Washington – Football (soccer), water and color were among the many varying images used by filmmakers to define democracy in the Democracy Video Challenge’s online competition, which asked people to create a short video that completes the phrase, “Democracy is…”

Representatives from the U.S. Department of State, nongovernmental organizations, the private sector and the diplomatic community viewed some of the 196 Democracy Video Challenge semifinalists at the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington May 7. Representatives of these organizations also participated in a question-and-answer session to share their thoughts on the videos’ messages about democracy.

The Democracy Video Challenge is an online video contest launched at the United Nations on September 15, 2008, to coincide with International Democracy Day. Contestants submitted videos lasting three minutes or fewer that encouraged people to participate in an international effort to discuss the nature of democracy. Filmmakers from more than 90 countries submitted about 900 videos, displaying a variety of opinion, vision and creativity. The Hirshhorn screening was the only opportunity for audiences in the Washington metropolitan area to see some of the videos in a theater before the finalists are announced.

Master of ceremonies Tom Sherwood, a political reporter for a local NBC television station, described democracy as the “collected opinions of millions of people who act out democracy in many different ways around the world.”

Those watching the screening got just a small glimpse of those millions of opinions as films were shown from countries including China, Iran, Bahrain, Cote d’Ivoire, El Salvador, Malta, Malaysia, Ghana, Sierra Leone and India. Using cameras and creativity, contestants brought the concepts of democracy to life with messages that ranged from serious to satirical to interpretive. “Democracy is half social, half individual,” “Democracy is a game,” “Democracy is the term which shouldn’t be defined,” “Democracy is empowering the individual,” the videos said. A large number of videos were created by young people, panelists noted, suggesting a growing role that youth are playing in shaping democratic discussions.

The Democracy Video Challenge is a partnership among the State Department and several entertainment, academic and democratic institutions. The Directors Guild of America, Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and NBC-Universal, New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts, the Center for International Private Enterprise, International Republican Institute and National Democratic Institute, the International Youth Foundation and TakingITGlobal are among the partnering organizations.

Award-winning filmmaker and documentarian Michael Apted and Peruvian economist Hernando de Soto will oversee the competition’s selection of 21 finalist videos, to be announced May 15. (See related article.) They will select three films from each of six regions (Western Hemisphere, Europe, Middle East/North Africa, sub-Saharan Africa, South and Central Asia, East Asia/Pacific) as well as three from an anonymous category, allowing filmmakers in countries that dissuade free speech to have an opportunity to participate.

The public will select the winning videos by voting online from May 15 through June 15 at www.youtube.com/democracychallenge. The winners will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, New York and Hollywood, where they will spend time on television and film sets; meet with film professionals, democracy advocates and government officials; and attend special screenings of their videos.