„Learning from the Grassroots“ uses the media of film and audio podcast to highlight the experiences and strategies of civil society actors in the field of food sovereignty. Both media offer different ways to highlight the processes of collective action and convey the perspectives of those involved:
Film: Our hybrid documentaries feature staged situations as well as observations of the interactions that arise within these situations. The dramatic structure makes it possible to experience processes that would otherwise span a very long period of time. The plot and conversations take place exclusively among the protagonists of civil society and are not accompanied by a narrator’s commentary; expert interviews are also omitted, as the information emerges from the conversations of the protagonists, who must themselves be experts in order to navigate an increasingly complex reality in the realm of food sovereignty.
Podcasts: The audio podcast format is faster and more immediate than the meticulous preparation required for a documentary film allows. It offers room for experimentation and trial and error; spontaneity plays an important role. Thanks to the community discussion that takes place one week before the podcast is recorded, the podcast conversation becomes even more collective than a podcast interview based solely on the hosts‘ research.
The art of multi-perspective storytelling
Collective processes bring together a multitude of perspectives, personalities, and motivations. Our mission is to develop new forms of storytelling in which the participants are more deeply involved than ever before – in the medium of film as well as in podcasts.
In film, a story is usually told from the perspective of one or more main characters, and shaped by their experiences, beliefs and worldviews. However, when several characters share equal prominence and each drives their own plotline, a multi-perspective narrative structure emerges. The dramaturgical challenge then lies in preserving the independence of these perspectives while simultaneously weaving them together into a comprehensible, emotionally coherent film.
In our films, multi-perspective storytelling shall challenge viewers not only to understand the perspectives of the characters in each narrative strand but also the complex relationships between their experiences and motivations. The idea is to make the growing network of connections between the protagonists themselves the actual focus of the dramaturgy. The result is a dynamic narrative style that reflects the diversity of collective action while also revealing the deeper meaning behind the individual voices.
Storytelling as a shared endeavor
When it comes to identifying shared concerns and translating them into a political narrative, it is crucial that all participants can support this narrative. We therefore do not view our protagonists as passive interviewees, but as co-authors. Their decisions regarding topics and perspectives actively influence the design of the cinematic narrative, turning the narrating process itself into a collaborative endeavor.
For multi-perspective storytelling to succeed, balance is needed: no one should speak for others – and yet the different narrative strands must relate to each other. Only through interaction can a compelling, coherent story emerge. This integrative process requires not only respect for the diversity of voices, but also constant engagement with the tensions that can arise from different perspectives.
Our core question:
How can we design the narrative process so that participants feel truly involved and accurately represented in the political story being told?
Negotiated images, shared meanings
Our goal is to establish a collaborative and non-hierarchical relationship between filmmakers or podcast moderators and protagonists. We strive for joint interpretive authority, ensuring that the finished film or audio podcast is not only about the people portrayed, but is also created with their active participation. This collaborative process turns the narrative into a space for negotiating meanings and representation — a space in which different perspectives coexist and enter into dialogue with one another.
The way we tell stories, the meanings we emphasize and the way we construct certain images and symbols directly impact our understanding of identity, power and belonging. Multi-perspective storytelling creates space for a new form of social and political practice, shaped by the people represented in the stories.
It is through narrative […] that political thinking is actually realized. Through the narrated action that constitutes narrative, man relates to life or belongs to life, insofar as human life is inevitably political life. Narrative is the first dimension in which a human being lives, through Bios and not through Zoé, a political life and/or a life transmitted to other human beings.
Julia Kristeva, Die Banalität des Bösen, in: Politik und Verantwortung. Zur Aktualität von Hannah Arendt, p. 131 (Julia Kristeva, The Banality of the Evil in: Politics and Responsibility. On the Actuality of Hannah Arendt, cited from the German Edition).
Author: Eva Pudill, November 2025
