The film chronicles two years in the lives of political economists Katherine Trebeck and Lorenzo Fioramonti, as they embark on ambitious political projects to move our societies away from their self-destructive course. They struggle, fail, pick themselves up again — and forge a path that may change our future.
The lens through which we observe their highs and lows in the struggle for change is director Martin Oetting’s personal experience. He left his job in advertising — where he worked as a ‘growth advocate’ — and set out on a journey to understand how societal change can come about.
Katherine Trebeck initiated the ‘Wellbeing Economy Governments’, an international alliance opposed to the mighty G7. Her plan: a new group of countries ready to reshape their politics and economy. While she works tirelessly to make it happen, the project flounders gets revived, and evolves. Eventually, it unites five countries: Scotland, New Zealand, Iceland, Wales, and Finland. It may become a starting point for a new economic vision for the world.
Lorenzo Fioramonti helps start the alliance. Then, suddenly, he is invited to run for office in his home country Italy. He wins a parliamentary seat in the general election and hopes to create a well-being economy as a Minister for Economic Development. But then he gets sidelined in a troubled government. When it falls apart and a new coalition forms, he unexpectedly becomes Minister for Education and manages to implement some of his bold ideas.
Katherine and Lorenzo envision a world in which we no longer serve the economy, but the economy serves us. Is the world ready for this shift?
