise of a quick return to civilian rule; a spokesperson for the National Council of Peace and Order has stated that in Thailand’s current situation, normal democratic principles cannot be applied. We will be joined by a panel of experts to examine the root causes of Thailand’s ongoing political crisis and what actions, if any, can be taken to resolve it.
The Lost Signal of Democracy
By Tom Adams On Monday 7 April, the Frontline Club welcomed Yorgos Avgeropoulos for the screening of his latest documentary, The Lost Signal of Democracy. The film followed the closure of ERT, Greece’s public broadcasting service, in June 2013, and tracked the progress of its staff and critics right up until the end of March 2014. […]
Into Darkness: Pulling the plug on Greek Democracy
By Elliott Goat Introducing his film The Lost Signal of Democracy, screened at the Frontline Club on Monday 7 April, director Yorgos Avgeropoulos began by describing the film as more than merely a document of the closure of Greece’s public broadcaster, ERT, by the government: “I would just like to say that this film is […]
Egypt’s Roadmap
As Abdel Fattah al-Sisi takes his place as Egypt’s second democratically elected leader, we will be looking at his roadmap for the country. Are we seeing a return to military dominance of politics and what does that signal for Egypt?
Screening: The Lost Signal of Democracy + Q&A
On the evening of 11 June 2013, the Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras pulled the plug on ERT, Greece’s public broadcaster, after 75 years of continuous operation. The silencing of public television resulted in a political conflict and provoked protests in a country already divided. This screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Yorgos Avgeropoulos.
First Wednesday: South Sudan – What does the future hold for the world’s youngest country?
Fighting continues as delegations from South Sudan’s warring factions meet for talks in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The country, which gained its independence in July 2011, has seen at least 1,000 killed and 180,000 displaced since mid-December.
We will be joined by a panel of experts, journalists and aid workers to give you an up-to-date picture of what is happening on the ground and an insight into the divisions and tensions that have caused the conflict.
Egypt’s New Roadmap
A year after his victory in Egypt’s historic first free election Mohamed Morsi has been ousted. Since his removal from power by the military on 3 July tensions have soared on the streets of Egypt. With events developing at great speed we will be taking stock of what has happened and asking what this means for Egypt’s future.
A country’s struggle between the glamourous world of Eurovision and the unrealistic demand for democracy
By Caroline Schmitt The screening of “Amazing Azerbaijan!” on Thursday, 11th April was followed by a Q&A with the film’s director Liz Mermin. The film contrasts the two-faced Azerbaijan: on one hand there was the glamour before and during Eurovision, carefully constructed by the government; the other side is that investigative journalists like Khadija Ismayilova regularly […]
Brussels Business: Screening and Q&A
By Jim Treadway Once more, the power of money and its threat to democracy became the focus at Frontline, where the documentary The Brussels Business was shown on Friday evening and followed by a Q&A with directors Friedrich Moser and Mattieu Lietaert. The Brussels Business analyzes the European Union’s growing lobby industry in Belgium’s capital, now the world’s […]
Is it time for a global conversation on free speech?
By Helena Williams Social media. Free speech. Democracy. These were the buzzwords of 2011, where international movements like the Arab Spring were said to have been fuelled by the power to communicate with one another without hindrance. The year of unrest has put the spotlight on the role of the internet and social media in challenging […]
Part 2: Frontline Club discusses Italian press after Berlusconi
By Charlene Rodrigues Interestingly, condemnation of Berlusconi’s media involvement was not wholesale. Paolo Mancini, professor at the University of Perugia said: “Everyone here will expect me to say one thing but I don’t think Berlusconi is controlling the media. It’s overstated.” “Berlusconi tried to limit freedom of journalists but he did not succeed because there […]
Part 1: Frontline Club discusses Italian press after Berlusconi
Watch the event here. By Will Turvill The Frontline Club last night hosted a lively and informative discussion on what the future might hold for Italian media in the post-Berlusconi era. The event was hosted by BBC Radio 4 presenter Steve Hewlett who was joined on the panel by four Italians and an Anglo-Italian lecturer […]
Italy after Berlusconi: What now for media freedom?
On 12 November the longest-serving post-war Prime Minister of Italy Silvio Berlusconi resigned after losing his majority and public support.
While no longer Prime Minister, he continues to control one half of the countries terrestrial TV market and his company Media Set is a big player in the print and advertising sectors. Will Berlusconi continue to wield influence and manipulate the government through his party and media ownership?
Gene Sharp’s ‘terrifyingly simple’ methods for non-violent revolution
by Thomas Lowe As he walks to sit at the front of the room one can see Gene Sharp is frail, and at times it’s hard to hear his gravelly voice. But you can’t doubt the passion with which he speaks, or the power in his words. His ideas on non-violent revolution have been hugely […]
FULLY BOOKED Insight with Gene Sharp: From Dictatorship to Democracy
The past year has seen people take to the streets across the Middle East and North Africa to demand an end to tyranny and oppression, with their actions leading to unprecedented regime change across the region.
Less known is that the tactics used by many of these protestors come from the writings of an 83-year-old political scientist, Dr Gene Sharp. The 198 “non-violent weapons” listed in his book From Dictatorship to Democracy have now been circulated amongst dissidents around the world.
We are thrilled to announce that Dr Gene Sharp will be joining us at the Frontline Club in conversation with Ruaridh Arrow, journalist, filmmaker and director of the award winning documentary How to Start a Revolution to discuss his work and the uprisings across the Middle East and North Africa.