FOCUS:
EUROPE, 30 YEARS AFTER THE BERLIN WALL

During our festival, it will be exactly 30 years since the East German Government announced on 9 November 1989 that all GDR citizens were free to travel to West Germany and West Berlin from that moment on. The whole of Europe celebrated. People chipped away parts of the Berlin Wall and the government used professional equipment to remove the infamous barrier of Europe, which – together with the mass protests that were already going on – signified the beginning of the end of the communist regime of East Germany and the transition towards a free, democratic and unified Germany.

Today, 30 years later, Europe is building new walls and becoming increasingly divided. Boundaries along borders that keep out those fleeing from conflicted or poverty-stricken areas in the Middle East and Africa, are the subject of heated debates. Shockingly, there are even several cities in Europe that are still or again divided between East and West, as a result of conflict. For instance, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo or parts of countries like Moldova and Ukraine.

Therefore, ENFF wants to reflect the seriousness of the political and human crises because of which different types of walls, borders, hurdles and regulations were and are constructed. Our Focus program deals not only with the films reflecting on Europe during and after the Berlin Wall, but also very much with the current situation and re-establishment of divisions among people.

Join us from 6-10 November in Filmhuis Den Haag.