Private Project

Purpose

The film chronicles two years in the lives of political economists Katherine Trebeck and Lorenzo Fioramonti, as they embark on ambitious political projects to move our societies away from their self-destructive course. They struggle, fail, pick themselves up again — and forge a path that may change our future.

The lens through which we observe their highs and lows in the struggle for change is director Martin Oetting’s personal experience. He left his job in advertising — where he worked as a ‘growth advocate’ — and set out on a journey to understand how societal change can come about.
Katherine Trebeck initiates the ‘Wellbeing Economy Governments’, an international alliance opposed to the mighty G7. Her plan: a new group of countries that are ready to reshape their politics and redesign their economies. 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. It may turn into a starting point for a new economic vision for the world.

Lorenzo Fioramonti helps start the alliance. Then, suddenly, he is invited to run for office in his home country Italy. He wins a parliamentary seat in the general election and hopes to create a wellbeing economy as a Minister for Economic Development. But then he gets sidelined in a troubled government. When it falls apart and a new coalition forms, he unexpectedly becomes Minister for Education and manages to implement some of his bold ideas.

Katherine and Lorenzo envision a world in which we no longer serve the economy, but the economy serves us. Is the world ready for this shift?

  • Martin H. Oetting
    Director
  • Martin H. Oetting
    Producer
  • Jan-Peter Heusermann
    Producer
  • Lars Jessen
    Producer
  • Juan Pistone
    Impact Producer
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Feature
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 35 minutes 52 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    September 30, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    350,000 EUR
  • Country of Origin:
    Germany
  • Country of Filming:
    Costa Rica, Germany, Italy, South Korea, United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    UHD XAVC
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Martin H. Oetting

After seventeen years in advertising, Martin Oetting left the industry in 2016, increasingly uneasy about its role in our societies. 'Purpose' is his first feature length film.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

When we try to tackle the climate, biodiversity, or democracy crisis, we tend to discuss local, contained solutions. Rarely do we envision broader, more sweeping approaches to actual system change. When I met Katherine Trebeck and Lorenzo Fioramonti, I learned about their simple albeit bold idea: Changing what we measure changes how we behave. I had just left advertising, uneasy with the industry's unrelenting growth orientation. I decided to document Lorenzo's and Katherine's political projects. Today, they mark the starting point of a development that takes on increasing momentum: Scotland, New Zealand, Iceland, Wales and Finland have joined the Wellbeing Economy Governments alliance so far; more countries, like Canada and Australia, are engaging with the group. And in 2023, the European Parliament held a large conference on these issues.