Films by Wolfgang K. Bergmann

2019, 90 min
by Irene Langemann

The Putin era in Russian politics began on 31 December 1999, after Yeltsinmins resignation and shortly before the millennium celebrations. The children born on that day have now come of age. They have only ever known ex-KGB man Vladimir Putin at the pinnacle of power. What do the Putin generation think and feel? How do they want to live in the future?

Germany 2016, 90 min
by Cherelle Qiong Zheng

A way out is a documentary film about three Chinese teenagers who have different family backgrounds financial conditions and living environment striving to find their future under the same education system. The three subjects, one from Beijing, a metropolis; one from Xianning, a small town of Hubei Province in the middle of China; and one from Huining – a small village in the remote mountains in Gansu Province, the most poverty-stricken area of China, handled their crucial decisions of their lif

Germany 2012, 89 min
by Peter Heller (c/o filmkraft)

500 billion US dollars in a half-century - and no end to the aid is in sight. Prominent "do-gooders" of the entertainment industry such as Bono, Bob Geldorf, Angelina Jolie and Madonna, pressure the politicians to pump more development aid into Africa. An ever-increasing number of African economic experts and sociologists have begun to criticise this flood of aid. Our documentary film project follows the voices of protest that are being raised in Africa. Working in cooperation with scholars and

Germany 2008
by Irene Langemann

Most people in Europe are familiar with Liverpool as the poor, former industrial city where The Beatles began their international career. Today, the city not only enjoys the well earned reputation as a new and fabulous cultural center, but has even been chosen the European City of Culture for 2008. The Film is an appreciation on Liverpool and its fascinating cultural life. The city on the River Mersey is going to be celebrating the arts, its music, its cultural heritage and its diversity. The

Germany 2008, 90 min
by Irene Langemann

Since the end of World War II, American armed forces have been stationed in Ramstein in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. The fascination for the "American way of life" has not only cast a spell over many Germans there, but it has also left visible traces in the area. On the Ramstein Air Base, the largest US air base found on foreign soil, one even has the impression of being in "Little America." Although the drama of the Iraq War has led some Germans to become disenchanted with the supe

Germany 2008, 92 min
by Irene Langemann

The film “The Competitors – Russia's Wonder Children II” tells a universal tale of success and failure in the world of classical music. Approaching the four protagonists very closely and combined with moving flashbacks from the film "Russia's Wonder Children", it will become a poetical study with a deeply human touch of four young people growing up under the severe pressure of a just about inhumane competitive strife. The film RUSSIAS WONDER CHILDREN was broadcasted 12 times in Germany, numerous

Germany 2007
by Irene Langemann

A electrifying insight in the Russian society of today Rublyovka Road is the traffic artery connecting the powerhouse Moscow with the Russian outback. At all times, the region bordering on Rublyovka has had a magnetic attraction for the ruling elite classes: Tsars, dictators, presidents. Of course, also present-day head of state Putin resides here. In Putin’s Russia, Rublyovka has become synonymous with wealth, social ascent and decadent lifestyles. Tell-tale signs of the past and gross excesse

Germany 2007
by Wolfgang K. Bergmann

Non-lethal weapons were promoted and used to humanize social and political conflicts: in other words, to make sure no one dies during demonstrations and arrests. However, things did not went the way authorities wanted and soon te name had to be changed into “less-lethal” weapons because of too many ‘accidental’ deaths along the way. NO MORE KILLING looks at the utopia of “soft bullets”, non-lethal confrontation and peaceful conflict resolution. After the end of the Cold War the world conjured u

Germany 2004
by Irene Langemann

It would be hard to name another drink that is more identified with the culture of a people than vodka with Russia. But in the West, too, this drink is spreading among young people. In conjunction with one of ARTE’s evenings of programming devoted to a particular topic, Lichtfilm produced two documentaries on this magical liquid: VODKA, ART AND FASHION and VODKA - RUSSIA’S NO. 1

Germany 2002
by Ullabritt Horn

Berlin, China, Ukraine…and no return A filmic journey with Anton Tchen, aka Han Sen ‘I entered the empty classroom. Way at the back sat a small boy, who was trying to copy Chinese characters with a pen and a brush. He couldn’t do it, and tears of frustration ran off his face and smeared the ink…’ Anton Tchen, born 1925 in Berlin, was a boy of his era: he played in the street, fought with other boys and watched the Reichstag burn when he was eight years old…But the children he played with pulle

Germany 2001
by Irene Langemann

Known in Munich, Moscow and Vancouver: Lili Marleen, one of the most famous songs of the last century. Its success began in the Second World War with the first performer, the German singer Lale Andersen. Every night at 10pm, her voice rang out over the military broadcaster Radio Belgrade, and moved soldiers of all nations to tears. Unknown until then, the singer became a superstar. A legend and a personal drama began; the borders between song and singer disappear. For millions of listeners, Lale

Germany 1999, 98 min
by Irene Langemann

Their names are Lena, Nikita, Ira and Mitya. They excel at concert performances which would shatter the nerves of even adult pianists. Their vibratos, runs and cascading arpeggios are simply breathtaking. The maturity these children display, even when performing the most difficult of piano pieces, is quite astonishing. Their amazing talent is founded, however, on hours of practice every single day and is the result of a long-standing tradition in the erstwhile Soviet Union.RUSSIA’S WONDER CHILDR