Reflecting Exile[s]

How diverse German or how homogeneous foreign should it be? Today, Germany and its population are also globalized and people of different origins form a nation. Nevertheless, discourses and ideas are often determined by ethnic attributions and demarcations. Political and social distinctions are often lost in this discussion. Most migrants have fled from undemocratic regimes in their countries of origin. And most of them do not want to be identified with them - even if they continue to have dealings with their societies of origin. But those from whom we are fleeing are also often among us. One should recognize the differences. There is a right to difference even within communities - and the need to distinguish between democratic and authoritarian milieus. Ethnic origin is of secondary importance here. And in light of current events, a differentiating stance seems more important than ever.

In their work, the two filmmakers Maryam Zaree and Arash Marandi continually deal with themes that accompany them in this respect in Germany.

GUESTS

© Dorothea Tuch Maryam Zaree is an actress, author and filmmaker. She was born in 1983 in the political prison Evin in Tehran. Her parents belonged to the opposition against the Shah, who was overthrown in 1979, and then against the mullahs' seizure of power. At the age of two, her mother fled with her to Frankfurt/Main. She has appeared in films by Christian Petzold (Transit, Undine) and won the Grimme Prize in 2018 for her acting performance in the award-winning series 4 Blocks. As an author, she writes for theater, film and television, her play Kluge Stücke won the Heidelberger Stückemarkt 2017. Her first feature film, the documentary Born in Evin, premiered at the Berlinale 2019 and was shown in over 40 countries, winning the Lola for Best Documentary 2020, among others.



© Linda Rosa Saal Arash Marandi, born in 1984 in Tehran, has also suffered victims in his family due to the terror of the Iranian Islamists. He came to Germany as a child in the 1980s and grew up in northern Hessen near Giessen. He lives in Berlin. His acting credits include the animated film Tehran Tabu by Ali Soozandeh and the feminist vampire film A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night by Ana Lily Amirpour. In Teheran, an outstanding spy series about Iran produced by Apple, he plays a high-ranking investigator in the Revolutionary Guards' counterintelligence unit.

Moderation:

© Andreas Fanizadeh Andreas Fanizadeh (born 1963 in St. Johann i.Pg., Austria) is head of the culture department of the taz in Berlin. Previously, he worked for Die Wochenzeitung in Zurich and ID Verlag in Berlin, among others. There he also co-edited the magazine Die Beute.