WHEN Films and Journalists SPARK Public Debate
Democracy on Screen is a monthly documentary and conversation series created by French in Motion in partnership with The John Brademas Center of NYU. Launched in January 2026, the series showcases recent international documentaries that examine democracy as a pillar of human rights, followed by moderated discussions with journalists, filmmakers, and scholars. Each program invites audiences to engage with urgent questions about democratic resilience, press freedom, populism, and global governance -from Tunisia to Brazil, the United States to Ireland. Set in Washington, D.C., a global hub for international journalism and public debate, Democracy on Screen provides a thoughtful, accessible forum for students, cinephiles, and the wider community to reflect on how democratic systems are challenged, defended, and reimagined around the world.
OUR NEXT
SCREENING + DEBATE
MAY 4TH
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DATE: Monday, May 4th
WHEN: 7 pm to 9:30pm
WHERE: NYU - 1307 L Street NW, Washington, DC 20005 -
After the screening, stay for the discussion with producer Mark Maxey and Paul Beckett, Senior Editor at @TheAtlantic and veteran journalist who played a key role in the campaign to free wrongfully detained WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich.
Paul Beckett is a senior editor at The Atlantic and a veteran journalist with more than 25 years at The Wall Street Journal. He played a leading role in the international campaign to secure the release of WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was wrongfully detained in Russia, an effort that drew international attention to press freedom.Prior to his role as assistant editor at The Wall Street Journal, Paul was the Washington bureau chief, responsible for news across politics and government, economics, national security, the Supreme Court, financial regulation and the intersection of business and Washington.
Before taking the helm of the Washington bureau in 2017, Paul was Asia editor, in charge of the Journal’s print and digital editorial operations across the region.
He moved to Hong Kong in 2013 after six years as South Asia editor, based in New Delhi, where he started WSJ’s India Real Time blog and its India news website, india.wsj.com.
In 2008, Paul and the bureau won an Overseas Press Club award for their India coverage. In July 2013, he was co-author of the HarperCollins book “Crimes Against Women: Three Tragedies and the Call for Reform in India,” a compilation of WSJ’s reporting on women’s issues in 2012 and 2013.
Born and bred in Scotland and a graduate of Edinburgh University, Paul joined Dow Jones in 1990 at the Daily News of Newburyport, Mass., then part of Dow Jones’s community newspaper chain. He joined Dow Jones Newswires in 1993 and reported from New York, London, Mexico City and Washington, D.C. He joined the Journal in 1998 in New York, where he covered banking. In 2003, he moved to London as bureau chief and European finance and markets editor.
Mark Maxey is an Emmy award-winning producer and executive at Rolling Pictures - a motion picture company in Burbank delivering development, packaging, production and editorial services for film and television.
Recent productions include the political thriller Words of War with Sean Penn and starring Jason Isaacs, Ciarán Hinds, Ben Miles, Maxine Peake, directed by James Strong; Space Oddity directed by Kyra Sedgwick and starring Kevin Bacon, Alexandra Shipp, Kyle Allen and Carrie Preston; Mayim Bialik's directorial debut As They Made Us starring Dustin Hoffman, Candice Bergen, Dianna Agron, and Simon Helberg; Rare Objects directed by and starring Katie Holmes with Alan Cumming, Julia Mayorga and Derek Luke; and the documentary film Up to Snuff which Maxey wrote, directed and produced, featuring Aaron Sorkin, Martin Sheen, Tom Arnold, Timothy Busfield, Ed Asner, Lawrence O'Donnell, and W.G. Snuffy Walden. Executive producer credits include The Kill Room starring Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman and Maya Hawke, directed by Nicol Paone.
Maxey's work in television includes producing critically acclaimed programs such as American Valor, The Honors: A Salute to American Heroes, National Memorial Day Parade, and On Stage at the Kennedy Center with the late Marvin Hamlisch. His work has been seen on ABC, CBS, CNN, Discovery, FOX, MSNBC, MTV, NBC, and PBS.
Maxey has served on the national board of directors of the Producers Guild of America, co-chairs PGA Capital, and is a national member of the Television Academy. Maxey is co-founder and chairman emeritus of the Washington West Film Festival, the only film festival to donate 100% of box office proceeds to help at-risk youth and families in need. Maxey serves on the boards of Women in Film & Video, Artistic Fuel Foundation, and the Rock & Roll for Children Foundation benefiting families fighting pediatric cancer at the Children's Inn at the National Institutes of Health. -
Words of War (2025) is a biographical drama directed by James Strong, starring Maxine Peake as Anna Politkovskaya, the fearless Russian journalist who exposed atrocities during the Chechen Wars. Released in May 2025, the film dramatizes her fight for an independent press against the Russian government, highlighting her life and death.
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WORDS OF WAR
Directed by: James Strong
Written by: Eric PoppenProduced by: Miriam Segal, Mark Maxey, Paul Brennan, Kia Jam
Length: 1h 57min
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Inspired by its founder, former Congressman and NYU President Emeritus, the John Brademas Center of New York University pursues a collection of initiatives in the areas which formed the core of John Brademas' life in public service: the state of Congress and the legislative process in democracies; the shifting dynamics in foreign policy and international affairs; and, the present state and future prospects for higher education, the humanities, arts and culture. With a growing reputation as a home for informed and civil debate on politics, public policy and other major issues facing the nation and global community—the Brademas Center undertakes programs at NYU's campuses in New York City and Washington, D.C., and increasingly around NYU’s global network.
PREVIOUSLY in DEMoCRACY ON SCreEN
DEMOCRACY
UNDER SIEGE
MARCH 11
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DATE: Wednesday, March 11
WHEN: 7:00 to 9:00 PM
(Doors open at 6:00 PM)
WHERE: NYU - 1307 L Street NW, Washington, DC 20005 -
The screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Laura Nix, protagonist Ann Telnaes, former editorial cartoonist for The Washington Post, and Claire L. Chandler co-producer.
The discussion will be moderated by Mark Maxey:
Mark Maxey is an Emmy Award-winning producer at Rolling Pictures whose recent films include Words of War with co-produced with Sean Penn and Space Oddity starring Kevin Bacon.
Beyond his production work, Mark is deeply engaged in industry and philanthropic leadership: he has served on the national board of the Producers Guild of America, co-chairs PGA Capital, and is a national member of the Television Academy. He is also co-founder and chairman emeritus of the Washington West Film Festival, and serves on the boards of Women in Film & Video.
His latest film, Words of War (2025), is a biographical political thriller that highlights the essential role of a free press in holding authoritarian regimes accountable, through the story of Russian journalist and human rights activist Anna Politkovskaya.
Featuring:
Laura NIX:
Laura Nix is a director, writer, and producer working in non-fiction and fiction. She is known for her films Inventing Tomorrow (2018 Sundance Premiere), The Yes Men Are Revolting (2014), The Light In Her Eyes (2011), Whether You Like It Or Not: The Story of Hedwig (2003), and The Politics Of Fur (2002).
Ann Telnaes:
Ann Telnaes creates editorial cartoons in various mediums — animation, visual essays, live sketches and traditional print. She has won the Pulitzer Prize twice for her editorial cartoons in 2001 and 2025. Ann was awarded the National Cartoonists Society’s Reuben for Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year in 2016 and the international EWK Award, named after the legendary Swedish cartoonist Ewert Karlsson, in 2021. Ann was also awarded the Herblock Prize for editorial cartooning in2023. After working for The Washington Post for over sixteen years, Telnaes resigned after a cartoon she submitted was rejected because it criticized billionaire tech and media executives, including Jeff Bezos, for trying to curry favor with President Trump.
Claire Lupa Chandler:
Claire Lupa Chandler is a New York based documentary producer and editor. She collaborated with celebrated director Nancy Buirski on her latest films, including as a Co-Producer of DESPERATE SOULS, DARK CITY AND THE LEGEND OF MIDNIGHT COWBOY (Kino Lorber/Zeitgiest), which was shortlisted for the Best Documentary Academy Award. She produced Buirski’s A CRIME ON THE BAYOU (Starz) and THE RAPE OF RECY TAYLOR (Starz), and was Co-Producer of BY SIDNEY LUMET (PBS American Masters.) She edited the feature docs FATHER’S KINGDOM and THE YES MEN ARE REVOLTING, directed by Laura Nix. -
As 2025 unfolds, the American democratic ideal continues to face profound stress tests. In Democracy Under Siege, director Laura Nix takes a rigorous and timely look at the structural pressures, political dynamics, and institutional fragilities shaping the current moment.
The film examines the assumptions underlying democratic stability and asks what happens when long-standing norms are challenged from within. Among those featured is Ann Telnaes, former editorial cartoonist for The Washington Post, whose recent resignation over the censorship of one of her submissions sparked national debate about press independence, ownership influence, and the boundaries of editorial freedom.
With precision and urgency, Nix’s film invites audiences to confront difficult questions about public trust, accountability, and the resilience of democratic institutions.
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DEMOCRACY UNDER SIEGE
Directed by:
Laura Nix
Written by:
Vincent Coen, Laura Nix, Guillaume VandenbergheProduced by: Clins d’oeil Films
Hanne PhlypoYear: 2025
Length: 55 minutes
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Inspired by its founder, former Congressman and NYU President Emeritus, the John Brademas Center of New York University pursues a collection of initiatives in the areas which formed the core of John Brademas' life in public service: the state of Congress and the legislative process in democracies; the shifting dynamics in foreign policy and international affairs; and, the present state and future prospects for higher education, the humanities, arts and culture. With a growing reputation as a home for informed and civil debate on politics, public policy and other major issues facing the nation and global community—the Brademas Center undertakes programs at NYU's campuses in New York City and Washington, D.C., and increasingly around NYU’s global network.
WATCH THE CONVERSATION
MADURO THE INDESTRUCTIBLE
FEBRUARY 11
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DATE: Wednesday, February 11
WHEN: 6:30 to 9:00 PM
(Doors open at 6:00 PM)
WHERE: NYU - 1307 L Street NW, Washington, DC 20005 -
The screening will be followed by an in-person conversation, co-sponsored with NYU’s Center on International Cooperation (CIC), situating Venezuela’s present moment within the region’s political history and today’s evolving global dynamics.
The discussion will be moderated by Nick Spicer (Europe Editor, NPR)
Featuring:
Rodrigo Diamanti — Venezuelan human rights activist; Director and President of Un Mundo Sin Mordaza; Secretary of the Independent Expert Panel of the Organization of American States (OAS)
Claire Meynial — U.S. Correspondent, Le Point, specializing in Africa, migration, and political crises, with extensive reporting on Venezuela and the region
Emiliana Duarte — Venezuelan journalist in exile; former Managing Editor and co-founder of Caracas Chronicles, currently working on communications with María Corina Machado’s team. -
A documentary portrait of Nicolás Maduro, tracing his unlikely rise from bus driver to president of Venezuela and his grip on power amid economic collapse, international sanctions, and mounting repression.
The film examines the contradictions of Maduro’s rule, his role in both Venezuela’s years of oil-fueled prosperity and its profound decline, while exploring how ideology, authoritarian governance, and political survival have reshaped the country and its place on the global stage.
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MADURO: THE INDESTRUCTIBLE
Directed by:
Paul Cabanis
Written by:
Gindel Delgado Aguilar, Paul Cabanis, Sonia DridiProduced by: Kraken Films
Clement Gargoullaud, David MuntanerYear: 2024
Length: 52 minutes
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Inspired by its founder, former Congressman and NYU President Emeritus, the John Brademas Center of New York University pursues a collection of initiatives in the areas which formed the core of John Brademas' life in public service: the state of Congress and the legislative process in democracies; the shifting dynamics in foreign policy and international affairs; and, the present state and future prospects for higher education, the humanities, arts and culture. With a growing reputation as a home for informed and civil debate on politics, public policy and other major issues facing the nation and global community—the Brademas Center undertakes programs at NYU's campuses in New York City and Washington, D.C., and increasingly around NYU’s global network.
WATCH THE CONVERSATION
KABUL CHAOS
Escaping the taliban
JANUARY 14
WATCH THE CONVERSATION
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DATE: Wednesday, January 14
WHEN: 6:30 to 9:00 PM
(Doors open at 6:00 PM)
WHERE: NYU - 1307 L Street NW, Washington, DC 20005 -
The screening will be followed by a conversation with Nick Spicer, Europe Editor at NPR, and:
Susannah George, Gulf Bureau Chief at The Washington Post, formerly Afghanistan–Pakistan Bureau Chief, who covered the fall of the Afghan government and the Taliban’s return to power.
Ali Yawar Adili, Afghan policy researcher and analyst at NYU’s Center on International Cooperation (CIC).
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Intimately filmed over 3 years from the inside, French ambassador to Afghanistan, David Martinon, is the only foreign diplomat to anticipate the coming chaos of the withdrawal of American forces in 2021. He mobilizes every resource to evacuate his staff and hundreds of civilians who now face mortal danger with the return of the Taliban.
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KABUL CHAOS: ESCAPING THE TALIBAN
Written andDirected by:
Thomas Brémond, David Périssère, Nils Montel & Myriam Weil
Produced by: Federation Studio France (Myriam Weil) et Smith en Face (Jérôme Pierdet)Year: 2024
Length: 90 minutes
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Inspired by its founder, former Congressman and NYU President Emeritus, the John Brademas Center of New York University pursues a collection of initiatives in the areas which formed the core of John Brademas' life in public service: the state of Congress and the legislative process in democracies; the shifting dynamics in foreign policy and international affairs; and, the present state and future prospects for higher education, the humanities, arts and culture. With a growing reputation as a home for informed and civil debate on politics, public policy and other major issues facing the nation and global community—the Brademas Center undertakes programs at NYU's campuses in New York City and Washington, D.C., and increasingly around NYU’s global network.
