With such movies as The Constant Gardener and this year’s winner for Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars, In a better world, development and politics in third world countries are becoming increasingly apparent to the broader public and attracting viewers who might otherwise not be interested in the topic.

During the last decades the number of volunteers in developing countries have decreased. Might movies about development issues attract more voluntary workers?

There was an attempt in Switzerland to increase the number of volunteers by providing a minor salary covering the basic costs of living. However, the result showed that the effort the workers put in decreased as soon as they received a salary. So if money cannot motivate the workers to do their best, what can?

Could the greatest inspiration for young people to work voluntarily be movie stars instead of cash rewards? Perhaps the Swedish actor Mikael Persbrandt (playing one of the lead roles in In a better world) contributed to more than just a better reputation for Danish films...