(46) Die Ostdeutschen Futuristen

The East German Futurists is an essay film that blends documentary and science fiction, exploring how the post-reunification generation searches for identity and a future in a Germany that appears to be splitting apart.

Inspired by Anna Seghers’ science fiction story Legends of the Unearthly
World, the film follows a Sandman-like figure from the future as he travels through present-day East Germany. On their journey, they encounter memories, artefacts and voices of the post-reunification generation. These narratives intertwine with archive footage, essayistic reflections and dreamlike images, blurring the line between documentary and fiction.
Slow camerawork, subdued sci-fi aesthetics and multi-layered soundscapes create an atmosphere of temporal limbo – neither past nor present. In this way, the film reveals how generations differ, how cultural prejudices persist, and how fragile memory and visions of the future are.