The evening offered a personal look behind the scenes of the film “gelbe Sorte” and was also a journey through time into the past of the film landscape and film politics in Germany. Robert Bramkamp’s first feature-length film was supported at the time (1987) with a convincing treatment by the Kleines Fernsehspiel and the Filmwerkstatt Münster. The film clearly marked his signature style of docu-fiction: unconventional perspectives and a curiosity not to be too strict about the form and content of the film.
The film is characterised by cinematic images and dialogue, which show the idiosyncratic love affair in particular in an authentic and up-close way. The 16mm film in black and white and in 4:3 aspect ratio still works wonderfully on the big screen some 40 years later. The charm of this debut is that it is not a rigid narrative, but rather a mosaic-like approach to people and their place.
The film remains highly relevant today: People in agriculture, who secure our livelihoods, are often tied to their place and at the same time face existential challenges – political impositions, economic constraints, family obligations. Bramkamp’s film manages to show these realities beyond stereotypes and instead provides an intimate, human perspective. The reference to historical events, such as the Chinese peasant uprising and forced collectivisation, is not directly accessible to everyone. Even at the time, this raised a big question mark in the press. The aim of the film is primarily to convey emotions rather than to instruct didactically – and according to Bramkamp, this is perhaps even more successful today, as access to the historical context of the images shown from China has moved even further away.
It was a very sociable atmosphere, with “old hands” in the audience and some younger filmmakers from the Filmwerkstatt Münster, among others. The final discussion went through the entire cinema and many people got involved. The evening was more than a purely analytical film screening; it became an open, honest reflection on the beginnings, development stories and personal careers of the team members. Hubertus Müll, who later remained loyal to sound, Herbert Schwering and Thomas Kufus, who set up their own film production companies, are just a few of those who have continued to pursue their film careers. Kirsten Ellerbrake, then head of production, was also once active in film politics as managing director of Filmbüro NW and is still active in film production.
The realisation that many of those involved experienced a moment of awakening during the making of the film underlines the magic of such early productions.
Cristin König’s path into acting also became clear with this work.
The evening “Giving the country its images” made it clear that cinema arises from the willingness to take unconventional paths. The courage to realise cultural films that not only have a strong impact on a film team, but also open up an important perspective. Further proof of the importance of not only preserving cultural film in Germany, but also strongly supporting it. The film and political discussion was stimulating and could have gone on for longer. A confirmation that such events can pass on important knowledge and that cinema lives on for a long time.
Text: Kim Münster / filmbüro NW
Photos: Irina Heckmann / filmbüro NW
