Arthur Jopp

This is part one of a two-part biopic about Karl Liebknecht. In 1914, Germany is arming itself for war. Karl Liebknecht, left-wing revolutionary Social Democrat, workers’ leader and a virulent antimilitarist, is one among 110 SPD members of Parliament who vote against approving war loans. From then on, he is considered un-German and a traitor to the fatherland, and his own party’s leadership turns against him. Despite threats, Liebknecht speaks up against the war and writes the manifesto “The Main Enemy Is at Home.” Even when he is arrested and charged with treason, he does not surrender.

Master craftsman Richard Gorbacher celebrates his 65th birthday and announces an unusual decision on this day: he wants to adopt Eva, Marion and Renate, three young women from his company. As they are struggling with so many difficulties in their lives, he wants to be their father from now on and support them in all situations. However, the young women react differently to Richard's offer than expected. But Gorbacher perseveres and fights for "his" daughters and their true happiness.

Based on a one act play in five scenes by Wolfgang Borchert, "Draußen vor der Tür" depicts the return of a former German soldier from the Eastern Front, to post-WWII Germany and the sobering realities of de-nazification and "peacetime."

Adam receives a flashlight with special powers: every liar it shines on flies into the air. Production was cancelled in 1965/66 due to the film's political content. Only in 1989/90 could the director reconstruct the film, where missing sounds and images are replaced with script inserts.

October 1918: Karl Liebknecht is released from prison and Berlin workers celebrate his release. Although WWI is almost over, the German Kaiserreich in vain sends its last reserves to the slaughter. The working class is in a rebellious mood; the uprising of Kiel’s sailors against war and militarism sets off a call for revolution led by Liebknecht. On November 9, Liebknecht declares the Free Socialist Republic of Germany. But pro-Kaiser military and right wing Social Democrats oppose him.

It's Saturday lunchtime in a small town near Munich and there's not much going on. The local bank is already closed, doors and windows are barred. The few passers-by in the main shopping street do not notice that a violent crime is being committed behind these windows. When the police later take up the investigation, a young bank employee becomes the only witness. His statements seem contradictory. And yet it is several other people who now have to struggle with conflicts of conscience. The more gaps in the police's chain of evidence, the more serious the decision to tell the truth and risk their own happiness. It's Saturday lunchtime in a small town near Munich and there's not much going on. The local bank is already closed, doors and windows are barred.

Film by Kurt Jung-Alsen.

The adventures of three friends from East Germany on the Black Sea.