Twenty-One Years of Good Dialog, Debate, and Documentaries
by Marinell Haegelin

Twenty-first birthdays are special, and none more so than dokumentarfilmwoche’s (DFW), the bellwether of topical issues. The festival’s penchant for films spotlighting harmful, unwholesome, and negative actions and deeds, while celebrating features of filmmaking and the festival’s yearly changing theme draws avid fans from Hansestadt Hamburg and beyond. On April 23, 2024, Metropolis Kino was tripping over itself as everyone mingled good naturedly while filing in and filling up the cinema, excited for what was to come. The Opening Ceremony’s DFW representative’s well-honed presentations were affable, informative, and brief; guests were introduced—Karen Berger stood in acknowledgement.

This year’s special theme orientated exhibition’s focus was on sound: “Documentary listening.” Fittingly considering the polarizations of cultural and political issues globally, and with the aspiration of bringing people into conversation re: “contradictory perspectives.” It was on display at the Festivalzentrum (festival center) in fux eG, the nonprofit cooperative in the old Viktoria-Kaserne in Altona-Nord, measuring sound from past, present, and future viewpoints. Incorporated into the program was: Lecture and showcase presented by Ingo Kottkamp; Hamburg filmmakers’ documentaries under the label “dokland Hamburg” by: André Siegers, René Frölke, Nizan Kasper, Can Ünlü, Romeo Grünfelder, and Franzis Kabisch; feature (audio play) films, one by Leon Daniel and Yannick Kaftan, and one by Klaus Wildenhahn and Gerd Haag in collaboration with Deutschlandfunk Kultur as well as an exhibition. Rounding out their themed events was, Reading in German language by Gerd Haag, Michael Girke that was also recorded as an audio piece. Plus, and in relation to documentary films, a continuation of DWF’s scrutiny and appraisal of colonialism, working together with the Harun Farocki Institute, Karen Berger’s Roma films, commemorating Hamburg’s peace activist, Fasia Jansen, and archival films against European fascism.

The festival’s co-founder, Felix Grimm, addressed the current diplomatic spat between Hungary and Germany—Italy, Albania, and Syria are also involved. Hungary’s present open-door policy to neo-Nazis brought about an attack on alleged neo-Nazis by an Antifa group in Budapest in 2023. Germany is home to one of the Antifa members Hungary wants to prosecute and is being obstinate about turning her over; contributions to their cause would be appreciated. Clipping along, the opening film was then introduced.

WANKOSTÄTTN, Karen Berger, Austria, 2023. This delightful yet bittersweet documentary, filmed in June of 1997, accentuates the plight of Roma and Sinti’s survivalism with the National Socialistic political party in power. The charismatic Karl Stojka, dressed to the nines in a light beige suit, patterned tie, and fedora carries a long handle umbrella he gestures broadly with and uses as a pointer to identify objects and areas from his childhood memories of Wankostättn. A then meadow in Vienna’s tenth district, it sprang into life with its sixty-plus Roma/Sinti families (allowed to camp there) and their bustling preoccupations, explains Karl. They got along well with Austrian neighbors. Pointing to one building, he says that’s where his family’s Wohnwagon (caravan) was positioned, and while talking about the encampment being clean, its horses and pets, his grandfather being a respected horse trader, and where he and friends liked to play; audiences see only autos, plain buildings, and hear mostly traffic noise. Uncannily, his father moved their wagon to a different spot, built a hut, and they “kept their noses clean.” When the Wehrmacht turned up in 1939/1940 the area was converted into “maybe the first concentration camp;” he returned to visit relatives in 1941 and they had vanished—every man, woman, child, horse, cat, and dog. In 1943, Karl and five siblings were deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. On August 24, 1944, when on a death march to another camp American soldiers freed the prisoners.

Moving inside to Karl’s living room, the walls are adorned with his brilliantly colorful paintings, Karl relates he and younger sister Ceija Stojka, painter, author, and contemporary witness, survived; instead of wallowing in bitterness or remorsefulness they embraced life to live with gusto. Ceija as a painter, author, and contemporary witness as is Karl who lived awhile in the USA. None of their people returned to Wankostättn.

During Questions & Answers afterwards, the filmmaker explained she first knew Ceija and then became friends with both. WANKOSTÄTTN was filmed in one day using a 16-mm camera. This short oral history—thirty-seven minutes—is long on remarkable details, unforgettable poignancy, trust, and belief in humans’ capacity to survive, capturing viewers' hearts.

The celebratory goodwill stretched and even Hamburg’s typically inclement April weather paused so the DFW festivities could continue outside Metropolis at its Bordsteinbar (Curbside Bar).