East German Legacy in Docu Films 30 Years after Fall of Berlin Wall

docfilm42 kicks off with two documentaries on #Wall30

Thirty years after the Fall of the Wall in 1989, we kicked off our docfilm42 activities in November in Berlin.

At a double screening on Sunday 24 November in Lichtblick Kino, an art house cinema in the Prezlauerberg area of Berlin, we screened two documentary films that deal with the legacy of the former East German socialist state GDR (German Democratic Republic).

Film directors Kirsi Marie Liimatainen and Jochen Hick in Berlin last month © Anli Serfontein

The two films are done from very different angles, which made for an interesting discussion between the screenings.

Jochen Hick answering questions on 24 November 2019 ©Anli Serfontein

In The GDR Complex seasoned documentary filmmaker Jochen Hick observes the journey of East German Mario Röllig — who was young, gay and in a relationship with a married West German politician when the GDR State security, the Stasi caught up with him in the 1980's. He was caught trying to flee, imprisoned and then bought free by West Germany.

Today as one of the youngest historical witnesses Röllig’s mission is to expose the East German State for its injustices.