Films by Eva Knopf

Germany 2016, 75 min
by Eva Knopf

Until recently Myanmar was shut off from the rest of the world by a military dictatorship. Ever since a democratisation process started, the country opend up, not only politically but also economically. Investors and multinational companies view Myanmar today as the 'last frontier' of globalization: 53 million new customers may be waiting to avail themselves of their products!But how do the Burmese navigate between the new offers and opportunities and their traditional values? MYANMARKET accompanies people in a time of change: A team of consumer researchers maps Yangon, Myanmar’s biggest city, according to household income. A motivational trainer effordlessly combines american feasibility opitmism with buddhist doctrines. A mother is overwhelmed by the demands of family and society and is looking for a traditional escape from her everyday life. Her daughter is attracted by the shiny commodities and is looking for her true needs.Original Burmese version with English subtitles or German overvoice available.

Germany 2013, 50 min
by Eva Knopf

It’s extremely unlikely that anyone remembers the name of Majub bin Adam Mohamed Hussein aka Mohamed Husen. Majub, born in Darussalam and a German colonial soldier in the First World War, was a popular extra and bit player in 1930s German cinema. When the films of the Nazi era called for a black character, it was usually Majub who was cast alongside Hans Albers, Heinz Rühmann or Zarah Leander. Meticulously researched facts, circumstantial evidence and the reflections they give rise to (recited by Jule Böwe) form the energetic centre of this amazing biography of the African Majub on the background of German film and colonial history. Majub, who died in Sachsenhausen in 1944, is part of German cinema’s sky-full of stars. You won’t see him from a distance, because then you will only notice the light of the “A-list” artists whose big names are usually enough. But if you come closer and the B- and C-category stars begin to twinkle, each of them shining forth as part of a constellation, the world will open up wide and art will be enriched. In that sense, director Eva Knopf’s idea to have her film begin in an observatory is heartbreakingly beautiful. (DOKLeipzig, Ralph Eue