Films: 2007
Between the Lines (WT)
"Between the Lines" recounts the previously untold yet moving story of German-Americans, who ended up between the fronts during World War II. The plight of German-American families doesn't feature in history books, either in Germany or the US. Following the attack on Pearl Harbour in 1941, not only Japanese but German and Italian immigrants to the US were dubbed "enemy alien". Hundreds of thousands of German families lived in constant fear of sudden arrest by the FBI. For more than 10,000 German-Americans that nightmare came true: They were taken to one of the 46 internment camps on US soil, thereby… 2007, BR, WDR, ARTE, 45 / 52 / 60 min
Inheriting the Farm
Two years passed by since director Matti Bauer spend a summer with the dairymaid Uschi on a mountain pasture near Tegernsee and followed her with his camera. A lot has happened since then, much of which Uschi did not plan. Eighteen month ago she gave birth to her son Jacob. On shaky legs, he is already exploring the farm on which his mother, too, grew up. As a single mum, Uschi bears a lot of responsibility and soon she will also take over her parents’ estate. It’s a new challenge for the young woman who has just passed her agricultural… 2007, BR, 45 min
Inside the Potter´s garden
Whoever enters the garden of Loesche, the potter, feels as if time has been turned back. Passing by Loesche´s 18th century house, you reach a garden of vegetables and herbs, in which ceramic manufactures sprout like exotic plants: spheres in various forms, colours and glazes, which are balanced on sticks like the trophies of a hunter; black-annealed jugs and bowls, hung on laces and dangling in the wind; small masterpieces besides miscarried items, which are broken in two. Collectively, they form a fascinating open-air museum in which now and then an amazed visitor gets looses his way. Loesche doesn´t mind.… 2007, BR, 45 min
My Foreign Child
Four Years after the Adoption
When Susan and Rainer Werner were allowed to adopt two little girls - Alisha and Luana - from Haiti, their greatest wish had finally come true. It was the end of a long journey for the couple. Now the story of this unusual adoption continues with a second film in the ZDF strand, 37 Grad. Alisha is now six years old, her sister Luana is four. The two girls quickly captured the hearts of those around them, but the idyll is not perfect, particularly for Alisha who carries the burden of her past. Nonetheless, Susan and Rainer love their girls… 2007, ZDF, 30 min
Seeking after the Family
In 1945, at the end of a lost war, millions of Germans were on the move, without a home. Disarmed soldiers were desperately seeking their families, and thousands of children had lost their parents and had no place to stay. In this unprecedented historic situation the Red Cross devised a master plan of gigantic proportions. With historical documents and newly found archival footage we will show how the Tracing Service of the Red Cross posts lists of missing persons in the ruins of the cities and broadcasts the names of survivors every day at noon over the radio. And we… 2007, NDR/ARD, 45 min