The pictures come at night
The old lady lives in a retirement home near Bielefeld. It is difficult for her to come to terms with her new home. Nobody really has time. And certainly no time to listen. It would be worth listening to stories from more than 80 years of German-Polish life, in which only violence and unconditional love for their children were reliable figures.
Czeslawa was born in Poland in 1927, she would have had the opportunity to go to high school. Instead, however, her way led to Germany – into forced labor.
The film is shaped by Czeslawa’s relentless tales about her extraordinary, yet historically exemplary life. In turn, everyday observations are in the style of the Cinema Verité. The camera observes the family, who, despite great challenges, has maintained a loving attitude and their sense of humor. It is always close, but never judgmental. This was made possible by the filmmaker’s close relationship of trust with the family members. She has been friends with Czeslawa’s children for more than twenty years.
Born in Münster / Westphalia in 1963
186 – 1991 Studied photo design at Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences
1998 – 2000 Training as a media designer for images and sound, Werkhof Hohenlimburg
2002 – Documentary “Over Seven Bridges” about trying to break out
2005 – Documentary “You must fight” About Cho Lucas Ayaba, Cameroonian oppositionist, fighter and refugee in Germany.
2007 – documentary. “Rattenrennen”, a film about a Cameroonian girl and his first two years in Germany
2007 – “One minute – one river” ten filmmakers show their view of the Emscher,
a production of the festival “Views from the Ruhr Area”
2015 – Eating shadows, documentary about Anke Ames, musician and poet with bipolar illness
since 2011 – Lecturer UZwei cultural education in Dortmund U
since 2016 – guest lecturer at TU Dortmund
2019 – Documentary “The pictures come at night” Family portrait of the Wölfel family, a former forced laborer and their children