How do you build a life under a dictatorship? In six short documentaries, Europeans reflect on growing up under authoritarian rule. They share stories of fear and distrust, but also of love, humour and finding ways to hold on to freedom.

I made this series of personal video portraits with journalist and podcast maker Emmie Kollau, handling the cinematography and editing.

Escape into books, grow your own vegetables or keep the truth to yourself. Each person found a way to make daily life bearable. Together, their stories form a survival guide to life under a dictatorship.

The series is part of the How to Survive a Democracy Pop-up Museum, a travelling exhibition about democracy and dictatorship in Europe. The films were screened in museums and used in educational programmes for school students.

Musician Fernando Lameirinhas fled Portugal’s dictatorship as a teenager. Decades later, that escape still echoes through his songs.