"One of the most priceless moments in documentary cinema this year." - Vladan Petkovi, CINEUROPA

In times of rampant populism and growing mistrust of the elite, director Marcus Vetter is the first filmmaker to go behind the scenes of 81-year-old Klaus Schwab's controversial World Economic Forum.

Vetter tracks Schwab over a period of two years, as Schwab works to achieve his mission: to improve the state of the world. Can Schwab's vision bear fruit and contribute to solving global problems? Or is it just another part of the problem?

A procession of princes, presidents and other guests – mostly male and all English-speakers – reinforces preconceptions about Schwab's initiative. But there are also critical voices at the table, Greenpeace's Jennifer Morgan, former US vice president Al Gore, and teenage climate change activist Greta Thunberg.

"A fascinating and admirably balanced deep dive into the organisation that brings together the elite from the worlds of politics, big business and beyond."
– Amber Wilkinson, Screen

Throughout, Schwab keeps things moving forward, answering Vetter’s questions about the WEF’s impact and partners.

Is Schwab doing his best to drag the event into a new millennium? And does his approach benefit the world or the elites who attend the forum?

The 15th International Documentary Film Festival and industry programme is going online (sod you coronavirus, we’re going digital!).

Festival Date: Friday 12 June – Sunday 5 July 2020 (New Zealand only)
Industry Programme: Tuesday 26 May – Tuesday 2 June 2020
For information visit https://docedge.nz/

Doc Edge has received filmmaker permission to upload this trailer to the Doc Edge YouTube channel.