A hot air balloon to freedom: In 1979, Petra Wetzel fled with her family and their friends, the Strelzyk family, from East to West Germany. Michael Herbig's film BALLOON (trailer) tells their story, which the Goethe-Institut will be presenting on November 9 with the German Consulate on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall at the 15th EUFFTO.
In this interview, Petra Wetzel talks about the challenges, the reasons for their escape and why she hasn’t gotten into a hot air balloon since. Continue reading "Balloon: How a real-life flight became a hit..." »
East Germany. Summer, late 70’s. After her boyfriend Wassilij’s apparent death, Nelly Senff decides to escape from behind the Berlin Wall with her young son Aleksej, leaving her traumatic memories behind. Pretending to marry a West German, she crosses the border to start a new life in the West. But soon her past starts to haunt her as the Allied Secret Service begin to question Wassilij’s mysterious disappearance. Is he still alive? Was he a spy? Nelly is forced to choose between discovering the truth about her former lover and her hopes for a better tomorrow.
