On the Road with Socrates (Futebol e vida)

On the Road with Socrates (Futebol e vida) follows former European Parliament Green Party member Daniel Cohn-Bendit on his trip through Brazil during the 2014 Soccer World Cup. Cohn-Bendit explores whether the political dimension of Brazilian soccer has disappeared.

As the face of the May 1968 protest movement in France, Cohn-Bendit is still searching for social justice today. While many Brazilian soccer players openly advocated for the end of the military dictatorship in 1984, there were comparatively few protests during the 2014 World Cup – in part because FIFA censored coverage of indigenous protests.

Cohn-Bendit’s documentary shows all aspects of life in Brazil that were absent in the official media coverage. It also illustrates what the World Cup meant for Brazilian activists and explores the faint hope that they will continue to fight for more democracy.

For seven weeks, Cohn-Bendit traveled over 4,000 miles with his stepson, director Niko Apel, to investigate the state of Brazilian democracy. Far from the spotlights of the soccer stadiums, Cohn-Bendit interviewed musicians, politicians and indigenous people, capturing a glimpse of a new Brazil in transition.

The screening will be followed by a discussion between Daniel Cohn-Bendit, former president of the Greens in the European Parliament, and Bastian Hermisson, executive director of the Heinrich Böll Foundation North America.

The film screening will take place on June 12, 2015 at 4pm at:
Goethe-Institut Washington
812 7th St NW
Washington, DC 20001

Please RSVP here.