1991 Documentary

"The documentarist, like any communicator in any medium, makes endless choices. He selects topics, people, vistas, angles, lenses, juxtapositions, sounds, words. Each selection is an expression of his point of view, whether he is aware of it or not, whether he acknowledges it or not…And whether he adopts the stance of observer, or chronicler, or whatever, he cannot escape his subjectivity. He presents his version of the world."
Erik Barnouw, in Documentary, A History of the Non-Fiction Film. 1974.

When we set off for Neubrandenburg in June of 1991 to "make a video" for our students, it's safe to say that we really didn't think of ourselves as "documentarists". In all candor, our primary concerns then were of a more practical nature and dealt with such matters as camera batteries, lighting, our budget, and the like. However, the people we met in Neubrandenburg greeted us with open arms. We had hoped to capture some glimpses of daily life in post-unification Germany, what we captured instead, and what is portrayed in Drehort Neubrandenburg are moving personal accounts about political freedom and economic prosperity, documenting what life was like effectively imprisoned behind the Iron Curtain and how it changed after reunification.