Das Deutsche Volk
Marcin Wierzchowski
No amount of sympathy will ever bring their children back – the bereaved of the victims of the racist attack in Hanau know this. The families speak of their sorrow, their fury, and their impotence against a system that baulks at any responsibility and vehemently denies its complicity. Marcin Wierzchowski creates impressive tableaus and accompanies the relatives and survivors in their flats in Hanau, at gravesites and in political committees. He documents their demands for a critical accounting of the attack and captures their pursuits of a culture of living remembrance. Yet there is little left of the initial solidarity, as the families are met with resistance by the impenetrable state apparatus. In their relentless fight against attempts of political pacification they show resilience and strength.
Especially now, following the fifth anniversary of the cruel killing spree and the return of the social acceptability of racist slogans, a film like Das Deutsche Volk is an important monument reminding us of our duty to remember.
27 April 2025
16:00 h, Elysee 1 im Festivalzentrum
More information
| Direction | Marcin Wierzchowski |
| Country | Deutschland |
| Year | 2025 |
| Duration | 132 min |
| Language | Deutsch, Rumänisch, Türkisch, Englisch |
| Language version | OmeU |
| Production | Marcin Wierzchowski, Pola Sell, Dorothea Braun, Kurt Otterbacher, Julius Theiss |
| Camera | Marcin Wierzchowski, Peter Peiker |
| Script | Marcin Wierzchowski |
| Editing | Stefan Oliveira-Pita |
| Sound | Andreas Lucas |
| Music | Louisa Beck, Kaan Bulak |
| Sound Design | Matz Müller, Ole Ohlendorf |
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About the director
Marcin Wierzchowski was born in 1984. He lives and works in Frankfurt am Main and Warsaw. He first studied Philosophy at the Goethe University in Frankfurt before transferring to the Kunsthochschule Mainz to study film. He graduated with a diploma in 2017. In 2022, Wierzchowski made the short documentary film Hanau. Eine Nacht und ihre Folgen, for which he was awarded the Grimme Prize in 2022. His recent film Das Deutsche Volk premiered at the Berlinale 2025 and was met with positive reviews by critics and viewers.
Press reviews
„Das Deutsche Volk brings up a painful subject for many contemporary societies. The black-and-white images lend the film an alarming degree of universality. It also shows the attempt to brace oneself against the normalisation of right-wing narratives.” (Jens Balkenborg, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung)
It is a devastating but also captivating and enlightening piece of contemporary history. The protagonists chosen by Marcin Wierzchowski – in the triple function as director, writer, and director of photography – are more interesting than the heroes of most fiction films. Their statements bring tears to your eyes and make you catch your breath.” (Jan Küveler und Marie-Luise Goldmann, Die Welt)
„Das Deutsche Volk“ shows the fury and the incomprehension of the families toward the police and the authorities. Why did the police react so slowly? Why does nobody take responsibility? Some of the parents did not know until the next day whether their children were among the dead. (Timo Strohschnieder, Berliner Morgenpost)
The documentary Das Deutsche Volk, which Wierzchowski shot over the course of four years, is filmed in black and white, which lends it a degree of objectivity. At the same time, the images situate the act in the past and convey a historical continuity to the dark chapters of Germany history. Crime scenes are shown without any voyeurism; thus, it is easier to imagine the events. The shame of the survivors of the Arena Bar mixes with their ongoing trauma. There is even footage of the attack in the Arena Bar which the survivors watch – the director’s camera wisely does not show these scenes. (Kira Taszman, Filmdienst)
HESSIAN PREMIERE
Regional Feature Film Program
