The Elias Canetti International Society, in collaboration with the Goethe-Institut Bulgaria, invites you to the opening of the “German Film Days”

The first film we will be presenting is:

“THE UNRECONCILED” (2021, 99 min.)

Director: Torsten Körner

Screenwriter: Torsten Körner

Cinematographers: Johannes Imdal, Claire Jan

“THE UNRECONCILED” tells the story of women in the Bonn Republic (Germany after 1949), who literally had to fight as true pioneers for their right to participate in democratic decision-making processes against men obsessed with success and officially intoxicated by their power. Unwavering, ambitious, and endlessly patient, they forged their own path and stood up against prejudice and gender discrimination. Politicians from that era speak today about those times. The memories are at once amusing and bitter, absurd and, at times, terrifyingly relevant.

“When I am powerless, I am defenseless,” declares Herta Döbler-Gmelin (SPD). “Power is a means of self-assertion.” Through their achievements during and after the war as “women of the ruins,” women had proven how tenaciously and independently they could work. But in the 1960s, the image of women was once again reduced entirely to the needs of men—to be beautiful for their husbands, to adore them, and to cook well—that was the motto constantly propagated through advertisements and films. “Politics was considered unfeminine,” says Ursula Menle (CSU).

“Gentlemen” is the standard form of address. If a woman does join, she is simply “a man in this circle.” Becoming a female minister is initially unthinkable, and becoming chancellor—a complete utopia. Male colleagues take it for granted that women will leave soon anyway. Ignoring, sarcastic comments, and smug smiles are the order of the day.

German documentary filmmaker and journalist Torsten Körner (director of the film „Angela Merkel: The Unexpected“) has succeeded in creating an emotionally moving chronicle of West German politics from the 1950s to its reunification with East Germany, interwoven with previously unseen archival footage. The footage he uncovers reveals a power that allows cinema to be rediscovered as a space of political self-assurance. A penetrating contemporary document that makes an undeniable contribution to the current debate.

Director Torsten Körner gives the floor to the young female politicians from the archival films or has them critically comment on their situation in retrospect—within the framework of various thematic rounds, whose titles take on a satirical tone. Thanks to the archival footage, he develops a clearly structured narrative of the history of German women in politics. The camera constantly hovers over empty halls, rows of chairs, and podiums, as if they were invitations for politicians. But the men take the seats…