Documentary Film

GER 2022, 86 min (cinema), DCP, 16/9, Dolby Surround

"We walk together to the memorial site Passages and see the work of Dani Karavan. No words can describe the turbulent emotions this artwork evokes. The students: some sit in front of it and begin to draw. Others descend the steps to the glass barrier, where they can go no further. They are very quiet. Each must confront her own feelings. Hardly any conversation, only quiet observation."

This is how Jeanine Meerapfel’s diary entry from September 20, 2021 begins. The President of the Academy of Arts accompanies a group of Berlin students tracing the footsteps of Walter Benjamin. The young women have engaged deeply with the life and work of the poet and philosopher, who, in 1940, took his own life in the Spanish town of Portbou while fleeing the Nazis. Now they travel together from Berlin, through Paris, to the Pyrenees—to follow in his path.

Courageous discussions, shared silence, and a constant striving for understanding are part of the process. Observing and approaching the mysterious personality of Benjamin step by step also invites reflection on broader questions: What does exile do to a person? What is the value of gratitude and empathy? What can we learn from one another across generations?

A production of the Akademie der Künste

Direction, Cinematography, Editing Sophie Narr

Production Dr. Marion Neumann (AdK - Kunstwelten)

Sound Design Henrik Cordes

Mix Reemt Allerding / Chaussee