Filmprogramm und Gespräche

The centuries-long tradition of copper mining in Mansfeld Land gave rise to a unique regional culture and identity. The vast dimensions of the mining and mill industry are demonstrated by the spoil tips and cinder hills that are still visible for miles around. Yet even under the East German regime the exhaustion of copper deposits led to a structural transformation that could not be halted by technical innovations or rationalization measures. These profound changes to the working world can be understood by means of the historical film documents presented in the Unter uns Film Space, which also provide insights into individual and collective living realities. The films are supplemented by two interviews on enduring structural changes and breaks that are being shown for the first time.

The programme begins with the film Das Riesenrad [The Ferris Wheel] (1980), which documents image production in East Germany and describes the special connection between art and the workers in the Mansfeld Combine. The screening will be followed by a discussion with the director Lew Hohmann and one of the film’s protagonists, the painter Wilfried Falkenthal. Land der Märchen [Fantasyland] – a programme with contemporary short films by Liza Johnson, Gernot Wieland, Oona Doherty and Tobias Yves Zintel – features artistic explorations of social transformation processes. The film curator Florian Wüst will moderate a panel discussion with the artists Gernot Wieland and Tobias Yves Zintel after the screening.