On Wednesday, the Goethe-Institut Los Angeles teamed up with the University Art Museum, the Cal State University’s Department of Film and Electronic Art and the German Club to host a feature presentation of the German tragic comedy “Boxhagener Platz.
“Boxhagener Platz” is a film adaptation directed by Matti Geschonneck and written by Torsten Schulz, original author of the novel published in 2004.
The film takes place during a state of unrest in 1968 East Berlin. Student riots and the sexual revolution are raging in the west, Soviet tanks are mobilizing north in Prague and bad blood curdles between divided citizens and their post-war aftermath of mixed feelings.
Wednesday’s movie night was one of several events that the Goethe-Institut sponsored at CSULB in honor of the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Distinguished photojournalist Barbara Klemm’s “Light and Dark” gallery debuted on Sept. 6, capturing historic iconic imagery of the formerly divided nation, and it will continue to be on display in the UAM until the end of the semester.
Schulz attended the event, finishing the night off with an open floor for questions.
The Daily 49er caught up with him before the screening to ask a few questions of our own:
When there’s so much going on in this time period, why center the plot on grandma Otti and 12-year-old Holger?
Torsten Schulz: The main character from the film and the novel “Boxhagener Platz,” Holger, is in a way an alter ego of myself. There are many themes and pieces of my autobiography incorporated into the story. My grandmother played a large role in my childhood and in my life, which was typical for many at that time. In my generation, older generations played an important role in the family. During the time of the [German Democratic Republic], parents would be away at work, leaving a great amount of the responsibility for the upbringing of the youth to grandparents.
What was your favorite part of making the film “Boxhagener?”
TS: I had previously written the novel, but then needed to write the screenplay. It was very difficult to begin because, in writing the novel, the material was too familiar to me. I knew I had to find a new approach. This is why choosing the director [Matti Geschonneck] was very important. We had many discussions over what tonality the film should present. Also, the casting process was very interesting to me.
Did you have challenges with the film-adaptation process?
TS: The film had a lot to do with my childhood. I had to find a way to tell the story that would translate whether it be to audiences here in the USA, in South Africa, or in Moscow and so on. It especially had to be understood by those who did not grow up under the [German Democratic Republic]. Another difficulty was in creating something from my childhood having to avoid elements of a documentary. I had lived this story; I knew it better than anyone else, so I used my reality in service of fiction.
As a screenwriter, what are you working on now? Or are you focusing on other works?
TS: I am working on a new novel. It is also a story from my adolescence set in Berlin.