Presented by Goethe-Institut Toronto with Wavelength Music | Virtual Premiere North America
Virtual screening of Julian Brimmers & Benjamin Westermann's documentary We Almost Lost Bochum (2019), part of film series STP-on-Demand.
Please RSVP in order to gain access to this film. The screening link to the film and the password will be sent out on Thursday, November 5, at 7:00pm EST to all registrants via Eventbrite. The film will be available to view until Sunday, November 8, at 7:00pm EST.
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Shaping the Past: Films that examine how we interpret the past on screen
This virtual screening is part of the Goethe-Institut North America's film series STP-on-Demand, which explores ways in which we cinematically shape, interrogate, and rethink relationships between history and memory.
Shaping the Past / Gestaltung der Vergangenheit is a project of the Goethe-Instituts in North America (Canada, USA, and Mexico) that connects with and builds on the work of emerging leaders of local, national, and transnational movements to remember through reflection and with urgency. It is a partnership between the Goethe-Institut, the Monument Lab, and the Federal Agency for Civic Education (Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung / bpb).
We Almost Lost Bochum
Documentary directed by Julian Brimmers and Benjamin Westermann
Germany, 2019, 100 min.
20 years after the release of their iconic debut 'Unter Tage', RAG (Ruhrpott AG ) take stock. With only two records, MC Aphroe, Pahel and Galla as well as DJ and producer Mr. Wiz --two of them white, two of them Black German artists-- left their mark on the first German rap boom of the 90s. Two decades later, the documentary follows the former band members from the deepest Ruhr Valley to Washington D.C. and New York, documents their first gigs after 15 years, and lets them tackle home, belonging, and fame. Companions like Jan Delay, Kool Savas, Marteria, Curse, Die Kassierer, and many more have their say. The film title is a reference to the Gil Scott-Heron classic "We Almost Lost Detroit".
A film about one of the first German hip-hop bands that never made the leap into the collective consciousness, about friendship, underground art scenes, hope and disappointment in post-industrial West Germany, spanning the last three decades.
“You don’t have to be a fan of German rap to love this film. It’s a story about friendship, the joy and the damage of success and what follows – and the universal ways in which hip-hop brought friends together worldwide.” – Emma Warren (journalist, London, author of »Make Some Space«)
"We Almost Lost Bochum" premiered at the 53rd International Hofer Filmtage.
We Almost Lost Bochum was selected for STP-on-Demand by the team at the Goethe-Institut Toronto.
About the Filmmakers
Julian Brimmers is a filmmaker, author, and music journalist. Born in Germany's Lower Rhine region, he completed a master's degree in English Studies in Cologne. During his studies, he worked as a product manager for the Cologne-based music label Melting Pot Music, and took over press work for the British label Tru Thoughts Records, among others. Since 2007, he has also worked as a freelance journalist. Brimmers has also produced international radio programs, hosted radio shows, conducted interviews around the world, and written texts for the magazine RBMA (Red Bull Music Academy) Daily. With a focus on pop culture and current affairs, he also has written for publications such as Spiegel Online, Bandcamp Daily, Spex, SZ Online, and Jungle World.
In spring 2019, Brimmers started working for Kickstarter Music. In the same year he realized, together with Benjamin Westermann the documentary We Almost Lost Bochum- The History of RAG, about the history and influence of the German rap band RAG. The film premiered in autumn 2019 at the Hofer Filmtage; the theatrical release was in September 2020.
Benjamin Westermann is a filmmaker from the Lower Rhine region. He attended university in Cologne, and in 2016, Westermann and Boris Breithaupt founded the production company Add Edit in Cologne, which specializes in film editing services. Add Edit has done work for EndemolShine, Constantin, Warner Brothers, and Bavaria Film, among others. With Add Edit, Westermann also produced his directorial debut in 2019 (together with Julian Brimmers), the documentary We Almost Lost Bochum - The History of RAG. He was also responsible for camerawork and editing. The documentary's premiere took place in autumn 2019 at the Hofer Filmtage; the film was released to cinemas in September 2020.
