Film Screening: “Democracy Noir” : a damning portrait of how Orban

A political thriller, character drama, and a clarion call to action, this riveting documentary portraying resistance to Hungary’s authoritarian leader Viktor Orban is perfectly relevant to this political moment.

In the September 10  2024 presidential debate, Donald Trump said “Viktor Orban, one of the most respected men, they call him a strong man, he is a tough person, smart, Prime Minister of Hungary, said why is he world blowing up, three years ago it wasn’t, because you need Trump back as President.”    Orban also enjoys a very close relationship to the Heritage Foundations, and his ideas are reflected in Project 2025.

Few politicians have proven as adept at undermining democracy as Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban. A hero to his country’s Christian conservative population as well as an acolyte to Donald Trump and the republican party, Orban fastens methodical steps to successfully chip away at Hungarian democratic institutions.

With unparalleled access, “Democracy Noir” follows three courageous activists – Timea, Babett, and Niko – as they reveal the layers of deception embedded within Orban’s government. Wielding expertise in law, journalism and healthcare, these women organize innovative ways to take on one of the West’s most powerful demagogues. But they face an increasingly well-financed and sophisticated opposition in Orban’s Fidesz party, who control the media.

“Democracy Noir” paints a damning portrait of how Orban, over the years, systematically destabilized the country’s democratic institutions for financial gain while enjoying widespread approval from Hungarian nationalists. The film reveals an urgent cautionary tale for all democracies through the story of Orban’s relentless work to build an autocratic white Christian state. But amidst this dark, new brand of authoritarianism, vital resistance remains. Through the testimony and actions of Timea, Babett and Niko, we not only witness the terror of a democracy in free fall, we see first-hand what it takes to try and claw precious freedoms back from the abyss. “Democracy Noir” serves as a warning and a ray of hope: it reveals the undemocratic nature of Orban’s regime and the courage of three women, representing many, who will not acquiesce.