The film tells the story of the „free state” of Christiania, a 40-year-old anarchist squatter community occupying an abandoned military base in the heart of Denmark’s capital, Copenhagen. In the 70s youthful idealism and a severe housing shortage incited hundreds of young people to „storm the gates” and claim 85 acres of deserted brick buildings, woods, ramparts and canals as their home. Finding it politically unpopular to evict the young settlers, the Danish government declared Christiania a short-term „social experiment.” The Christianites built a distinct culture based on group consensus, and a thriving economy of restaurants, bars, cottage industries, and an open hashish trade. Forty years later, Christiania is still standing. In every respect, Christiania became an alternative that challenged, inspired, and frightened the society outside.
