In Berlin
The people in the film are practically not linked to each other. In their daily existence in Berlin they never meet each other, but what connects these people thematically is their relationship to the time they live in, the time now behind them and the uncertainty about what to expect tomorrow. One is a Slovenian linguist and entomologist. The second is a purebred “Berlinerin”, once a model, now an owner of a fur shop. Then there are the two brothers whose parents moved to Germany 40 years ago from Congo as political refugees. The cinematic form is like a mosaic of different fragments that determines the rhythm of the film. The individual portraits stand by themselves without any obvious connection. They stand, as it were, in contrast to one another, sequences of varying lengths jump – for no apparent reason – from one character to the other, punctuated by Berlin city images. The form of the film reflects the city of Berlin and the great diversity of people who come from all over the world.
Rosemarie Blank
Born in Germany. Attended the Academy of Art in Berlin and worked for some time as an artist. She started making films in 1980 as a member of the Amsterdam Stadsjournaal, published articles about film, worked as a scriptwriter, director, cinematographer, editor and producer for her own production company Casa Film. She has won many awards including the Golden Calf for the best director of the Dutch Film Festival for the film Crossing Borders (1994) and the Prize for the best artistic documentary in Crռteil, France for Transit Levantkade (1992).
Filmography
1985 – The Divided Earth
1987 – The Ants
1991 – Transit Levantkade (TV documentary)
1994 – Crossing Borders
1999 – Farewell Pavel
2001 – Now Boarding (Short)
2003 – Almost Real Life
2004 – The Comedians (video-installation)
2009 – Job and the Dutch Free State
2012 – Berlin Diary
2016 – In Berlin what lasts is the transient, the fleeting remains