When a fish lacks oxygen in the water, it begins to panic, breathing rapidly and swimming toward the surface in search of relief. As the deprivation continues, its movements slow, and it becomes disoriented, drifting aimlessly as its body struggles to cope. The buildup of carbon dioxide and lactic acid disrupts its internal balance, leading to organ failure. Eventually, the fish suffocates, its life extinguished by the very water that once sustained it. This is how democracy dies too—slowly, as the essential freedoms and diversity that sustain it are choked off, until collapse becomes inevitable.

This is the state of democracy today—a slow, suffocating decline that many fail to see until it is too late. Across Europe and the world, the pillars of free expression, cultural diversity, and democratic values are being chipped away, piece by piece. What was once unshakable now feels fragile.
In Hungary and Poland, governments are tightening their grip on cultural institutions, silencing dissenting voices and reshaping the narrative to fit their ideologies. In Germany and Austria, filmmakers face boycotts, hate campaigns, and threats for daring to confront nationalism, racism, or historical truths. Even in countries with strong democratic traditions, the rise of populism and extremism is poisoning the well of public discourse. The water is becoming unbreathable.

And what happens if we do nothing? What happens if we let this continue? Imagine a world where filmmakers no longer dare to tell the stories that matter. Where art is reduced to propaganda, and diversity is replaced by a single, suffocating narrative. Imagine a world where the next generation grows up without the tools to question, to reflect, to resist. This is not a distant dystopia—it is a very real possibility.

European Filmmakers for Democracy should exist because we cannot afford to wait. This is not about progress; it is about preservation. It is about holding onto the fragile, vital freedoms that allow us to create, to speak, to breathe. Democracy is not guaranteed—it is a choice we must make every day. And if we fail to act, we will drown in the silence of what we have lost.

Like fish in water, we often fail to notice what surrounds us—until it begins to disappear. Democracy, freedom of expression, and cultural diversity are the water in which we, as filmmakers, live and create. But this water is growing murkier. Right-wing extremism, censorship, and ideological interference are spreading—not just in Europe, but across the globe. The freedom to tell stories that challenge, connect, and inspire is under threat.
Now is the time to fight. For democracy. For freedom. For the stories that must be told. Because without water—without art, without truth—there is no life.

“This is Water. This is Film. This is Democracy.”