hug films | Alina Cyranek & Falk Schuster

2020, 28 min
by Alina Cyranek, Falk Schuster

Leipzig, GDR, 1980s: The Hotel Astoria is a magical, almost sacred place. Business people, prostitutes, the elite of the Socialist Party, and from time to time ordinary people meet here. But lobster, salmon and caviar are not always on the menu – extravagance is also on ration. And the Stasi are always watching. Memories of former staff and guests are brought to life in a mix of archive footage and animation. Constant ambiguities show that different historical experiences can co-exist, and that