Present Perfect I: From the former Soviet Union to Germany

What should you do when close relatives base their thinking on Russian propaganda? And can someone born in Kyiv still speak Russian without aligning themselves with the Kremlin? Dmitrij Kapitelman addresses these questions in his new novel, Russian Specialties. A general store in Leipzig becomes a (trial) stage for the conflicts of our time. Dmitrij Kapitelman presents his book in conversation with author Erica Zingher.

(2023 / GER, UKR / 18 min) by Mila Zhluktenko and Daniel Asadi Faezi

For many refugees, former barracks are the first roof over their heads when they arrive in Germany. Ukrainian families who have been fleeing the Russian war of aggression since 2022 are also experiencing overlaps between traumatic history and the present, as the documentary “Waking Up in Silence” by Mila Zhluktenko and Daniel Asadi Faezi shows.

(2019 / GER, RUS / 7 min) by Dina Velikovskaya

The world is open to the younger generation and waiting to be explored. But can parents who are very concerned about stability and security let go? In her animated film “Ties,” Dina Velikovskaya searches for a visual language to describe the process of cutting the apron strings, which promises freedom but also brings pain.

(2020 / GER / 18 min) by Evgenia Gostrer

The migration experience of the 1990s connects a large part of the Jewish community in Germany. In “Kirschknochen”, Evgenia Gostrer uses clay animations and private 16mm film footage to explore her family's immigration history, which is also representative of the experience of many “quota refugees.”

(2020 / GER / 30 min) by Arkadij Khaet

How does one survive as a Jew in Germany, caught between violent anti-Semitism and oppressive philosemitism? Arkadij Khaets' short film “Masel Tov Cocktail” is an unsurpassed cinematic document of Jewish self-assertion beyond kitsch and stereotypes.

Following the film screenings, directors Mila Zhluktenko, Evgenia Gostrer, Arkadij Khaet, and author Dmitrij Kapitelman will talk with Erica Zingher about Jewish life in Germany and migration from the former Soviet Union.