Documentary film on world referendum presented

What would ordinary people around the world say if they would be asked whether they would wish to participate in a global referendum? Would they agree that every person on the planet should have an equal vote in such an exercise of global democracy? And is it actually possible to accomplish the logistical requirements? These are the main questions which filmmaker Joel Marsden pursues in his documentary "World Vote Now" which was premiered in Madrid at the beginning of this month. Shots for the 77-minute film were taken in 26 countries over a period of eight years. The first part of the film deals with national elections and the different state of democracy in the world. It includes, in particular, impressions from the constitutional referenda in the Democratic Republic of Congo in December 2005 and in Venezuela in December 2007 or from local elections in Kashmir and parliamentary elections in Iran.

"The fundamental and simple idea behind the film is that if democracy is such a beneficial way to improve the governance and development of so many countries and their people, why not try it at the global level as well?" said Marsden after a presentation in Berlin on 25 June. "After all the encounters we had during the development of the film I am convinced that there is broad support in the world for having a first global ballot. Many people do not think that sufficient efforts are made in the interest of the global common good, for example to improve the livelihood of the poorest in the world. They would highly welcome the opportunity to express this sentiment in a vote, as citizens of the world," the filmmaker stated. In fact Marsden plans to pursue the project further and to make a global referendum a reality.

"The film appeals to emotions and rises a feeling of solidarity. It is wonderfully suited to make the idea of global democracy known to a broader public. The documentary will most certainly ignite debates which go beyond a world referendum as the movie's actual focus, for example on the idea of a world parliament. We therefore hope that as many people as possible will have the opportunity to see it," said Andreas Bummel, Chairperson of the Committee for a Democratic U.N. and leader of the Secretariat of the Campaign for the Establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly (CEUNPA).