Fresh off its award-winning run in Europe, Democracy Noir arrives in the United States as a very timely documentary film about how Viktor Orbán politically reshaped Hungary. It paints an incisive portrait of how Orbán used a free and democratic election to install authoritarian rule, enjoying widespread approval from Hungarian nationalists as well as from conservatives around the world inclined to his illiberal views. He changed the constitution, took over the courts and the media, and dismantled the rule of law. Admired by Donald Trump and the Heritage Foundation, Orban’s influence helped shape Project 2025 and the current policies of the Republican Party.

Democracy Noir tells this story through the activism of its three subjects: opposition politician Timea Szabo, journalist Babett Oroszi, and nurse Nikoletta (Niko) Antal. It details how unchecked power can quickly remove rights that once were taken for granted, and it shows how three women come to terms with their country’s unravelling social and cultural landscape.

Studying the recent history of another country whose political trajectory mirrors your own can bring clarity to your situation. Join us to view, and then to discuss, this example of an increasingly emboldened far right political party and the rise of autocratic politicians around the world.

A Humanities Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums.

Documentary image and post courtesy Clarity Films; Field photo courtesy the speaker.

OrganizerGeorge HammondNotes

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices