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35 Years Of German Reunification

Streaming|Perspectives on a Time of Upheaval

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B/W image shows posters © Bundesstiftung Aufarbeitung, Harald Hauswald – Ostkreuz, Picture 891104hh57

On the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the reunification of Germany, this film programme invites us to take a critical look back at this period of change. While Sibylle Schönemann's Locked-Up Time sheds light on personal experiences with the reunification, Gerd Kroske's Sweep it Up trilogy takes a look at the social decline of three street cleaners.

For many GDR citizens, the fall of the Wall signalled the beginning of a new era and the hope for freedom. But the newfound transparency also unveiled unresolved issues: personal stories, repressed memories and structural breaks.

Gerd Kroske's Sweep it Up trilogy follows three street cleaners over many years and impressively shows that the promises of the reunification period were far from coming true for everyone. For Kroske's protagonists, the path to a united Germany is associated with a loss of prospects and social decline.

Sibylle Schönemann takes a different approach in her autobiographical documentary Locked-Up Time. The film depicts her imprisonment in the GDR and her struggle for a self-determined life - a very personal account of political repression.