On December 10, 2024, the Institute for Artistic Research (IKF) at the Film University awarded the President's Prize for Artistic Research. Since 2015, the prize has supported experimental and innovative projects by students, doctoral candidates, and academic staff.
Following their successful collaboration on the interactive video exhibition maps.gaps at Künstlerhaus Bethanien in 2023, João Pedro Prado and Jacky Lai have been awarded the sponsorship prize for their project: Of Likes and Lies – The Digital Power of the AfD.
What makes Germany’s far-right party AfD so successful on TikTok? Why are its videos – along with those of affiliated politicians and “independent” influencers – gaining traction among young voters? What insights can be drawn from the AfD's digital and audiovisual strategies to counteract them? Can their communication tactics be exposed and deconstructed to educate a younger audience?
With the help of the award's funds, Prado and Lai will investigate these questions through a desktop documentary and a media literacy workshop conducted in collaboration with a public school in Brandenburg – one of the regions where the AfD has seen its strongest support among young voters.