Launched this month on 40 world broadcasters and on various media outlets, Why Democracy? is the world's largest ever factual media event with a potential to reach some 300 million viewers worldwide.
Each national broadcaster (including DR, NRK, and SVT in Scandinavia) is producing a locally-based season of film, radio, debate and discussion to tie with the global broadcast of the 10 one-hour documentary films focusing on contemporary democracy. The films will be accompanied by a widespread post-transmission distribution programme on DVD.
The 10 documentaries made by independent award-winning filmmakers from around the world, were selected from over 400 submissions. The Danish contribution to the series is directed and produced by Karsten Kjær (Freeport Film) who has produced more than 200 programmes for Danish and European television as well as numerous specials on world affairs, especially in the Middle East. Bloody Cartoons is a documentary about how and why 12 drawings in a Danish provincial paper could whirl a small country into a confrontation with Muslims all over the world. The director filmed in Lebanon, Iran, Syria, Qatar, France, Turkey and Denmark, and talked to some of the people that played key roles during the cartoon crisis.
The documentary will be aired on DR1 on Sunday October 7, then on NRK on October 9, on SVT2 on October 12 and on BBC World on October 20.
To coincide with the global initiative Why Democracy?, DOX-ON-WHEELS is organising on October 7, in collaboration with STEPS International, DR and the Danish Film Institute four screenings and discussions on the subject in various venues around Copenhagen.