The selection of films for the Retrospective 2023 was determined by the progressive deterioration of old film material produced at the former University of Film and Television in Babelsberg. The films were preserved for posterity through careful digitalization and restoration. The result is a selection of different, but also surprisingly complementary film contributions, all of which serve as testaments to the world before 1990. The digitalization of the films was supported by the Foundation for Film Heritage (FFE or Förderprogramm Filmerbe) with financial support from the Federal Commissioner for Culture and Media, the federal states and the Federal Film Board.
Zwei aus Soweto
Two from Soweto
The film tells the story of Hans and Peter, who protested in the Johannesburg ghetto in 1976. There, they witnessed the murder of 300 black pupils and students by racist police forces. The film allows them to talk about what happened.
Glück auf – Bilder einer Begegnung
Good Luck – Pictures of an Encounter
Rainer Burmeister (director) tells a story about everyday working life of 46 young Mozambican people in the GDR who were employed as contract workers. Among them is 20-year-old Luisa, who worked in the mining industry and, like the others, is now training to be a craftswoman.
Ich lache, um nicht zu weinen
I Laugh so as Not to Cry
This portrait shows Black cartoonist Oliver Harrington from New York, who fled to the GDR. For his political drawings, he drew on worldly anecdotes and his love of storytelling. Director Hans Hattop later taught videography at the University of Film and Television.
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