The Mouse That Roared

The film addresses the urgent global need to safeguard democracy in the face of mass surveillance, disinformation, and weakened protections for whistleblowers and journalists. In Australia, Julian Assange’s imprisonment and recent return home highlight the fragility of press freedom, while ongoing reforms like the Privacy Act and whistleblower protection laws underscore the stakes. Internationally, the rise of AI-driven manipulation and corporate data extraction intensifies the risk of centralized control over information. By documenting Birgitta Jónsdóttir’s journey — from Collateral Murder to the Icelandic Modern Media Initiative — the film illustrates how individuals and movements can challenge secrecy, hold power to account, and design policies that embed openness and accountability into democratic systems.

The Mouse That Roared uses Birgitta Jónsdóttir’s journey—from poet-activist to parliamentarian—to show how democratic accountability can be redesigned for the digital age. Through the intertwined stories of Jónsdóttir, Daniel Ellsberg, Edward Snowden, and Julian Assange, the film reframes whistleblowing, press freedom, and data rights as public-interest infrastructure, not fringe activism. Our vision is to turn screenings into working forums—across Australia, Europe, and the U.S.—that connect audiences, lawmakers, journalists, technologists, and students with practical pathways: stronger whistleblower protections, privacy reform, media-literacy adoption, and institutional support for digital rights. Paired with partners (EFF, FPF) and Australian impact leads, we aim to convert attention into measurable civic action: policy briefings, parliamentary events, campus roadshows, and NGO campaigns that advance a safer, more transparent internet and a culture of truth-telling.

1. Policy momentum: support Australia’s Privacy Act reform and whistleblower-protection efforts; brief MPs using film clips/toolkits; showcase cross-party support.
2. Press-freedom advocacy: mobilise audiences to back legal and safety support for journalists and sources via FPF/EFF partner actions.
3. Public education: roll out media-literacy and digital-rights modules to universities, journalism programs, and community venues; create short, shareable explainers.
4. Movement building: convene NGOs, academics, and technologists through screenings at parliaments, festivals, and civil-society forums; seed ongoing local coalitions.
5. Measurable engagement: track pledges, petition signatures, MP meeting requests, campus hosts, and educator adoptions to demonstrate impact beyond screenings.

We have direct, long-term access to key participants: Birgitta Jónsdóttir (on-camera, archives, translations), a filmed two-hour Edward Snowden interview, and deep ties to the Ellsberg family. Director Judith Ehrlich’s Oscar-nominated The Most Dangerous Man in America established trust with whistleblower communities, press-freedom orgs, and policy forums. Our producers have presented related work at the EU Parliament and Commission; in Australia, we plan to partner with good.film to engage Parliament, SBS/ABC ecosystems, universities, and NGOs (e.g., HRLC, Alliance for Journalists’ Freedom, Transparency International Australia) and in the US we plan to partner with Electronic Frontier Foundation and Freedom of the Press Foundation on potential co-hosted panels, toolkits, and newsroom outreach. This existing network ensures credible access to decision-makers, educators, and grassroots audiences.

At screenings and online we will invite audiences to:
• Support Australian privacy and whistleblower-protection reforms (petition, MP emails, committee submissions).
• Back press-freedom/legal-defense funds via Freedom of the Press Foundation and Electronic Frontier Foundation.
• Host or attend parliamentary, campus, and newsroom screenings; join Q&A round tables.
• Adopt media-literacy modules (educators) and verified-info practices (newsrooms/creators).
• Join partner NGOs; volunteer or donate to digital-rights campaigns.
• Pledge personal steps: secure comms, support independent journalism.
• Participate in a national youth roadshow and submit community stories that map harms and solutions, feeding policy briefs shared with MPs and media.