Debtocracy
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Debtocracy | |
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Directed by | Katerina Kitidi Aris Chatzistefanou |
Written by | Katerina Kitidi Aris Chatzistefanou |
Produced by | Kostas Efimeros |
Edited by | Leonidas Vatikiotis |
Music by | Giannis Aggelakas |
Release date |
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Running time | 74 minutes |
Country | Greece |
Language | Greek |
Debtocracy (
The documentary has been distributed online under a
The film was followed by a Greek-language book with the same title.[4]
Name
The production team coined[citation needed] the word "debtocracy" (Greek "Χρεοκρατία"), defining it as the condition by which Greece found itself trapped in its debt.[2] The term is derived from the words "χρέος" (debt) and the Greek "κράτος" (power, rule -ocracy). The title implies that the Greek government has been functioning mainly under the interests of the financial debt (at points superseding or even replacing the principles of Democracy and the Constitution of Greece), and therefore the debt has been elevated as a de facto form of government by itself.
Content summary
The documentary opens with the statements of
The documentary traces the roots of the Greek debt back to the
Production and participation
The production team of Debtocracy have said that the producers are all those individuals that donated money in order to finance the project.[5] Interviewees include:
- David Harvey, geographer and social theorist
- Hugo Arias, president of the debt analysis committee of Ecuador
- Samir Amin, economist
- Eric Toussaint, political scientist and spokesperson of the Committee for the Abolition of Illegitimate Debt
- Gérard Duménil
- Costas Lapavitsas, economist
- Alain Badiou, philosopher
- Greek Resistanceand left-wing politician
- Avi Lewis, journalist and film director
- Sahra Wagenknecht
Critical response
The documentary has received mixed reviews, both for its use of economics and its political intention as a film, both by Greek and international media.[citation needed]
The documentary depicted scenes where Argentinian and Ecuadorian politicians had to evacuate the besieged parliaments by means of a
Critics of the film make four main points:
- Accusation of propaganda[6]
- The film is suspected to be only a part of a marxist propaganda
- False comparison of Greece with Argentina and Ecuador
- The film argues that Argentina and Ecuador were right to default but the comparison has been described as incorrect.[7]
- Lack of opposing point of views
- Only people in favor of a Greek default were questioned
- No alternative propositions
- Only a cancellation of the Greek debt is invoked. Nothing about the competitiveness of the Greek economy.
Writing for the British newspaper The Guardian, Aditya Chakrabortty said the movie's criticism of the euro was "compelling" and, despite its low budget, called the documentary "the best film of Marxian economic analysis yet produced".[8]
Major Greek newspapers such as To Vima and Kathimerini have criticized the documentary as a work of political propaganda.[6][7] To Vima argues that Greece's and Ecuador's economies have little in common, as Ecuador is a major oil producer for its size and population, contrary to Greece.[6]
A similar critical review was published by Kathimerini, stating that Debtocracy is aimed at promoting political propaganda rather than objectively presenting a proposed solution to the Greek crisis.[7] Kathimerini's review also echoed that of To Vima, saying that the examples of both Ecuador and Argentina are unfortunate as they bear no resemblance to Greece and come in full contrast with the documentary's line of argument.[7]
Other Greek media that have criticized the film include Skai TV.[9]
In universities
Professor of Economics at the
Former Aristotle University of Thessaloniki professor Eleftheria Karnavou wrote a letter to the newspaper Agelioforos arguing that being completely against the documentary is unjustified, even though it is politically and scientifically unfounded, as it provides food for thought.[10]
Response to criticisms
When asked about the one-sidedness of the film by the Greek newspaper Eleftherotypia, the producers replied that they had made it clear from the start who was funding the project,[11] that they used abstracts from documentaries produced by reporters of the BBC,[11] and that those people that speak out against Debtocracy are the same people that find the television news broadcasts to be objective and credible.[11]
See also
- Odious debt
- 2010 Greek economic crisis
- Economy of Greece
- Propaganda model
References
- ^ Διανομή (in Greek). Archived from the original on 16 April 2011. Retrieved 11 April 2011.
- ^ a b Όταν η δημοκρατία υποτάχθηκε στο χρέος (in Greek). Archived from the original on 12 April 2011. Retrieved 11 April 2011.
- ^ Debtocracy at VideoNation
- ISBN 978-960-14-2409-5.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - ^ Ενα ντοκιμαντέρ για τη χρεοκρατία (in Greek). Ελευθεροτυπία. Retrieved 15 April 2011.
- ^ a b c d Argyris Papastathis, Lina Psaila (17 April 2011). "Η "Χρεοκρατία" άναψε φωτιά στο Διαδίκτυο". www.tovima.gr. Retrieved 8 September 2011.
- ^ a b c d Paschos Mandravelis (17 April 2011). "Ψέματα, μεγάλα ψέματα και ντοκιμαντέρ". www.kathimerini.gr. Archived from the original on 9 February 2012. Retrieved 8 September 2011.
- ^ Aditya Chakrabortty (9 June 2011). "Debtocracy: the samizdat of Greek debt". www.guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 8 September 2011.
- ^ Thanos Dimadis (11 April 2011). "Η ειδεχθής πρόταση του "απεχθούς" χρέους". www.skai.gr. Retrieved 8 September 2011.
- ^ Eleftheria Karnavou (21 May 2011). "Για το ντοκιμαντέρ "Χρεοκρατία"". www.agelioforos.gr. Archived from the original on 23 March 2012. Retrieved 8 September 2011.
- ^ a b c Moisis Litsis (26 April 2011). "Debtocracy: Ο κόσμος διψά για διαφορετικές προτάσεις εξόδου από την κρίση". www.enet.gr. Retrieved 8 September 2011.
External links
- Debtocracy at IMDb
- An interview with Aris Hatzistefanou, Owni.eu, May 6, 2010