The Greek Experiment: Ten Years since the Referendum

On 5 July 2015, 61 percent of Greeks voted against the austerity dictates imposed by the “Troika” consisting of the International Monetary Fund, the European Commission, and the European Central Bank. The “OXI” (No) referendum was the culmination of a years-long wave of social protest mobilization in Greece. It was also a difficult decision-making situation for the left-wing SYRIZA government under Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who, shortly after the referendum, was forced to agree to a new “memorandum” on the continuation of privatization and austerity policies under enormous pressure from the EU – especially from then-German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble.

In his new documentary The Greek Experiment, journalist Panos Haritos speaks with political actors and citizens ten years later. He shows how the Troika's austerity policies not only created poverty and despair, but also paved the way for the rise of the right, not only in Greece, but throughout Europe.

The Greek Experiment, 2025, 108 min., Frame Productions, English subtitles

German premiere:

• 20:30.: Discussion with filmmaker Panos Haritos, Margarita Tsomou (author and member of Greece solidarity movement), and Johanna Bussemer (RLS Berlin) about the fight against austerity and the rise of the right.M oderated by Boris Kanzleiter (RLS Athens) (In English)
• 21:45: Screening of The Greek Experiment