Matthias Jochmann

Film Walks

What does it mean to live in a neighborhood? What does the place where you live mean to you? Who lives next-door? In the summer of 2017, 140 people who live on and around Rosa-Luxemburg Platz in Berlin's 'Mitte' district were interviewed. These conversations were turned into a series of short films that provide personal insights into diverse lives. Behind each door there's a different story: long-standing Mitte dwellers, founders of start-ups, centenarians, globetrotters, those pining for the old East Germany, and students. There are people who have lived here for two months or sixty years; people who grew up in what used to be East or West Germany, in Latin America, Russia, or former Yugoslavia. A neighborhood full of diversity and contradictions. Some call it their home, others just the place they live, while still others think of it as a real neighborhood or 'kiez'. And yet, memories and emotions associated with this place connect them all as neighbors.

Escalator Down

The film tells the story of Jochen, who lives with his divorced mother and her boyfriend. The family relationship is tense, the mother looks on helplessly. Out of frustration, Jochen steals a chocolate bar. Alex, an older classmate, observes him and takes advantage of the situation: Jochen begins to steal on Alex's behalf. Soon he is caught and sent to a reformatory... A group of students from Bonn filmed Hans-Georg Noack's bestseller for young people. “Escalator Down” is the successful debut of young filmmakers and impressively shows how a 13-year-old begins to steal and ends up in a downward social spiral. The writer Noack was so enthusiastic about the Bonn student group's script that he gave them exclusive permission to film his work. The result is remarkable and the film is particularly recommended for these reasons.