AM ENDE KOMMEN TOURISTEN (And Along Come Tourists)

Germany/2007/German, Polish and English dialogue with English and French subtitles/Colour/35mm/85 mins

Sven (Alexander Fehling), a sensitive young German who has elected to fulfill his civil service by working abroad, arrives in Oświęcim, Poland, which houses the Auschwitz concentration camp. He becomes the new caregiver for Stanislaw Krzeminski (Ryszard Ronczewski), a former Auschwitz inmate who refuses to leave – determined to bear witness to the atrocities of the camp that has become a tourist destination. He helped take thousands of suitcases from doomed Jewish families as they arrived, and now works feverishly to restore the suitcases – mute testaments to the dead. He rejects Sven’s overtures of friendship. Gradually, Sven’s understanding of the camp deepens, he becomes fond of the proud, courageous Krzeminski, falls in love with a Polish girl, Ania, and comes to distrust his government’s role in Poland’s past and present.

“Director Robert Thalheim spent 18 months of his youth stationed in Oświęcim, like Sven, completing the civilian alternative to national military service, and his film has a quiet, definitive authority, and an award-winning performance from Alexander Fehling. Thalheim forces us to reconsider how we can commemorate past crimes and yet seem incapable of truly compensating those now referred to as “collateral damage” in war. If we are unwilling to compensate, how then can we simply remember?” – Hannah Fisher

Starring : Alexander Fehling, Ryszard Ronczewski, Barbara Wysocka, Piotr Rogucki, Rainer Sellien
Director(s) :

Robert Thalheim

ROBERT THALHEIM was born in 1974 in Berlin, where he still lives. After making a television documentary and working as an assistant director at the Berliner Ensemble Theatre, he read New German Literature, History and Politics at the Freie Universität Berlin and then studied directing at the Potsdam Babelsberg film school. He followed the shorts Zeit ist leben, Granica, Three Percent and ICH with his debut feature, Netto (2005), which won a Jury prize at the Berlin International Film Festival, amongst other awards.
Crew : Britta Knöller(Producer), Hans-Christian Schmid(Producer), Yoliswa Gaertig(Cinematographer), Stefan Kobe(Editor), Anton Feist(Composer), Uwe Bossenz(Composer)
Running Time : 85 mins
Country : Germany
Programme : The Cultural Bridge
Venue : Mall of the Emirates - CineStar 9, Mall of the Emirates - CineStar 7, Mall of the Emirates - CineStar 7
Buy DIFF Tickets : https://www.difftickets.com