Films by Jonas Trottnow

Germany 2019, 55 min
by Barbara Trottnow

The film accompanies Joan Salomon from New York on a visit to Essenheim. Her Jewish family had to leave the German village in 1934, after the hostilities had become too strong when the Nazis came to power. Only her mother managed to emigrate to America, her grandmother and her aunt were killed in a concentration camp. On the traces of the past she meets old Essenheim women who knew her family.She was born in New York in 1945, but the past also determined her life. Her mother never forgave herself failing to bring her family to America. So she hardly told her daughter anything about her life in Germany.The film describes the desire for home, the search for origin, but also the way those who never been away, deal with the past.

Germany 2015, 87 min
by Barbara Trottnow

Eduard Zuckmayer migrated to Turkey in 1936. At that time he was a quite famous pianist, but the Nazis banned him from his profession. Atatürk asked him to establish the education of music teachers and bring Western music culture to the country. Eduard Zuckmayer headed the music department at Gazi University in Ankara for 32 years. The film is searching for the tracks he left in Turkey. We met former students being very proud on their professor und trying to work in his tradition. We look back on a quite unknown part of Turkish-German history and also give insights into today’s Turkey. The elder brother of the famous author Carl Zuckmayer is quite unknown in Germany, but in Turkey he is still famous and highly respected.It is not long ago, Germans had to refuge and start a new live in foreign countries.Original German version with Turkish or English subtitles available 

Germany 2013, 40 min
by Barbara Trottnow

June Haimoff lives since the mid-eighties in Dalyan (Turkey) and is involved there in the protection of endangered sea turtles. When on their nesting beach a hotel should be built, she launched a global campaign, successfully, the hotel was not built and the Iztuzu beach is now part of a Special Protected Area.On site they all call her Kaptan June. Before the Englishwoman stayed in Dalyan, she sailed with her boat through the Mediterranean. In December 2012, she celebrated her 90th birthday, but full of energy she continues to fight for the protection of the environment. Three years ago she set up a foundation, which is committed to preserve the natural habitat of sea turtles and to protect them from the effects of tourism. Since every year more and more tourists come to the beach. Most of them are day-trippers, intent on seeing some supposedly untouched piece of nature. The number of boats that offer trips to the Turtle Beach has grown constantly. Kaptan June's Foundation now offers all captains to provide the propellers of their boats with a kind of protective cage so the turtles are not injured.

Germany 2012, 57 min
by Sylvia Rothe

The students of the Talander School in Wangen in southern Germany are very special children and adolescents. From a very early age on each of them has had to cope with various problems: ADHD, learning difficulties, tough family/parent situations, not fitting in anywhere. Together with their teachers these students, aged 13 and 14, tackled a huge challenge - they crossed the Alps to Italy on foot in a three-week long hike. The film documents their adventure from the students’ point of view. They talk about their own life experiences and what they have experienced on this trek with moving candidness. The viewer cannot help but be drawn into their personal conflicts and inner struggles, their defeats and victories.