FILMGESPRÄCH: Die Möllner Briefe

In the organizer's words:

As part of the lecture series "right. extreme. dangerous."

In the presence of director Martina Priessner followed by a film discussion with Prof. Erik Winker (Mainz University of Applied Sciences)

In cooperation with the Journalism Seminar at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz and Time-based Media at Mainz University of Applied Sciences, as well as the State Agency for Civic Education and the Institute for Media Design at Mainz University of Applied Sciences

In November 1992, the racist arson attack in Mölln destroyed the lives of Ibrahim Arslan and his family. The then seven-year-old Ibrahim survived, but lost his sister, his cousin and his grandmother. The town of Mölln received hundreds of letters expressing solidarity, but no one took any notice of them for almost three decades. The film follows Ibrahim as he discovers these letters and meets three of their authors. At the same time, it paints a complex portrait of the ongoing trauma that continues to affect Ibrahim and his siblings to this day. Ibrahim has found a way to deal with the events by actively fighting against racism and advocating for a culture of remembrance that puts the victims at the center. His brother Namik, on the other hand, is still at the beginning of his journey of coping. The film not only sheds light on the experiences of the survivors, it also reveals the great solidarity that existed at the time - a solidarity that the victims were unaware of at the time. It builds a bridge between past and present and adopts a perspective of remembrance that gives the voices of those affected the space and recognition they deserve. (Berlinale)

Germany 2025, Director: Martina Priessner

From 12 years / 102 minutes