Habitat
a film by Emerson Culurgioni & Jonas Matauschek
The film episodically revolves around the concept of “migration” at the largest artificial lake in Germany, an open-pit mine flooded with water. While retired miners diligently work on the establishment of a recreational area and asylum applicants hope in vain for the right of residence or that their families can join them, ornithologists yearn for the arrival of a rare migratory bird from Africa.
Festivals
2017 | Visions du Réel, Nyon
2018 | Filmkunstfest MV, Schwerin
Supported by
HABITAT was supported by the Kulturstiftung des Freistaates Sachsen, the Sächsische Landesanstalt für privaten Rundfunk und neue Medien (SLM) and was created in the framework of the PMMC Lab from Werkleitz Gesellschaft e. V., supported by the Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung GmbH, and the federal state of Saxony-Anhalt provided from the European Social Fund (ESF).
Facts
Genre: Documentary film
Running time: 79 min.
Format: 16:9, DCP, Color
Sound: Stereo, 5.1
Produced in: Germany
Completed in: March 2017
SYNOPSIS
The largest man-made lake, a former open-pit mine, was created in “Geiseltal” after the fall of the GDR through renaturalization and flooding.
Standing in his garden parcel, Reinhard Hirsch looks out at the spot in the lake where his grandparents’ house once stood. His home village of Zöbigker had to make way for mining. Bee-eaters, a colorful migratory bird with an unmistakable call, nest in the abandoned dumps. Christine Lattke waits in the middle of the industrial ruins with her camera for the arrival of the birds from their winter home in Africa.
At the water of a small cove Ganiyou Idriss from Niger spends the monotone days while he waits for his asylum application to be decided upon.
The Kurdish poet Farhan Kalasch lives on “Glück Auf” Street – literally “Good Luck” – in a former mining town. After receiving asylum in Germany, he is now trying to bring his wife and children to Germany. In each episode, the film carefully revolves around the topic of “migration.”