HEIMAT IS A SPACE IN TIME
PC: DFA.com
The outstanding German-Austrian 2019 documentary HEIMAT IS A SPACE IN TIME (HEIMAT) by Thomas Heise was screened on March 28, 2023, at the Leo Baeck Institute in New York. Lasting more than 3 hours, HEIMAT provides a critical analysis of Germany's socio-political development from World War I to the unification of Germany in 1990 and its aftermath. Heise was born in East Germany and trained there as a filmmaker, offering an illuminating interpretations of the developments during the Weimar Republic, the Third Reich, the rise of West Germany and the DDR, and the merger of both Germanies into a republic shaped by dominant capitalist policies and a consumer culture while eradicating any traces of DDR socialism.
In Europe, HEIMAT was widely acclaimed and received numerous awards. Though selected by the New York Film Festival for itsr 2019 program and picked up by the Icarus streaming service, HEIMAT received little attention here, prompting its first theatrical screening in New York since NYFF 2019 in 2023. Introduced excellently in brief by New York's German Deputy Consul General Wolfram von Heynitz, HEIMAT was shown with a reception, and the program was held from 5:30 to 10:00 PM. The screening drew the attention of film professionals, members of the Leo Baeck Institute, and the American Council on Germany as well as invited guests. About 45 individuals attended with another 20 watching the documentary online. Heise suggested that HEIMAT should only be shown without any interruptions which limited the attendance. Feedback from several filmmakers reflected their view of the film as “being very complex, intriguing and challenging” but sometimes difficult to follow.
As the curator of the Heimat screening event, I am grateful for the support we received from the
Leo Baeck Institute (Dr. David Brown. Director, Public History, 212-744-6400), American Council on Germany (Dr. Steven, Sokol, President 212-826-3636), Mueller Law Firm, PC (Michael T. Mueller Esq, 646-559-6735), the New York German Consulate General (Consul Mariella Carvalho, 212-610-9722), and Society & Diplomatic Review (SDR), New York.
Under Consideration for a fall screening is the 2022 feature documentary THE CONSPIRACY.
For more information contact Dr. Claus Mueller, Senior Editor SDR, 212 759 1351
