Films by Merle Jothe

2016, 82 min
by Anna Koch

Four German teenage girls are getting ready for an exciting school year. The young wrestlers Janny, Lisa, Debby and Michelle have been accepted to the Elite School of Sports, a boarding school in Frankfurt that follows East German traditions in getting talented athletes to the top. The girls can expect years of exhausting, intensive training schedules, strict diets and extreme pressure to perform. In their free time they hang out together, listen to music and long for home – they aren’t all buil

Germany 2011, 87 min
by Hella Wenders

David, his brother Jakob, Anita and Lucas visit the elementary school BERG FIDEL in Münster, Germany. This school takes on every child, no matter what race, religion or handicap.They all learn together, aged mixed, and solve their problems in weekly class councils. After grade 4, at the age of 10, the inclusive elementary school ends and they are sent to special-needs schools. A decision for life.