The extreme right has won the European elections in France, Italy and Belgium and has gained about a quarter of MEPs in the new parliament. The xenophobia, patriarchy or authoritarianism that they preach are also present in the programs of parties that are not even considered ultra-right. Issues that were thought to be overcome, such as gender violence, the use of firearms or the death penalty, are being reintroduced into the debate.
For nearly a million years people roamed the untamed lands between Europe and what is known today as the United Kingdom. But at the end of the last Ice Age, 12,000 years ago, massive sea-rise flooded the plains north of the European continent and separated the British Isles from the rest of Europe.
Europe in crisis. A moment of glory for Europe’s social democracy parties? On the contrary: Social democrats suffer catastrophic election results and poll ratings. In a political road movie we follow six social democratic politicians in six countries in search for answers: Germany, France, Great Britain, Sweden, Italy and Slovakia. Despite all national differences, they all face questions of greater importance than national issues – questions important for the future of social democracy itself.
Why are Europeans, children of immigrants like Coulibaly or the Kouachis brothers, attacking their countries of birth? What leads them to reject the values of the nation in which they grew up, to be reborn as extremists of Al Qaeda and the Islamic State. What role does religion play and which religion? What propaganda and mental mechanisms are being used to convince this generation of killers that they must turn vigilante on behalf of their victimised Muslim world?
In the Ruhr district of Germany, we witness the comeback of a small river and an entire landscape. For decades, the Emscher was the most polluted river in Europe. Now, it’s being returned from an industrial sewer to a natural river system. With the help of waste water treatment plants, liberated river beds, and returning animal species, this unique natural region is blossoming.
The documentary tells the story of the slow transformation of a man. Once democratic and pro-European, he is now a reactionary head of state with autocratic aims. From the abrupt cessation of Turkey's EU accession talks in 2010 to the colossal purges destabilizing the country today, we are studying the implementation of a ruthless strategy aimed at making the Turkish president the new Sultan of the Middle East.
