06/06/2024
A well-known news magazine, POLITICO, recently published an article titled "GEN Z Ready to Take the Reins in Europe." 📰 This resonated deeply with me as a few months ago, I decided to film a 26-year-old woman, Nina Skočak.
My goal? 🎯 To make a documentary about her life, her background, and her bold political ambition to run for the EU Parliament with her independent GEN Z list.
Nina is an educated young woman with degrees in journalism and politics. 🎓 She's also a well-known influencer on TikTok and Instagram, 📱 where she shares insights into her private life, her love for sustainable fashion, and educates her 220,000 followers on TikTok about politics. 🗳️ How can she be all of these things and more, especially as we are so determined to put labels on people and put them in boxes? 📦
She likes journalism, politics, wearing hats, sometimes dresses like Nanny Fine, finds inspiration in the 50s, buys her clothes at second-hand markets, likes to laugh out loud, and definitely has a young girl’s innocent charm.
Throughout the filming process, I've witnessed firsthand the challenges she faces in Croatia during the campaign 🌎 but also some interior battles, feeling like David combating Goliath. Many question how a serious politician can also be an influencer, a young woman, a TikToker, and someone so passionate about fashion. This skepticism is compounded by the significant amount of hate speech she faces online from both the left and right parties and their followers. 💬
Despite this, Nina has managed to rally an impressive number of young people who are eager for change and ready to see new faces in politics. 👥✨
However, the question remains: Can a young GEN Z influencer with a passion for fashion truly be taken seriously in the political arena even if she is highly educated? This dichotomy is at the heart of the debate around Nina and the broader movement of Gen Z entering politics. 🗣️
Regardless of the election results, one thing is clear: Generation Z is stepping up, taking political space, and demanding to decide their own future. 🌟 They don't want their destinies controlled by middle-aged politicians.
Let's see how this unfolds and make sure to use your vote in the upcoming EU elections. 🌍🗳️✨
Thank you Ivana Turkalj for all the help with the camera.
With: Dorotea Strelec
