Da geht was

Slaughtering animals yourself, no more math as a compulsory subject, the right to your own parking space: the demands of the youth party “DIE FREIEN” (The Free) are quite something. Nine young people between the ages of 15 and 23 have had enough of politics that ignores the concerns of young people. Motivated by this, they have founded their own movement, “DIE FREIEN.” Their demands reflect the lifestyle of the so-called Generation Y: less school, less work, more life. Their political ideas have not only angered the Facebook community, but also caused a scandal in downtown Elberfeld. There, they wanted to slaughter rabbits, because anyone who wants to eat meat should do it themselves. But don't worry, the animals are fine and alive and kicking. The Freien are actually a film project by the Wuppertal-based association Vollbild in cooperation with the Velbert School of Art and Music. In the tradition of Horst Schlämmer, played by Hape Kerkeling, the young people have thrown themselves into the election campaign as fictional characters. The illusion was made perfect by conversations with “real” politicians, including North Rhine-Westphalia Minister Svenja Schulze, SPD Member of the Bundestag Manfred Zöllmer, and Gunhild Böth from the DIE LINKE party. Wuppertal-based director Kim Münster accompanies the young troupe on film as they found their party, take their first steps into the public eye, and attempt to stand for the upcoming local elections. It becomes clear that political commitment alone is not enough to establish oneself effectively in politics. Voters must be convinced, a PR strategy must be developed, and conflicts among the party members must be resolved. The film shows in an entertaining and humorous way the personal, bureaucratic, and organizational hurdles the young people have to overcome in order to survive in the political landscape.