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From: "Hobein Maren" <[log in to unmask]>
September - December 2003, Goethe-Institut London
Documentary Film Series
THE CHILDREN OF GOLZOW - A LONG-TERM OBSERVATION PROJECT
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(Die Kinder von Golzow - Eine Langzeitbeobachtung)
By Barbara and Winfried Junge based on an idea by Karl Gass
German Democratic Republic / Federal Republic of Germany 1961 - 2003
In 1961, the year in which the the Wall was built, Winfried Junge went
to Golzow, a town in East Germany near the Polish border, and started
what was to become the world's longest-running observational
documentary project. Junge had been commissioned by the DEFA-
documentary studio to make a film about the new school that had just
opened in Golzow. Because of the liveliness and charme of the resulting
film, Junge was asked to return and to film the children as they grew
older. Junge has now been working on the project for over forty years,
accompanied by his wife Barbara who joined the project in the 1970s.
As the filming continued, the Junges found themselves having to resist
the interference of GDR officials, who felt uneasy about the films'
lack of socialist fervour. With each new instalment, the Junges
struggled to find the necessary funding, but they have now succeeded in
completing a total of 18 films. Begun as the Wall was built and
continuing into the present, the series provides a fascinating insight
into life in East Germany before and after reunification. What makes
the series so remarkable is not only its comprehensiveness, but also
the Junges' deep involvement with their subjects. Observing them at
school, during their professional training or with their partners and
children, they portray the "children of Golzow" not only as
representatives of a generation, but also as individuals whose unique
personalities have led them to embark on very different lives.
Just as the lives of the "children" underwent changes, so the films
changed in style and became more self-reflective over the years. Often
compared with, but acutally quite different in approach from Michael
Apted's "7-Up", the Golzow-series has developed its own unique
character and tone, which have made it a milestone in documentary film-
making.
In the most comprehensive retrospective to be screened outside Germany
to date, the Goethe-Institut will show nine parts of the series -
comprising all those films that have an English voice-over or subtitles
- in chronological order from September until December.
A VISIT BY BARBARA AND WINFRIED JUNGE IS PLANNED BUT THE EXACT DATE IS
YET TO BE ANNOUNCED.
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THE CHILDREN OF GOLZOW - SCREENING DATES FOR SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER 2003
Tuesday 2 September 2003 6pm
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BIOGRAPHIES - THE STORY OF THE CHILDREN OF GOLZOW
(Lebensläufe - Geschichte der Kinder von Golzow in einzelnen Porträts)
GDR 1980, 256 min (+ intermission), bw / colour, English voice-over
After returning to Golzow every few years and producing six short films
and one longer retrospective film in 1979, the Junges made
"Biographies" as an overview of the first two decades of the project.
By drawing on filmed material shot over a period of 20 years and by
putting portraits of nine "Golzow children" side by side, this film
permits a compelling comparison of their expectations, opportunities
and choices.
PLEASE NOTE THAT BECAUSE OF THE LENGTH OF THE FILM, THE SCREENING WILL
START PROMPTLY AT 6PM.
Monday 15 September 2003 6pm
------------------------------
SCREENPLAY: THE TIMES
(Drehbuch: Die Zeiten)
FRG 1992, 280 min (+ two short intermissions), bw / colour, English
subtitles
In the first Golzow film made after the collapse of the Berlin Wall,
the Junges explore how the world of the "Golzow children" has changed.
'The Times' examines the protagonists' views of the two political
systems they lived through, but the film is also a reflection on the
project itself, and we see the filmmakers stepping in front of the
camera to comment on their experiences and to take stock after 30 years
of observing the lives of other people.
PLEASE NOTE THAT BECAUSE OF THE LENGTH OF THE FILM, THE SCREENING WILL
START PROMPTLY AT 6PM.
Monday 29 September 2003 7pm
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THE STORY OF UNCLE WILLY FROM GOLZOW
(Die Geschichte von Onkel Willy aus Golzow)
FRG 1995, 146 min, bw / colour, English subtitles
Willy is easily bored at school, especially when things become too
abstract. Yet he is skilful with his hands, and trains in agricultural
technology, eventually becoming an expert on agricultural machinery.
Married with two sons by the age of twenty, he seems prematurely
settled, but his life undergoes a dramatic disruption when his marriage
fails. He follows his new love to another town and goes through a phase
of serious job insecurity after reunification.
Monday 13 October 2003 7pm
-----------------------------
MY LIFE IS MY OWN AFFAIR. ELKE - CHILD OF GOLZOW
(Was geht euch mein Leben an. Elke - Kind von Golzow)
FRG 1996, 125 min, bw / colour, English subtitles
In the anti-religious GDR, Elke is brought up as a Catholic. After 10
years of schooling, she leaves Golzow to train as a construction
draftswoman, and at the age of eighteen she has a church wedding. Her
marriage lasts one year. By 1996 she has reached the age of 41, and is
a mother and grandmother. She lives in Frankfurt/Oder in the East and
lives with a business man from Frankfurt/Main in the West. After three
failed marriages, she has no intention of getting married again.
Tuesday 21 October 2003 7pm
------------------------------
I'LL SHOW YOU MY LIFE. MARIELUISE - CHILD OF GOLZOW
(Da habt ihr mein Leben. Marieluise - Kind von Golzow)
FRG 1997, 141 min, bw / colour, English subtitles
The daughter of a practising Protestant, Marieluise, like her friend
Elke, leaves Golzow for her professional training. She starts work as a
laboratory assistant in a semiconductor plant in Frankfurt/Oder and
marries an officer in the GDR People's Army. Her husband's job requires
a high level of discipline and secrecy, and this places a heavy burden
on their family life. After the fall of the Wall, her husband is taken
on by the Federal Army and stationed near Cologne. Marieluise becomes
the first child of Golzow to move to West Germany.
BOOKING INFORMATION
Tickets £ 3. Tickets can be booked in person at the Goethe-Institut,
Reception Desk, or by phone (020 - 7596 4000). Tickets reserved by
phone must be collected at least 15 minutes before the start of the
screening.
VENUE
GOETHE-INSTITUT
50, Princes Gate
Exhibition Road
London SW7 2PH
Nearest Tube: South Kensington
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