Traces

A film on the subject of peace. The authors' discussion partners, who contribute their own reflections and assessments to the film, are the translator Georgia Peet, the toxicologist and chemist Prof. Dr. Karlheinz Lohs, the pastor Jan Laser, the stonemason Ralph Jeremias and Major General Hans Unterdörfel.

The life stories of four people struggling with alcohol addiction allow for conversations about the apparent "normalcy" of alcohol and the subsequent difficulty of recognizing it as a potentially dangerous drug. The documentary stresses that alcoholism is a disease which must be treated medically and socially. Instead of turning a blind eye to others' problems, it is important to realize that people of all ages, genders, and social backgrounds can potentially be affected and that both the individual and society share responsibility for preventing relapse to alcohol abuse.

Eberhard Kunstmann, a shipbuilder at the Neptune Wharf in Rostock, counsels collegues who are struggling with alchohol addiction.

Documentary short about Hungarian poet Miklós Radnóti (1909-1944).

Articles of former East Germany from household items to flags are thrown away at a garbage dump outside of East Berlin, serving as a reminder of a state that no longer exists. In this gesture of breaking ties with the past, the film captures the dumping ground as the last burial site of a society and the absurdity of time and existence.

The “Raging Reporter” Egon Erwin Kisch (1885-1948) was one of the most significant journalists of the 1920s and 30s. He wrote from a communist point of view, in language that sparkled with humor. Historic photographs and footage describe Kisch’s eventful journalistic and political life, which brought him to important cities including Berlin, Moscow, Sydney, and New York.