Demmin Songs I

Hans-Jürgen Syberberg’s film project *Demminer Gesänge* explores memory, history, and the events that took place in Demmin in 1945. In 2000, Syberberg returned to his birthplace, Nossendorf in Vorpommern. In the neighboring town of Demmin, he initiated various projects. These films, “Demminer Gesänge,” emerged from this long-standing engagement, which he documents on his website. They explore the history and people of the town, as well as Syberberg’s interventions in an effort to revitalize the town—for example, through artistic and architectural proposals, such as the temporary reopening of a café on the market square. The goal was not to revive the past, but to give the town a new future. In the final part, *Nachtgesang* (Germany 2025), accompanied by the *Requiem*s of Mozart and Brahms, the names of those who perished in the rivers in 1945 are read aloud.

German Epic
Germany 2025 | 111 min.
Director: Hans-Jürgen Syberberg
Original German version