Films by Katrin Rothe

Germany, Austria, Switzerland 2023, 100 min
by Katrin Rothe

Bertold Brecht called him one of the most important European artists. Rosa Luxemburg personally handed over the party book to the communist of the first hour in 1918. George Grosz and Kurt Tucholsky are among his closest friends and artistic companions. He gave himself an English name in protest against German warmongering. For the Nazis, however, the father of political photomontage John Heartfield quickly became one of the most dangerous enemies of the state. For years he is a fugitive in Europe, and later finds no safe home even in the socialist GDR.The graphic artist Stephanie, plagued by a creative crisis and self-doubt, is fascinated by John Heartfield‘s work, which she discovers in an exhibition. Through a time tunnel, she ends up in a studio where the artist, who has become a cartoon figure, takes her on a journey through his eventful life. A loving friendship develops between the two colleagues. And Stephanie takes up scissors and paper again.Graphic designer Stefanie is having a creative crisis with boring advertising assignments and a boss who does not value her work. During a visit to a museum, she is magically attracted to the satirical photomontages of the world-famous colleague and Nazi opponent John Heartfield. Then a miracle happens, she suddenly turns up in his studio.

Germany 2017, 90 min
by Katrin Rothe

Petersburg, 1917: we re-experience the year of the two revolutions. From the perspective of Russian artists such as Maxim Gorky and Kazimir Malevich, we recount the events of this turbulent year.Petersburg, 1917: Russian artists in the year of two revolutions. The tsar abdicates and suddenly everything seems possible. Eight months after the February Bourgeois Democratic Revolution, the Bolshevists seize power in October. But what exactly happened in this period between February and October? How did the people of Petersburg experience these turbulent months? With the help of numerous detailed recordings and documents, we recount the events from the perspective of artists such as Maxim Gorky, Kazimir Malevich and Zinaida Gippius. We find out how the artists tried to influence the future of Russia. We learn of their thoughts, strategies, concerns and everyday problems, and we see the events of the time through their eyes. The questions they then faced are still relevant today: What role do artists and art play in times of social upheaval? Where and how did they push forward events themselves? A filmically experimental perspective of these events, inspired by the avant-garde aesthetics of this time.

Germany 2013, 52 min
by Katrin Rothe

Rents have been exploding in Berlin, but it's not as bad as London or Paris yet. Students, families and pensioners can still live in the centre of Berlin. But affordable homes are getting scarce. International investors have also discovered the flat-trade in Berlin. The loosers of that boom are the tenants.  The filmmakers house was bought by investors of a 'dynamic' estate company, who want to convert the rental flats into freehold flats. But sales don't override contracts, and  tenants in Berlin-Mitte have 7 years security of tenure. Katrin Rothe and her neighbours start to fight for their rights and against the gentrification. It's a new world dirctor is confronted with. It consists of accusations, pretence surveyor's appointments and provocations. Her lawyer says, she’s to ignore it all. But it's hard. When the potential buyers attend her flat, the documentary continues with drawn and animated characters. The estate agent is getting more and more impatient while viewings. But also Katrin is getting more and more silent and anxious. director's statement: "...The global financial crisis started out as an American real-estate bubble. Now we have a real-estate boom, too. Worried investors no longer invest in stocks but in houses and flats, concrete gold. A little security in an uncertain world. I thought it was nothing to do with me until the day I received a refurbishment notification." ]