''How to Start Your Own Country'' is a 2010 Canadian

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional film, motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". Bill Nichols (film critic), Bil ...

directed by Jody Shapiro and written by Shapiro and Denis Seguin. Produced by Phyllis Laing and Shapiro, the film explores various aspects of

micronationalism A micronation is a political entity whose members claim that they belong to an independent nation or sovereign state, but which lacks legal recognition by world governments or major international organizations. Micronations are classified s ...

and features interviews with several prominent

micronationalist A micronation is a political entity whose members claim that they belong to an independent nation or sovereign state, but which lacks legal recognition by world governments or major international organizations. Micronations are classified se ...

s. The production studios for the film are

Buffalo Gal Pictures Buffalo Gal Pictures is an independent TV and film production company based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The company has produced 20 feature films, 10 television dramas, 8 documentaries, and over 50 hours of television series. In 2004, it pre ...

and Everyday Pictures. ''How to Start Your Own Country'' had its

world premiere A première, also spelled premiere, is the debut (first public presentation) of a play, film, dance, or musical composition. A work will often have many premières: a world première (the first time it is shown anywhere in the world), its f ...

at the

35th Toronto International Film Festival The 35th annual Toronto International Film Festival, (TIFF) was held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada between September 9 and September 19, 2010. The opening night gala presented '' Score: A Hockey Musical'', a Canadian comedy-drama musical film. '' La ...

on 10 September 2010.

Premise

''How to Start Your Own Country'' explores various micronations around the world, including the themes of

sovereignty Sovereignty is the defining authority within individual consciousness, social construct, or territory. Sovereignty entails hierarchy within the state, as well as external autonomy for states. In any state, sovereignty is assigned to the perso ...

citizenship Citizenship is a "relationship between an individual and a state to which the individual owes allegiance and in turn is entitled to its protection". Each state determines the conditions under which it will recognize persons as its citizens, and ...

and

seasteading Seasteading is the concept of creating permanent dwellings at sea, called seasteads, in international waters outside the territory claimed by any government. No one has yet created a structure on the high seas that has been recognized as a sov ...

. It also features interviews with numerous micronationalists, academics, politicians and a representative of the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

. The featured micronations include the

New Free State of Caroline New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

Republic of Molossia The Republic of Molossia, also known as Molossia (), is a micronation claiming sovereignty over of land near Dayton, Nevada. The micronation has not received recognition from any of the member states of the United Nations. It was founded by K ...

Kingdom of North Dumpling North Dumpling Island is a island in Fishers Island Sound of Long Island Sound, off the coast of Connecticut, south of Groton, within the territory of the town of Southold on Long Island in New York State. The island is about north of Sou ...

Principality of Sealand The Principality of Sealand () is an unrecognized micronation that claims HM Fort Roughs (also known as Roughs Tower), an offshore platform in the North Sea approximately off the coast of Suffolk, as its territory. Roughs Tower is a Maunsell ...

and the

Principality of Seborga The Principality of Seborga ( it, Principato di Seborga) is an unrecognised micronation that claims a area located in the northwestern Italy, Italian Province of Imperia in Liguria, near the France, French border, and about from Monaco. The pr ...

Production

Jody Shapiro was inspired to make the documentary after discovering a copy of ''How to Start Your Own Country'' by

Erwin Strauss Erwin S. Strauss is an American author, science fiction fan, noted member of the MITSFS, and filk musician, born in Washington, D.C. He frequently is known by the nickname "Filthy Pierre". Science fiction and writing Strauss has been chairman o ...

in a book store. Shapiro elaborated: "The more I talked about the concept, the more I realised people didn't know this sort of thing existed - that individuals all over the world were claiming to start countries of their own. So I thought this would make a really interesting documentary." Shapiro and his team spent the next eight months travelling to sixteen micronations around the world. The

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...

was composed by

Howie Beck Howie Beck is a Canadian musician, mixer and producer based in Toronto, Ontario. He has been nominated for three Juno Awards in Canada on three occasions for Adult Alternative Album, Engineer of the Year and Producer of the Year (2017). History Be ...

References

External links

* * * {{micronations 2010 films 2010 documentary films 2010s Canadian films Canadian documentary films Works about micronations

Premise

Production

See also

References

External links