WITTSTOCK, WITTSTOCK

German history revisited. In 1974 Volker Koepp, one of Germany’s most famous documentary filmmakers, filmed for the first time in the countryside town of Wittstock in the former GDR, capturing the changes brought by the building of a large textile factory. Three young female textile workers talked to him about their lives and plans for the future. From that time until 1996, he visited them regularly and recorded the dramatic changes in their lives.

The monotonous routine of life in the GDR is turned upside down by the reunification of Germany in the early 90’s. The state-owned factory is privatised and finally closed in 1993. After devoting the greater part of their lives to the factory, the three women experience unemployment for the first time. How will they cope and build a new life? Elsbeth goes from one retraining course to another. Renate works as a chambermaid in a small hotel, and Edith, who never wanted to leave Wittstock, has accepted a job in Southern Germany.

Wittstock, Wittstock is a film about German history, at times sad, at times comical, with beautiful black and white images, which lend weight and dignity to three strong women.

"Volker Koepp moves us through the lives of three beautifully candid, funny, and sensitive women. And as they marry, have children, and share the changes brought about by their country's unification, the picture reverberates with a very real feeling of both history and human experience." ––Hazel Dawn Dumpert, L.A. Weekly

“It is about telling the stories of life, the changes of life, about getting older. This is why documentaries appeal to me.” Volker Koepp

Award: Best German Documentary, Duisburg 1997