“This movie  is my first attempt to provide a brief introduction to the German  period – from July 1944 to October 1949 – of my life. Using original photos of that period, and film / video footage from 1971 and 1993, I revisit Elmshorn, Flensburg, Wiesbaden and Kassel where I spent years of my life, first as a forced laborer in a war prisoners' camp, and later in displaced persons' camp. The soundtrack consists of brief excerpts from my diaries of the period, current reflections, and passages from the writings of Wolfgang Borchert.” (Jonas Mekas)

 

About the director:
 

Jonas Mekas (born in 1922) is the most important and influential Lithuanian filmmaker. His journey, beginning in a small Lithuanian town called Semeniškės, continues all over the world. Coming to the USA in 1949 with his brother Adolfas, he borrowed money for his first 16 mm “Bolex” filming camera after two weeks. And thus began a great creative voyage – Mekas’ films have travelled all over the world and have already inspired generations of filmmakers. Having worked with such artists as Jurgis Mačiūnas, Yoko Ono, Andy Warhol and John Lennon in New York, Mekas was being called the Godfather of American avantgarde cinema even in those early days. Having recently started creating visual installations, the director is also a former editor of numerous magazines and has published poetry, prose and fairy-tale books.