Anthem, the Libertarian Film Festival, is presented by FreedomFest, "the world's largest gathering of free minds." Each year over 2,500 people and 150 speakers meet in Las Vegas to listen to the best and brightest minds speaking about geo-politics, finance, history, philosophy, science & technology, art & literature, and healthy living. Speakers have included publisher Steve Forbes, Whole Foods CEO John Mackey, Judge Andrew Napolitano, Skeptic Magazine publisher Michael Shermer, Wall Street editorial board member Steve Moore, and science fiction writer Orson Scott Card.

One of the problems most film festivals encounter is attracting an audience. At Anthem, FreedomFest provides a ready pool of eager movie goers. Several attendees last year exclaimed, "This film festival is the best new idea FreedomFest has had in years!" For more information about FreedomFest, go to http://www.freedomfest.com/about.htm

Anthem's Philosophy

Libertarian heroes follow their own paths. They do not conform to the expectations of others. When something goes wrong, they fix it themselves. When something goes right, they give credit where it is due.

Libertarian films are about choice, opportunity, and knocking down obstacles. They are about the power of persuasion over the force of authority. Libertarian films often point out the unintended consequences of government intervention, but they are just as likely to present an individual's personal struggle for self-expression. They are about making the world a better place simply by making one's own life better.

Libertarians respect the right to be self-reliant. A great example of this is seen in the Oscar nominated movie Winter’s Bone (2010). The protagonist, Ree Dolly, is a 17-year-old girl living in the backwoods of Missouri and struggling to keep her family together after her father skips out and her mother becomes incapacitated. When her little brother notices the neighbors skinning a freshly killed deer, Ree cautions him, “Don’t ever ask for what ought to be given freely.” That night the neighbor brings over a shoulder of meat and some potatoes and onions. On her way out, the neighbor says, “I noticed your woodbox is low. You can use our splitter if you want.” As the neighbor leaves, Ree says to her little brother and sister, “Who wants stew?" They look up eagerly and she adds, "Then get over here so I can show you how to make it.”

This is the story of "The Little Red Hen" in action. Ree knows the importance of teaching her siblings self-reliance. The neighbor brings meat because the Dollys don’t have any. She doesn’t cook it into a meal, however, because Ree is capable of doing that herself. They lend the splitter, but they don’t offer to cut the wood. They respect Ree’s dignity and character too much to offer her more than what she can’t do for herself. What a great example of libertarian values. That's the kind of film we hope to see at Anthem.

Although libertarians have strong opinions about the best way to live, they believe in the power of persuasion over force, and the supremacy of commerce over war. They may try to convince others to see their point of view, but they do not believe in forcing others to do things their way. If someone has something they want, a libertarian will find something the other person want even more, and exchange it.

Libertarians also believe in the power of the market to create and provide goods and services. The two greatest developments of the 20th century, transportation and communication, were created by individuals figuring out how to solve problems. Henry Ford figured out how to build autos cheaply enough that the men and women who made them could own them. In 1903 two young brothers who owned a bicycle shop figured out how to make a flying machine, and today we can fly from one continent to another in a matter of hours. (Meanwhile, we still aren’t vacationing on the moon, largely because the space program is run by government bureaucrats.) In 1980 a brilliant college dropout began developing and marketing the software that made personal computers possible. Yes, Bill Gates has become a gazillionaire, but each of us is richer as well, through the many benefits of his profitable invention.

Each of these stories is movie material. There are even more stories within every family, community, and industry. We seek films and documentaries that celebrate individual initiative, persistence, success, and failure. Yes, failure. The right to fail is at least as important as the right to succeed. Failure is the world’s greatest teacher.

See you at Anthem, The Libertarian Film Festival, July 11-14, 2012.