BERLIN IS IN GERMANY European Showcase

Born in 1970, director Hannes Stohr makes his feature film debut with a profound story that explores issues of loneliness, solitude and hope.

After being imprisoned for 11 years, 36-year-old Martin Schultz is released from the Brandenburg Penitentiary. East Berlin is almost unrecognizable to him since the fall of the Wall in 1989, and he must now try to put his life back together despite the ·fact that life there has gone on without him. As he struggles to reestablish a relationship with his son, who does not recognize him, and a wife who is with another man, Martin’s past overshadows his present. He is soon arrested once again and thrown back in prison. However, his journey does not end; it only strengthens the bonds with his family as they stand by his side.

Stohr deftly portrays a significant time in German history, juxtaposed with touching dramatic performances, to tell a deeply felt story about one man’s struggle to overcome adversity and alienation.