Modelling democracy: Revisiting legacies of democratic practices in current European documentaries

This article examines three European documentary films that contribute to discourses on democracy. By revisiting political processes of the past, O Palácio de Cidadãos ( The Palace of Citizens , Pires, 2024), Petra Kelly – Act Now! (Metz, 2024) and The Day Iceland Stood Still (Hogan, 2024) contextualize current concerns and comment on the state of democracy. The films try to make a case for civic engagement by providing historic examples of successful democratic practices beyond party politics. In response to populist histories of national pasts, these films offer affective counternarratives in which defining moments in the nation’s history and symbols of collective identities are tied to the functioning of democratic institutions and successful civic engagement. In paying attention to the films’ formal qualities, this article examines the films’ representation of democratic processes of the past, their affective narrative strategies and the connections that are established between the past and the current political landscape and contemporary audiences.