Heimat ist ein Raum aus Zeit

On screen, shots of contemporary Germany are intercut with a few archival images. Meanwhile, the filmmaker’s voice reads personal letters by members of his family, spanning more than a century. From world wars to the Shoah to the migrant crisis, the reality of divided Germany and its complicated reunification, Thomas Heise examines his country’s past as a way to understand its present. Private lives and socio-political upheavals become the essential links in an essay of uncommon scope, situating individual lives within the ideological movements of their time. A critical reflection on the resurgence of identity-driven nationalist movements, Heimat is personal and political in equal measure.

Presented in collaboration with German Films, The Goethe-Institut and Centre canadien d'études allemandes et européennes de l'Université de Montréal

Heimat Is a Space in Time