The MDC Tower Theater held a public screening earlier this month of “What Is Democracy?,” a film exploring issues and tensions within the political system.
About 60 people gathered to watch and discuss the feature by Astra Taylor.
The movie connected past and present ideas of democracy through emotional, intellectual and political views. The director filmed scenes in different cities around the world.
During a panel discussion following the film Taylor said she decided to shoot part of the movie in Miami because it is the city of the future.
“The film was made to be a philosophical medium,” she said. “I intend to bring an interesting topic that makes people think and discuss it with their peers.”
Once the film was over, cast members from Miami joined the director and conducted a panel session.
Roman Yavich, a member of the audience, said he was interested in philosophy, which led him to attend.
“I thought the film had a fascinating topic and that motivated me to come,” said Yavich. “ It was well done in terms of being a difficult subject to approach, but I think it was a little bit Eurocentric.”
Some students in the audience said the film left them questioning the relationship between freedom, justice and democracy. Richard Moreno, from Miami Dade College, said he now realizes how much he has to learn.
“If we want to live in a democracy, we must first ask what the word even means,” said Moreno. “That is now stuck in my head, and I can’t stop thinking about it.”
