RADICAL HOPE

Capitalism, globalisation, industrialisation — our systems are broken. Who dares to change them? In early 2018, Katherine Trebeck and Lorenzo Fioramonti embark on two ambitious projects to move our societies away from their self-destructive path. They struggle, fail, pick themselves up again — and forge a path that may change our future.

Katherine Trebeck initiates the ‘Wellbeing Economy Governments’, an international alliance opposed to the mighty G7: countries that pursue ‘wellbeing for people and planet’ and not GDP growth. 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. But they have a long way to go to make a global impact.

Lorenzo Fioramonti helped start the alliance; suddenly he is invited to run for office in his home country Italy. He wins a parliamentary seat in the 2018 election and hopes to create a wellbeing economy as a minister. Yet he gets sidelined in a troubled coalition. When it falls apart and a new government forms, he can implement some of his bold ideas. However, the backlash is so strong that he resigns in the end.