Ballon (DE 2018, FSK 12) - Film and Panel Discussion

Description

On the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, Urania Berlin shows the story of one of the most spectacular escape attempts from the GDR, filmed by Michael "Bully" Herbig in 2018. After the film, Antje Bernhardt will speak with balloon builder Günter Wetzel and historian Jens Schöne. The families Strelzyk and Wetzel daringly escaped from the GDR to freedom in 1979 with a self-made hot air balloon – eight people in a tiny gondola. Based on their story, director Michael Bully Herbig has crafted a gripping thriller that narrates the escape of the two families as a breathless race against time. Summer 1979 in Thuringia. The families Strelzyk and Wetzel devised a daring plan over two years: to escape from the GDR with a self-built hot air balloon. However, the balloon crashes just before reaching West Germany. The Stasi finds traces of the escape attempt and immediately begins investigations, while the two families are forced to build a new escape balloon under great time pressure. With each passing day, the Stasi is closer on their heels – a nerve-wracking race against time begins... With "Ballon," Michael "Bully" Herbig has filmed the escape attempt from the GDR for the big screen: On September 16, 1979, the families Strelzyk and Wetzel succeeded in crossing the border with a self-made hot air balloon and fleeing to West Germany. Based on this true story, Michael Bully Herbig has directed a gripping thriller starring Friedrich Mücke ("SMS für Dich"), Karoline Schuch ("Katharina Luther"), David Kross ("The Reader"), Alicia von Rittberg ("Charité"), and Thomas Kretschmann ("Operation Valkyrie"). (Studiocanal/Arthouse) Film length 125 minutes, panel discussion approx. 30 minutes, event ends around 21:45.

Highlights

• Screening of "Ballon" (DE 2018)
• Discussion with balloon builder Günter Wetzel and historian Jens Schöne
• Commemorative event on the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall

General Information

Urania Berlin is showing the film "Ballon" on the occasion of the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, which tells the true story of a spectacular escape attempt from the GDR. After the screening, there will be a panel discussion with experts providing insights into the background of the escape.

Location

An der Urania 17, 10787 Berlin, Germany

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