Information/Write-up
Soundtrack: After the war with Hannelore - A Berliner war child’s testimony from 1945 to 1989
Synopsis
This film is a portrait of Hannelore Scheiber in post-war Berlin. The story begins with her birth in January 1945 and follows her family’s circumstances during the war and post-war era, including contact with Russian soldiers, the Russian blockade, and the Berlin Airlift (Luftbrücke) from 1948 to 1949. The film then chronicles her school years from 1951 to 1967, the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961, meeting her husband Jean Devigne, their courtship and marriage and their crossing through Checkpoint Charlie in 1982. Hannelore’s story ends with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.
Director’s Statement
I met Hannelore and her husband, Jean Devigne, 15 years ago, a few years after both my parents passed away. At first, we established a client-artist relationship when they became interested in my paintings. Out of this grew a personal friendship, which now has elements resembling a familial relationship. As I got to know Hannelore, I became interested in her childhood and adult years in Berlin after the war. The impetus behind making this film was her stories, my personal attachment to her, and my interest in WWII history and the changing face of Berlin since WWII and the Cold War. These seven vignettes (stories) of Hannelore’s life are my way of reciprocating all that she’s given me in our friendship. I also believe very strongly that oral histories like hers are valuable records documenting the post-war period and the Cold War years in Berlin, the epicenter of WWII in Europe. What makes these seven vignettes special is that they are so personal. As we are confronted with war on an ongoing basis, I think there is value in narrative historical war documentaries that deal with the real and direct impacts of warfare on human beings. Personal testimonies offer a specific, concrete means for understanding the horrors of war. And because they are so personal and real, they avoid the abstraction and separation that are possible when war is discussed through the language of politics, operations, or policies. Documentaries of this nature offer a unique opportunity for understanding.
G. Scott MacLeod
Berlin/Montreal 2009
Contact:
MacLeod Nine Productions
2319 Hampton Ave. #1, Montreal, Quebec, H4A 2K5, Canada
514.487.8766
Email: Afterthewarwith.hannelore@gmail.com
Website: www.macleod9.com/film.html
Produced with the financial participation of:
MacLeod Nine Productions, MAIN FILM, and The National Film Board of Canada.
Also in collaboration with:
Buzz Image, Audio Z, KODAK, Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema of Concordia University, and Brasserie McAuslan Brewing.
Graphic Design: TagTeam Studio
MacLeod 9 Productions 2009
released January 1, 2009
Original Film Score by G. Scott MacLeod
Soundtrack production by Ky Anto, G. Scott MacLeod and Shaun Pilot
Sound engineering, mixing and mastering by Ky Anto
Musicians:
Ky Anto – Bass, electric guitar and piano
Joséane Brunelle – Saxophone
Alex Flores – Percussion
G. Scott MacLeod – Acoustic Guitar
Philippe Mius d’Entremont- Cello
Cassandra Norton – Violin
Tristan Tondino – Resonator and Spanish guitar
Singers:
Ky Anto
Josée Gagnon
Robin Gorn
Jubilee Kids Choir
G. Scott MacLeod
Laure Péré
Shaun Pilot
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