Think Freedom
Fighting Corruption with Data - "Think Freedom: The Firestone"
Watch how this freedom fighter sparked a mass movement against corruption in Romania - ‘Corruption Kills’. Florin Badita showed through data research how illegal practices come at a high cost—in both money and lives. What drives him not to give up? How has Florin’s drive and persistence turned into the firestone of civic movement and activism in Romania?
Watch Now: Think Freedom: The Firestone
Florin Badita is the type of person who, once he develops a passion for something, really goes the extra mile with ferocious drive and perseverance: “I will obsess over it and I will focus on that thing”. He loves starting things from scratch and learning more and more about them. And Florin Badita is an inventor who aims to optimise - someone who can’t stand inefficiency at all. Years ago, a particular kind of inefficiency, leading to serious public damage and repercussions, drew his attention: corruption.
“Most of the things that I do, I started doing out of fun, out of interest. And that interest could be solving a problem, or something that I'm deeply passionate about.“
It was 2015 when a nightclub fire in Romania's Capitol, Bucharest, killed 64 people. The band’s pyrotechnics that ignited the fire were not approved. The club lacked basic safety standards, although the authorities checked it shortly beforehand. The tragedy sparked massive public outrage and triggered Florin Badita’s commitment to fight corruption.
“Data helps me understand the world better. Having access to data allows you to see a clearer future. Access to data and knowing how to use it allows me to talk about facts, not opinions.”
The data analyst chose an out-of-the-box way to call for protests against corruption. Invoking the Freedom of Information Act, he began sending requests to authorities asking for the costs of public services. In return, he received wildly differing answers, revealing just how high—and how inconsistent—the real costs of corruption were. By presenting such newsworthy data in charts on social media, Badita caught the attention of tens of thousands of Romanians, going viral often. These findings were the spark in a firestone to start conversations, invoking the public to demand responsibility and transparency from institutions, channeling the civic outcry and protect energy in a movement.
“Even if now that endpoint is not clear, at least we know that by doing it, we are getting closer to the goal.”
“Corruption Kills” started as a Facebook page and has grown into a mass movement. It reached its peak in 2017, when hundreds of thousands of people protested against corruption. These were the largest demonstrations in Romania since the fall of communism in 1989. The movement achieved at least short-term success: the government withdrew a contested ordinance, and the Minister of Justice resigned. But one thing is certain: Florin Badita lit a fire.
“Because each of us, by contributing a little, we change the whole.”
He is featured on Forbes magazine’s “30 Under 30” list for 2018 and won the European Personality of the Year award from Euronews and the European Business Summit.
Florin Badita was featured in the special Human Rights Defenders publication of the head office of Friedrich Naumann Foundation in Germany. Discover more here.
Premiere in Romania
“Think Freedom: The Firestone” was officially introduced in Cinema Victoria in Timisoara on 3 December. The screening was accompanied by an intervention from the director of the short film, Anna Stoeva, from Tanuki Films from Bulgaria. Florin Badita himself joined the subsequent discussion, reflecting on what civil movements have achieved, what has not worked, and what forms of civic mobilization we are seeing today.
THINK FREEDOM
The documentary portrait is part of “Think Freedom” documentary series of Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom. It embodies the core liberal principles of freedom, choice and responsibility. The overarching theme is the main characters‘ self-determination to pursue freedom by overcoming challenges in the shrinking spaces of their democracies.
Our heroes are inspiring freedom ambassadors and liberal multipliers from all walks of life from activism, civil society, politics, law, arts, and more. So far, we have featured characters with a focus on East and Southeast Europe from Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Serbia, Ukraine, Russia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Germany.
The Director: This film, alongside with many other episodes of Think Freedom, is directed by Anna Stoeva, a documentary artist, producer and filmmaker. She has worked on a number of international documentary features, including The Last Black Sea Pirates (HotDocs 2013, FIPRESCI Award Krakow 2013), Dad Made Dirty Movies (premiere at Visions du Reel 2011) and Paradise Hotel (HBO Bulgaria Original Programming). She is the producer of the short films Red Light and Getting Fat In A Healthy Way, which have gathered 45 international awards and have travelled over 100 festivals to date, and the co-creator and head writer of the German mystery horror series HAUSEN (Sky Deutschland 2020). In the last 10 years with her production company Tanuki films she has worked on a number of documentary and online projects, finding the intersection between documentary art and social causes with meaning.
“I feel like a forensic engineer who has deconstructed all the precious components needed to take an ideal and turn it into a movement, to take the energy filling people and build it into momentum for change. It was a trove of learning and insight about how non-linear – but also how thrilling – the processes are that lead to real transformation in society.”
The Producer: Tanuki Films is an award-winning boutique production team focused on documentary film-making, journalism and interactive storytelling. ‘Think Freedom’ series is a successful creative collaboration between Tanuki and FNF. Since their founding in 2011, Tanuki have created and worked on a number of documentary campaigns, investigative journalism segments, advertising and film projects. Tanuki work with a team of visual storytellers with a wealth of experience and a passion for cinema, which they transform to serve the social and brand stories they tell. After winning the 2015 Open Data Expo Hackathon, their latest passion is data journalism and particularly stories that combine data visualisation with documentary storytelling.
Director of Photography: Carmen Tofeni is a cinematographer and documentary filmmaker from LUFT Film, who approaches her work with a strong sense of responsibility, ensuring the narrative and emotional arc of the story are thoughtfully captured through meaningful visuals and tailor-made camera work. This commitment runs as a common thread throughout her diverse portfolio, which includes both fiction (IVANA THE TERRIBLE, OUR SUMMER BREAK, ROUTE-3, THE EVIL EYE, THEY ARE NOBODY) and documentary films (THE LAND YOU BELONG, …AND THERE ARE THOUGHTS, BUILDING NR.6). Carmen is an alumna of the Italian National Film School, Aristoteles documentary Workshop and Berlinale and Sarajevo Talent Campuses. She was nominated Best Cinematography by the Romanian National Awards GOPO, along with the recognition of the Romanian Society of Cinematographers, RSC. In parallel, Carmen extends beyond traditional film-making as she experiments with camera language and framing in projects that combine dance, photography, and theater. She embraces experimentation to push the boundaries of visual storytelling, creating captivating and innovative cinematic experiences.
“Meeting Florin Badita was like entering the engine room of civic courage: his perseverance, his passion for automation and algorithmic clarity, and his unwavering optimism for change form a dynamic system of their own. Florin’s force of will is mesmerizing.”
Co-Production: Luft Film is a Romanian creative hub focused on shaping visually bold narratives at the crossroads of documentary, fiction, and experimentation. With solid experience in documentary film-making, Luft Film works closely with local communities and the film scene in Bucharest to support new voices and bring relevant topics to the public.
The film crew and the hero. From left to right - Anna Stoeva, Carmen Tofeni, Florin Badita
© Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom East and Southeast Europe
