Suppose your country began to change. Suppose that without your noticing it became dangerous for some people to live in your country. Suppose you found, to your complete surprise, that your own father was one of those people. That is what happens to Anna in 1933. Anna is not sure who Hitler is. She is nine years old when everything begins, too busy to take much notice of his face on posters all over Berlin. But when her own father goes missing one day, she comes to realize that the man on the posters is about to change the whole of Europe – starting with her own small life. She is forced to uproot her entire existence. Anna and her family hastily flee Germany, leaving even her favorite stuffed pink rabbit behind. From now on Anna encounters life in exile, not speaking the language, not knowing customs and manners, missing her friends and loved ones. To find a school for Anna is difficult, money is getting very short and they are fearful as they also encounter xenophobia. Yet Anna grows up, finds new friends, and learns to take responsibility. So when her family has to move away yet again, she is certain she can do anything.
Based on the gripping real-life story of Judith Kerr, whose poignant, suspenseful novel of the same title has been a favorite for over forty years.
Invited Guest: Director Caroline Link
Geoblocked to California
CAROLINE LINK was born in Bad Nauheim in 1964. In 1986 she began her studies in film and television documentary at the University of Television and Film Munich. In 1992 Link began research for the screenplay for BEYOND SILENCE, about deaf parents and their musically gifted daughter. In 1995 she filmed the drama, which was nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 1998, making Link an internationally known director. In 1999 Link once again demonstrated her flair for touching stories with the successful Erich Kästner adaptation ANNALUISE & ANTON. For this film as well, she was honored with several national and international awards, including the Bavarian Film Award. Link went on to win the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film with NOWHERE IN AFRICA (2001). In her next film EXIT MARRAKECH (2013), for which she also wrote the screenplay, Link confronted a German theater director (Ulrich Tukur) producing a play in Morocco with his rebellious sixteen-year-old son, who accuses him of failing in his role as a father. For his performance, Samuel Schneider won the New Faces Award for Best Young Actor in 2014. ALL ABOUT ME (2018), based on Hape Kerkeling’s boyhood memories, has been Link’s most successful film to date with 3.7 million viewers.