Lars Barthel

Helga Reidemeisters poetic documentary gives various residents of East and West Berlin a chance to have their say. They discuss their different ways of life and the nature of their divided city. All interviews are refreshingly sincere when they consider the future of the city, and none of them are even remotely pro-American.

He was born as Anton Chen in Berlin in 1925. When the Nazis came to power in 1933, he first emigrated to Switzerland, then to China and finally to the Siberian part of the Soviet Union. At 75, Anton resides as Han Sen in Kharkiv/Ukraine. When asked about his identity, his answer comes fast and clear: "Berliner!" From his special perspective, Han Sen offers a highly personal perspective on the history of the 20th century and what it means to be a wanderer between wildly different worlds.

In 1980, Wolfgang E. Struck, artistic director of the Berlin Friedrichstadt-Palast, wistfully considers the imminent demolition of his house due to structural deficiencies. Employees rhapsodise about working at this historical stage, where international stars like Louis Armstrong and Juliette Gréco performed. Nearby, construction of the new Friedrichstadt-Palast is starting.

People have different ideas on how to get closer to God. The makers of this fascinating Swiss documentary follow two Pakistani men. One is a dervish or mystic, undertaking a life-long pilgrimage with heavy metal rings on his legs. He walks through the desert until his feet are raw, praying at every shrine he comes across along the way. The other is the custodian of a centuries-old musical tradition, for whom the idea of God lies in self-knowledge, insight and harmony with the environment – a harmony that he strives to achieve through life-long study and passing on his knowledge to new generations. In Pakistan, it is impossible for them to act together as the risk of attacks means any large meetings are prohibited. The film follows the men as they visit impressive holy sites, as well as in their everyday conversations, and provides a beautiful, sideways look at Pakistani society.

What would you do if your basic income was taken care of month after month? Would you stop working? Follow your passions? Take more risks? The four-figure sum that all four members of the Wardwell family receive each year from the Alaskan government’s crude oil profits goes towards a college fund for their children, something they would otherwise be unable to afford. Filmmaker Christian Tod, himself a fervent supporter of the idea, explores the model of an unconditional basic income and takes a look at trial systems already underway in the US, Canada and Namibia. Wandering the history of this utopia reminiscent of science fiction he eventually ends up in Switzerland, where the new system was voted on in 2016. In this multifaceted and highly entertaining documentary, Tod broaches life’s existential questions and fuels the debate on one of the most prevalent economic topics of our generation.

Portrait of the spokesman of the student movement and extra-parliamentary opposition Rudi Dutschke, who died on December 24, 1979 from the late effects of an assassination attempt. The film is not limited to the mere biography of the extra-parliamentary politician, but also depicts the political environment as well as the late effects of the student movement. In retrospect, it condenses into a picture of a highly politicized society that had not yet begun its retreat into the private sphere.

The rough, unkempt facades in Prenzlauer Berg – as if the skin had been peeled off the houses, says photographer Tina Bara. Having grown up in a prefabricated building, the young woman was drawn to East Berlin. She quickly got in conflict with the state, just like the artists Cornelia Schleime and Gabriele Stötzer, whom director Pamela Meyer-Arndt questions in her film about memories, traumas and creative genesis.

Lars Barthel asks his Jamaican wife Antoinette why she often wears hair extensions. This personal curiosity leads Lars and his film to some complex and politically-charged questions. What is the relationship between hair and racism? And where do the hair extensions actually come from?

Helga Reidemeister portrays four women from Afghanistan-Jamila Mujahed, India-Arundhati Roy, Serbia-Stasa Zajovic and the USA-Sissy Farenthold, who demonstrate their opposition to nationalism and war.

An intrepid team of 300 scientists spend a year in harsh conditions deep in the Arctic, on a pioneering expedition to secure vital answers to help us deal with climate change.

It's the largest Arctic expedition of all time. In September 2019 the German icebreaker "Polarstern" is on its way to the North Pole. The best scientists of their generation are on board. Their job are to collect data about the ocean, ice, atmosphere and life. The mission is to understand climate change, because the changes in the Arctic have an impact far beyond the region. The documentary provides spectacular close-ups of the MOSAiC expedition under the direction of the Alfred Wegener Institute together with the Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) and shows the world of the Arctic during the polar night, from which hardly any data and images existed until now. A scientific, logistical and also human adventure of a community of researchers and crew members who let themselves be frozen with the ship for a year in the ice desert near the North Pole in order to use the natural drift of the ice, captured for the audience in impressive images.

Berlin, the German capital again, a few years after the fall of the Wall. The city in upheaval is also changing the lives of its inhabitants. A young photographer experiences these changes as a rupture, he looks into an unclear, unsettling future and increasingly feels like a stranger in his old city. He and his friends from the generation of the children of the Wall try to find a new identity without losing the old one. Young artists who fail the profitability test of the market economy. In his search, Robert Paris ends up far away, in India. Back in Berlin, he started developing photos again - the first in years...

The story of an immigrant Spanish family in Germany. When Isabel's parents decide to go back to Spain, she chooses to stay in Germany. After she meets Manuel, who is half Spanish, she starts to feel homesick.

A century ago the Torres Strait Island were the subjects of the famous Cambridge Anthropological Expedition - the resulting depletion of their cultural artifacts left them with nothing but a history of remembered loss. The only people in the Pacific to make elaborate turtleshell masks have none left - they are all in foreign museums. In a quest to reclaim the past, Ephraim Bani, a wise and knowledgeable Torres Strait Islander, travels with his wife to the great museums of Europe where his heritage lies. The film, an SBS Independent production, shows that the thickest of masks cracks when a descendant of the original owners enters a museum.

Berlin, an old building around the time of reunification. Squatter Bert is dead, suicide. His three ex-girlfriends Brit, Sandra and Anne search together for the reason. In the process, they become painfully aware of their different life plans.

Six directors, one film: in episodes, they recall their experiences at the end of the GDR and the fate of a family under National Socialism. They talk about making films despite censorship, about the search for opportunities. They tell of losses, of leaving, of staying and of love in exile. A film about the longing for home and the endurance of friendships.

In the Kabul Museum, archaeologists piece together fragments of millennia-old works of art. This endeavor seems surreal amid the destruction. The cinematically fascinating landscape is mined. How can one survive without legs? The Kabul Orthopedic Center, the focus of the film, is a place of hopes and dreams. "One leg is not enough," says its dedicated director, "you have to create prospects for life."

Documentary film.

A man receives a mysterious assignment from his deceased wife. He shall scatter their ashes to the wind.

Seven directors remember their childhood and youth; to the 50s and 60s in the GDR. They appear to be curious, vulnerable children and teenagers who also want to be cool (even though the word doesn't exist for them yet). They live in well-adjusted or resistant families. Some only in half because their father left for the West. Depending on their family background, they want or should help build the new, better Germany.