Between 1962 and 1989, the Leipziger Dokumentarfilmwoche screened more than 150 films from the U.S. that, due to their critical stance towards their own country, were considered by the GDR to be representative of “another America.” The “Un-American Activities” Retrospective is an invitation to re-discover this hitherto neglected aspect of Leipzig’s festival history.
This year, the retrospective also includes curated film programmes at Luru Kino from 24.10.–8.11. Find out what's on when and where here. Tickets for the programmes before and after the festival are available at the Luru Cinema.
Schnapps is carefully poured into hip flasks and handed to the men. Their faces are marked by the traces of homeless life. A housing project in Berlin Kreuzberg gives them more than a roof over their head. The people who work here listen to them, accompany them to the doctor and hand out controlled amounts of alcohol. The project’s approach is consistently addiction-accepting – without the enforcement of abstinence and with the goal of relieving the affected persons from existential pressure. In this protected space, the men can breathe freely again after many years of living in the streets, rediscover their own personality and dignity. The camera follows some of the residents and social workers over several years, always at eye-level, showing the work of this institution and leaving space for the men’s personal stories. A fragile community emerges in front of the lens.
Anke Leweke
Contains mentions of addiction, death, mental health conditions, drug-use
Contains depictions of addiction
Free entry
Free entry
