Films by Kathrin Isberner

Germany 2011
by Tamara Wyss

In the spring of 1914 a French archaeological expedition, led by the French poet and medical doctor Victor Segalen, entered the Province of Sichuan in order to do research on burial mounds of the Han era (206 BCE-220 CE) and early Chinese Buddhist iconography and epigraphy. Research in this realm still continues in Sichuan today, but the means and techniques of the archaeologists and art historians are more complex and advanced compared to those of a century ago. Segalen, who lived in China from 1909 until 1914, was fluent in the Chinese language and was able to read ancient Chinese writings. He was a great admirer of Chinese culture and history.

Germany 2010, 208 min
by André Rehse

Humanity is facing huge challenges today: Climate change, ocean pollution and non-renewable energy sources are all pressing environmental problems. But nature provides some sustainable answers. The four-part series ‘Inspired by Nature’ deals with the selected biomimicry topics locomotion, construc- tion, apperception and processing. It shows how scientists analyse complex biological processes, how these results are applied to solutions of technical problems and finally evolve to everyday objects for the consumer. Our host – Janine Benyus, the so-called ‘mother of biomimicry’ – guides us through the series and explains e.g. how the railway system of the UK can be inspired by a slime mould or how lobsters could help finding leaks in underwater pipelines.

Germany 2010, 100 min
by Dieter Schumann

The film accompanies the Wadan employees throughout their 18-month struggle for the preservation of their shipyard. A film about the value of work in a globalized world. Wismar, 45,000 inhabitants. The income of every third family depends on the Wadan shipyard, the only major company in the region. In August 2008 a Russian investor takes over the old, traditional business and its future seems secured. But then the financial and economic crisis hits the Hanseatic City at its very centre: more than 5,000 jobs are at stake. A race against time ensues. We accompany a group of welders through turbulent months and bear witness to the fact that losing one‘s jobs means so much more than losing one‘s income. We show the workers, the owners and the liquidators struggling to preserve the shipyard, we experience their ups and downs between powerlessness, anger, sadness and hope. The Wadan shipyard goes down and is reopened under a new ownership and a new name. Some of our protagonists return to their company, but under much worse conditions. The film examines what is left after this crisis.

Germany, Switzerland 2010, 52 min
by Marc Burth, Marc Burth

After becoming a father, Marc Burth has a problem: Two children and no fitting religion for them. His father is Protestant, his mother is Jewish, and his sister a shaman. His wife's dad is a Moslem; her mother, Catholic. Making the right choice for his children in this intersection of religions is a diffi- cult job for the confused filmmaker! Searching for answers, Marc Burth meets people that have a relationship with God and some that consciously don’t. He talks to atheists, shamans, Jesuits, Jews, Moslems, heathens and many more. He wants to know if God exists and why religion should be important to his children. The film is a playful, crazy, slightly neurotic approach to the question many people find a hard nut to crack and humanity will always search answers for: Does God exist? And if yes, how many gods are there?