There are many different ways of looking at 1989 and the regime change today, but the film makes a clear case that there is something to be proud of here. Árpád Bella overstepped his authority by letting the East German masses cross the Hungarian-Austrian border, and Harald Jäger also watched East Berliners escape to the West across the Berlin Wall without firing a shot. Their courageous actions accelerated the course of events and prevented a mass tragedy. Unfortunately, it was also a time of loss: inspired by what had happened previously, the 36-year-old Kurt-Werner Schulz, his wife and six-year-old son, attempted to cross the border, but an accidental gunshot killed him in a scuffle with a border guard.
Péter Szalay's documentary focuses primarily on the human side of the regime change, exploring the topic from many angles in an exciting manner that is capped by his unique style. In addition to the actors' recollections, the film is enriched with short film clips, archive footage and Ferenc Cakó's sand animations.

In Hungarian and German, with Hungarian and German subtitles.
The discussions before and after the screening will be conducted in Hungarian.

Presented by: Müpa Budapest