Independent media production: Life in West Berlin in the 1980s
For 28 years, an insurmountable wall separated the capital of the GDR, East-Berlin, from the other half of the city, West-Berlin, belonging to the FRG. On February 6th 2018, the Berlin Wall will have been gone for as long as it ever existed. On February 12th 2018, the Goethe-Institut Thailand is dedicating a special West-Berlin event to this momentous anniversary.
There are many legends surrounding the wild, hedonistic life of West Berlin in the 1980s. The Goethe-Institut Thailand is pleased to present a workshop with two protagonists who have lived through these years. Through word, film and music, the filmmaker Knut Hoffmeister and the musician Mark Reeder will present living examples which retrace their experiences of life and work in West Berlin in the 1980s. They show both the difficulties and the excitement of a daily struggle between life on the poverty line, extravagant nightlife and the merciless authorities within the walled city. During these years, both of our guests fought their frustration with boundless creativity, greatly influencing the contemporary music, film and art scenes –an influence which is still apparent today.
Hoffmeister and Reeder’s Bangkok presentation takes the audience on a journey through their lives.
Hoffmeister was born in Peine but completed his schooling in West Berlin. His very first film was made in the divided city in 1979. He soon became part of the emerging underground scene. In addition to other short films that he shot during that time, he founded the band, Notorious Reflexes (1982).
To this day, Hoffmeister is one of the main players in the "B-Movie" sector. No filmmaker is more involved in the development of these films than Knut Hoffmeister.
Reeder was born in Manchester and moved to Berlin in 1978. The artist was a member of several punk bands and made several appearances in Germany and other European countries in the 1980s. At the same time, Reeder also worked as a music producer at several different record labels. He became well-known for his founding of the Berlin record label MFS in 1989.
During the workshop, the artists will also present the essay film "B-Movie: Lust & Sound in West Berlin 1979-1989". The film documents various stages of Mark Reeder's life during this exciting time in Berlin. He experienced the West Berlin avant-garde scene, the squatting fraternity and the beginnings of the early Love Parade movement. It depicts the emergence of different music genres and the pop culture development of New Wave and other e-music styles of the 80s.
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