Pepe Mujica - Der Präsident (Pepe Mujica: Lessons from the Flowerbed)
Germany 2015

Opening 5 Mar 2015

Directed by: Heidi Specogna
Writing credits: Heidi Specogna

It is hard to imagine that there exists a poor president in this global world of power and corruption. Yet in Uruguay there truly exists a noble soul whose biography exemplifies his very idealistic philosophy which he has brought to reality. Pepe, a simple farmer, who fought against the dictatorship, was thrown in prison and then became president. He is the only president in the world who gives 70% of his income back to the people. He believes in letting his people have a voice in the country and, even though most people would see Uruguay as a slow growing economy, the people are happy with their lives. His international policy is basically against selling his country to the highest bidder.

There are wonderful moments in this documentary where we see him sitting side by side with President Obama and telling Obama that he has become very grey quickly. Or asking German Chancellor Angela Merkel: why would she need such a big car when a simple VW bug would do just fine. It is a documentary that may not be a big hit but certainly should touch the hearts of anyone who sees it. (Shelly Schoeneshoefer)