“This series opens a door in the mind — it explores the very questions the basic income debate has revolved around for decades.”
Süddeutsche Zeitung
About the Film & Series
What happens when people receive a Universal Basic Income?
122 randomly selected participants receive €1,200 per month for three years — unconditionally. No application. No obligations. No strings attached.
For decades, the debate around basic income has been driven by political beliefs, hopes and fears. This documentary series takes a different approach.
Over three years, researchers, participants and activists are observed as one of the world’s most ambitious basic income experiments unfolds. Do people stop working? Do they become happier, more creative, more engaged — or does nothing change at all?
Following five participants, the scientists behind the study and the activists who made it possible, THE BIG DREAM – MONEY FOR ALL offers a rare combination of human stories and scientific evidence.
A documentary film and series about one of the most important social experiments of our time — and the question of how we want to live together in the future.
Credits
Year
2025
Duration
90 Min. · Series 6 × 30 Min.
Director & Writer
Alexander Kleider
Cinematography
Julia Weingarten & Alexander Kleider
Sound
Lorenz Brehm
Editing
Alexander Kleider, Daniela Michel & Kirsten Ottersdorf
Music
André Feldhaus
National Broadcast
Produced for Germany’s national public broadcaster Das Erste (ARD).
In co-production with WDR, SWR and RBB.
Supported by
Press conference for the pilot project on Universal Basic Income in Germany.
Behind the Series
How This Study Became a Documentary Series
Most documentaries about Universal Basic Income begin with a political question. THE BIG DREAM – MONEY FOR ALL begins with a scientific one.
In 2021, the German non-profit organisation Mein Grundeinkommen e.V. launched one of the most ambitious scientific studies on Universal Basic Income ever conducted. Together with researchers from the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin) and other academic institutions, 122 participants received €1,200 per month for three years.
As filmmakers, we were given rare access to accompany the project from the very beginning. Over three years, we followed participants, scientists and activists as the study unfolded — documenting not only the results, but the hopes, doubts and personal transformations behind the headlines.
The result is the first documentary series to follow a major Universal Basic Income study from start to finish.
Scientific Background
A Social Experiment Studied Over Three Years
The German Basic Income Pilot Project was not just a social initiative. It was designed as a long-term scientific study.
Initiated by the German non-profit organisation Mein Grundeinkommen e.V., the study was carried out together with researchers from the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin) and several academic institutions.
The scientific team included Professor Dr. Jürgen Schupp, Professor Dr. Susann Fiedler, Dr. Sandra Bohmann, Professor Dr. Frederik Schwerter and Professor Dr. Antonio Brettschneider.
Over three years, researchers examined how an unconditional monthly income affected work, wellbeing, financial security, life satisfaction and personal decision-making.
THE BIG DREAM – MONEY FOR ALL follows this study from the inside — observing not only the data, but also the people, doubts and debates behind the research.
Study Facts
122
randomly selected participants received a Universal Basic Income.
€1,200
per month, paid unconditionally over the course of the study.
3 years
of observation, data collection and documentary filming.
DIW Berlin
and academic partners examined the effects scientifically.
Inside the Experiment
Three Stories in One Experiment
Beyond the basic income debate, THE BIG DREAM – MONEY FOR ALL unfolds on three interconnected levels.
Level One
The Participants
Over three years, five of the 122 recipients allow the cameras into their lives. What changes when financial pressure eases? What happens to work, relationships, dreams and everyday decisions when a guaranteed income becomes part of reality?
Level Two
The Scientists
Their task is not to advocate for basic income, but to examine it critically. Can happiness be measured? Can freedom be quantified? How do researchers distinguish between personal impressions and scientific evidence?
Level Three
The Activists
For years they have argued that a Universal Basic Income could help create a fairer society. But what happens when an idea moves from theory into reality? Can a social utopia be tested?
By bringing together participants, researchers and activists, THE BIG DREAM – MONEY FOR ALL becomes more than a documentary about Universal Basic Income. It is a documentary about how societies create knowledge, how change happens and how we imagine the future.
The Economic Question
Who Pays for It?
One of the most common objections to Universal Basic Income is simple: who is going to pay for it?
THE BIG DREAM – MONEY FOR ALL does not avoid this question. It confronts it directly.
The series brings together activists, policymakers and internationally renowned economists to examine one of the most controversial aspects of the debate: is a Universal Basic Income economically realistic?
Among the experts featured are Professor Maximilian Kasy of the University of Oxford and Professor Jürgen Schupp of DIW Berlin, together with researchers, economists and social scientists from different perspectives.
The series explores not only whether a Universal Basic Income can improve people’s lives, but whether it can be financed, measured and implemented in the real world.
THE BIG DREAM – MONEY FOR ALL is not a film about ideology. It is an attempt to replace assumptions with evidence.
Economists and researchers examine whether Universal Basic Income can be financed and implemented in the real world.
The series connects the basic income debate with urgent questions about work, automation and the future of society.
Why Now
Why This Story Matters Now
For decades, Universal Basic Income was often dismissed as a utopian idea.
Today, the rapid rise of artificial intelligence is forcing societies around the world to rethink fundamental questions about work, security and meaning.
THE BIG DREAM – MONEY FOR ALL does not offer simple answers. Instead, it documents one of the few large-scale attempts to test these questions in the real world.
At a time when the future of work is being debated across the globe, this series provides something increasingly rare: evidence, lived experience and a long-term perspective.
Series Format
Why a Series?
Most documentaries about Universal Basic Income have ninety minutes to explore one of the most complex social questions of our time.
From the beginning, it became clear that the series format offered a rare opportunity: the freedom to follow a long-term study as it unfolded over time. While the feature documentary gives the story a focused cinematic form, the series allowed us to stay closer to the process — to the gradual changes, contradictions and unexpected turns that only become visible over months and years.
Some participants experienced profound transformations. Others changed far less than expected. New questions emerged. Assumptions were challenged. Scientific debates evolved alongside personal stories.
The series format allowed us to follow these developments as they unfolded. It gave us the space to dive deeper into the lives of the participants, the work of the researchers and the motivations of the activists behind the project.
What began as a debate about money gradually became a story about work, freedom, security, purpose and the ways people navigate change.
The result is a documentary series that is at times surprising, humorous and deeply moving — and one that explores Universal Basic Income with a level of depth rarely seen on screen.
The series follows the study over time — through changing lives, evolving research and unexpected turns.
Research & Further Reading
The Study, Experts and Institutions Behind the Film
The documentary features research and perspectives from leading experts and institutions working on Universal Basic Income. These links offer further context on the study, the participating institutions and selected experts featured in the film and series.
Experts & Institutions
Professor Maximilian Kasy
Professor Dr. Jürgen Schupp
Professor Dr. Susann Fiedler
Further Perspectives
Professor Dr. Antonio Brettschneider
Professor Dr. Frederik Schwerter
Michael Bohmeyer
Together, these institutions and experts provide the scientific, social and economic context for one of the most ambitious long-term studies on Universal Basic Income ever conducted in Germany.
Now Available
Stream now
Documentary Film
90 Minutes
Original German version with English subtitles
Series
6 × 30 Minutes
Original German version with English subtitles
For schools, educational institutions and public screenings: Request a license →
Universal Basic Income FAQ
Questions Behind the Film
The debate around Universal Basic Income raises urgent questions about work, security, freedom and the future of society. Here are some of the key questions explored in THE BIG DREAM – MONEY FOR ALL.
What is Universal Basic Income?
Universal Basic Income is the idea that every person receives a regular payment regardless of employment status, income or personal circumstances. Supporters believe it could reduce poverty and provide greater freedom and security. Critics question whether it is affordable and how it might affect work and society.
Was this a real scientific Basic Income study?
Yes. THE BIG DREAM – MONEY FOR ALL follows the German Basic Income Pilot Project, a long-term scientific study in which 122 participants received €1,200 per month for three years while researchers studied the effects.
Who conducted the study?
The study was initiated by the German non-profit organisation Mein Grundeinkommen e.V. and carried out together with researchers from DIW Berlin and several academic institutions, including Professor Dr. Jürgen Schupp, Professor Dr. Susann Fiedler, Dr. Sandra Bohmann, Professor Dr. Frederik Schwerter and Professor Dr. Antonio Brettschneider.
Is it a film or a series?
Both. THE BIG DREAM – MONEY FOR ALL exists as a feature documentary and as a six-part documentary series. The series format allowed the filmmakers to follow participants, researchers and activists over three years and explore the topic in much greater depth.
What makes this documentary different?
Most documentaries about Universal Basic Income focus on political ideas, theories or short-term pilot projects. This series follows a major scientific Universal Basic Income study from beginning to end, combining personal stories, scientific research and economic analysis over three years.
Did people stop working?
This is one of the central questions explored in the film and series. Rather than relying on assumptions or political opinions, THE BIG DREAM – MONEY FOR ALL follows real participants and examines what actually happened during the three-year study.
Can a social utopia be tested scientifically?
The activists behind the project believe that Universal Basic Income could help create a fairer society. The researchers ask a different question: can such a vision be tested scientifically? The series follows the tension between these perspectives throughout the experiment.
Can Universal Basic Income be financed?
One of the most controversial questions explored in the series is whether Universal Basic Income can be financed and implemented in the real world. The film brings together activists, researchers and economists, including Professor Maximilian Kasy of the University of Oxford and Professor Jürgen Schupp of DIW Berlin.
Why is Universal Basic Income relevant in the age of AI?
As artificial intelligence transforms labour markets around the world, questions about income security, meaningful work and economic participation are becoming increasingly urgent. The series asks whether Universal Basic Income could play a role in the future of work — and what evidence exists so far.
What were the results of the study?
The results lie at the heart of THE BIG DREAM – MONEY FOR ALL. Over three years, researchers collected data on work, wellbeing, relationships, financial security and life satisfaction while the series followed the personal journeys behind the findings.
Where can I watch THE BIG DREAM – MONEY FOR ALL?
Following its national broadcast on Das Erste, Germany’s largest public broadcaster, THE BIG DREAM – MONEY FOR ALL is now available exclusively on DOK-WERK. You can stream the feature documentary or the complete six-part documentary series.
Stream the film and series →