Žałosći Nam Łužyca

For the first time aerial footage illustrates the extent of the devastation. Landscape designer Otto Rindt conjures up images of a lake district, whilst excavator operator and poet Gundermann questions the logic of the continuing depletion of resources and consumption in general. Man of letters Jurij Koch, whose support of the film in difficult times was later highlighted by director Rocha, reads from then unpublished manuscripts, placing the destruction of the local countryside, as well as of culture, in a global context: “and we are the ones who can define the nature of the fear that overcomes us when the historical end is near. For us it’s conceivable, we know what it means when something comes to an end. Thus we are able to describe the pain of an endangered people, from a first-hand perspective …”. The film, screening of which was blocked time and again, firstly by the GDR authorities and later by mining corporations, remains of disturbing relevance to this day. GL