When the wall came down

16 November,2015 09:42 AM IST |   |  The Guide Team

The Goethe Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan is celebrating 25 years of German reunification with the screening of seven films on the subject

East German border guards stand on a section of the Berlin wall, with the Brandenburg gate in the background, on November 11, 1989 in Berlin


This year marks the 25th anniversary of the German reunification - when the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) joined the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) to form the reunited nation of Germany.

The Goethe Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan will be screening seven award-winning films based on the landmark political event. All the films have English subtitles. Consul General Michael Siebert will also address the audience on November 17. Here's what to expect:


East German border guards stand on a section of the Berlin wall, with the Brandenburg gate in the background, on November 11, 1989 in Berlin. Pic/AFP

Der geteilte Himmel (The Divided Heaven) by Konrad Wolf (1964): This is the story of Rita, who returns to her childhood village in 1961, after deciding not to follow the man she loved to West Berlin.

Das Leben der Anderen (The Lives of Others) by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (2006): This Academy Award-winning film is the story of an East German secret police officer who spies on a popular playwright with doubts of him working against the Communist Party.

Good Bye Lenin! by Wolfgang Becker (2003): This is a comedy about a man whose mother falls into a coma before the reunification and wake up post it. Since she has to avoid every excitement, the son tries to set up the GDR for her in their flat.

Barbara by Christian Petzhold (2012): Set in 1980s East Germany, Barbara is the tale of a Berlin doctor who has been banished to a country medical clinic for applying for an exit visa.

Westen (West) by Christian Schwochow (2014): Nelly Senff pretends to marry a West German, to cross the border with her son, post her boyfriend's death to start a new life in the 1970s. But soon things unfold and Senff learns that her boyfriend might still be alive.

Mauerhase (Rabbit à la Berlin) by Bartek Konopka (2007): When several people were misplaced post the construction of the Berlin Wall, wild rabbits settled in the narrow strip between the walls and multiplied. But they weren't ready for the world post the fall of the wall.

Westwind by Robert Thalheim (2011): This is a teenage love story of young athletes from GDR who begin a love affair with two men from West Germany.

Till: November 21
At: Library, MMB, Kala Ghoda.
Log on to: www.goethe.de\mumbai
Call: 22027710
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