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“Einar Schleef – Ich habe kein Deutschland gefunden” – Dir.: Sandra Prechtel, Germany 2026, 93 min

As artists we engage reveal our sentient, personal selves through our work. Depending on the relational entanglements and historical upheavals of our concrete existence, we sometimes become role models who inspire others to express their doubts and feelings, at other times, we touch on sensitive issues, disrupt a supposed peace, encounter resistance or repression.

“Einar Schleef was a theater director, set designer, writer, photographer, painter, and filmmaker—a multidisciplinary artist who fled the East and never truly arrived in the West, someone who found no home in either Germany. Einar Schleef delved into German reality using every artistic means at his disposal, into the abysses of German history, which he brought into the present. Schleef felt, suffered, breathed, and tasted this reality. And he wrote it down, staged it, photographed it, and painted it. [..] Schleef’s central theme is being trapped within one’s own body, within one’s own history. And the attempt to escape. In his person and his art lie a vision, a rage, a strength, and a surprising sense of humor that can “lift us up.” We see, hear, and feel Schleef as a body-bound person; we experience his successes and his failures.” (from the synopsis)

The film consists entirely of archival footage and will be released in theaters this fall. On June 30, filmmaker Sandra Prechtel will be a guest at the HGB to pre-screen it, and talk with us about the film, the artist, and the question, how the extreme violence of the past affects German society today.

Following the screening, there will be a 60-minute open discussion, structured by a dialog score for groups. Everyone is invited to participate by sharing reactions, feelings, questions, associations, and contributions of their own.

Further Infos on the film: 
https://www.filmgalerie451.de/de/filme/einar-schleef-ich-habe-kein-deutschland-gefunden