Dir. Rosa von Praunheim
Germany/Netherlands, 1999, 100 min.
Digital Format

Magnus Hirschfeld (1868–1935) was a German-Jewish physician and sexologist nicknamed "the Einstein of Sex" for his groundbreaking research on human sexuality and his advocacy for sexual minorities during the Weimar Republic. This biopic follows Hirschfeld's efforts to establish sexology as a scientific field, to found the world's first sexology institute, and to challenge anti-gay laws, including his efforts to abolish Paragraph 175, the German criminal code that outlawed homosexuality.

Director Rosa von Praunheim viewed this as his 'most mainstream' film, a gripping portrait of a fascinating personality who was far ahead of his time. 'I wanted the historical figure of the father of the gay rights movement, Magnus Hirschfeld, to be taken seriously, and for the social history of the turn of the century to feel authentic,' he wrote. 'Perhaps my film can help make the name Hirschfeld better known again and ensure that the Nazis, who did everything to make his name forgotten, are not proven right.'