When strangers suddenly become neighbors

ChroniquesDuVasteMonde.com: Mr. Wendler, her documentary "Welcome to German", directed by Carsten Rau, shows the social impact of German asylum and refugee policies using the example of two small communities in the district of Harburg. How did you approach the topic?

Hauke ​​Wendler: We have been making documentary films and reports on the subject of flight and migration for ten years. For more than 25 years, since the attacks in Rostock-Lichtenhagen, Mölln and Solingen, I have been dealing with refugees. There were strong protests in autumn 2013 against asylum seeker housing in Berlin-Hellersdorf. For us, this was the point where we decided to make a film about the "welcome culture" in Germany - the question of how each one of us deals with refugees. We then started to look around and by chance came across the Chechen family in Tespe, who plays a major role in the film. From there everything went off.



The author, director and producer Hauke ​​Wendler studied political science and history in Hamburg and London. He has written several books on media policy and migration and worked for NDR for eleven years. In 2006 he founded the PIER 53 film production in Hamburg together with Carsten Rau. They have received several awards for their work.

© Torsten Reimers / Pier53

How did you gain the trust of the family?

We have had long preliminary talks. To participate in such a documentary and to position oneself open poses a certain risk for refugees. After that, we considered how we can show the other, the German side. In the same district in the town of Appel at the time the debate just came to a head. That was a good counterpoint to what we experienced in Tespe. Thus, the citizens' initiative in Appel became the second strand of the film. Reiner Kaminski, the head of the Social Welfare Office of the district of Harburg, was an ideal link between the places, because he has to deal with both and shows us what organizationally depends on the question of refugee accommodation.

Was it difficult to persuade him to participate?

It was not easy. We sat down with him and explained to him what we had in mind - that it should be a matter of quietly observing the entire gray scale of the controversial refugee debate. That convinced him. Short messages can not pick up on the dichotomy many people are in. A long movie can do that sooner.

Although the film refrains from any commentary, as a viewer no sympathy is developed for the members of the citizens' initiative, who defend themselves against the accommodation of 53 refugees in a former retirement home. How did the inhabitants of Appel react to the film?

When we showed the movie there, the mood was surprisingly good. The two ladies, who are also seen as representatives of the citizens' initiative in the film, said afterwards: "It is not always nice to see yourself on the screen, but that's the way it was." Mr Prahm, who also represents the opinion of the citizens' initiative in the film and thus represents the fears, concerns and reservations of many people, has broken contact with us after the release of the film.

Was it clear to you from the beginning that you wanted to let the protagonists speak for themselves and withdraw themselves very much?

The idea of ​​making a quiet and observant documentary is based on our experience with the subject. The discussion on refugees in Germany is so acute and so polarized that we urgently need to get out of these corners - from these preconceived stereotypes that everyone carries around with them. We have to get into conversation, exchange ideas. Last but not least, to call on politicians to act and develop better, more sustainable concepts. Because, as it is running so far, it is not.



Which moments did you remember in retrospect?

These are, above all, the dramatic moments - when, for example, the Chechen family was acutely threatened with deportation and feared daily that a VW bus was just around the corner taking them with them. The longer this is, the more beautiful moments come. For example, the evening when we took the Chechen boys to the movies, they came forward with us and were very proud to be on the screen. For families, such moments of happiness are just a drop in the ocean.

What has become of the protagonists?

When we start filming, we first set a clear line and tell everyone involved that we do not arrive as social workers or political activists, but as filmmakers.But when you spend so much time with each other, that naturally connects. We still have a very close relationship with all the protagonists in the film today. The film has been finished a year ago, but unfortunately its status has not changed. They are still waiting for a decision on their asylum applications. This strains her psychologically. Everything revolves around the question: may we stay here or not?

Since March 2015, "Willkommen auf Deutsch" has been shown in 170 cinemas and at many festivals. In the ARD, he achieved a viewer rate of 1.1 million. Schools, communities or initiatives can book the film to show it on site and discuss it. More information can be found on the website of the film under the item "Participate".



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Documentary, Germany, neighborhood, asylum, Solingen, trust, welcome to german, refugees, documentary, asylum seeker, film