4.2 Special case: TV series in Production

Christian Holtet, Danish Broadcasting Corporation (Denmark)

The Danish Broadcasting Cooperation (DBC), a participant in the CINEFOG Network and the largest public broadcaster in Denmark, is in the process of producing a 12 part TV series about grassroots movements in Europe. This is done within a partnership consisting of public broadcasters in 10 European countries, i.e. Albania, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark (lead participant), Finland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, and Sweden. The series is planned to be broadcasted in 2007 and are expected to attract millions of viewers all over Europe.

Grassroots movements starts with an idea that things could be different; this evolves into the idea that things within a certain policy field have got to be different; This, in turn, leads to a more or less organized community around this idea, and after while a popular, anti-authoritarian movement is emerging, a movement which demands space and a hearing; which exerts pressure, insisting on influencing developments.

This is how popular movements that arose in the past 30 to 40 years continue to impact on developments in Europe, often in a democratic fashion. Among the broad spectrum of issues these movements have addressed, one can mention e.g. nuclear power, peace, environment, women's liberation, corruption in political life, and democracy.

In the 1960s these movements arose amidst economic growth and progress. With no shortages people had the energy for innovative thinking and going up against the authorities; they had the desire to protest and rebel against existing dogmas, and they were borne along with visionary fervor.

In the 1970s two energy crises lead to economic downturn but the movements carried on; indeed they grew, convinced that the values were the right way towards the new millennium.

Today we see that these movements did not only help to define the way in which Europe has moved; they also helped to generate growth and progress.

We will concentrate on movements governed by the spirit of democracy even though they may have applied untraditional methods in their quest for a hearing.

The series will appeal to a broad group of viewers, but perhaps especially the young, to give them an idea of the way the generations now representing the middle-aged, ageing segment of the population used to be the ones who went up against the establishment: they used to be the visionaries with the zeal, and the defiance required for change.

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Active Citizenship and the Development of European Democracy