Die subversive Kamera
Germany | 1998 | Documentary | 45 min | Beta SP 4:3
“Quiet!” somebody yells. A glass gets knocked over. The projector beam hits the bedsheet. The little two-bedroom apartment in the Berlin district of Prenzlauer Berg is jam-packed. People have come because they heard rumors through the grapevine of another secret Super 8 show. Painters and musicians, eager to experiment, would turn to the video camera, or else cinephiles and enthusiasts who wanted to counter the official images with ones of their own. In the 70s and 80s there was a roaring home movie scene in the GDR, producing its films individually and without any organization or link to state institutions. This was no secret to the Stasi, of course. The consequences included confiscation of materials, inspection of film laboratories and subtle attempts to disrupt the careers of the would-be filmmakers. Cornelia Klauß’s documentary introduces us to them and outlines what has become of them since. She reconstructs the work of amateur filmmakers in the GDR whose ironic but frequently harmless images incited the suspicion of the authorities. “The camera,” says one painter, “was a way to retaliate against the hopelessness of everyday life.”
Director: Cornelia Klauß
Cinematographers: Michael Schehl, Oliver Klein
Editor: Ulrich Sackenreuter
Sound: Tanja Schotola
Commissioning editors: Uwe Zimmermann, Hannelore Schäfer
Producer: Gunter Hanfgarn
Co-producer: NDR
Channel: NDR
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