Detlef

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There was a time in which the rainbow flag meant more than just the promise of a certain lifestyle. DETLEF takes us back into the turbulent days of the gay rights movement and illuminates an all but forgotten chapter in West-German history, a time of socio-political change during which the battle for fundamental rights for gays and lesbians was fought and won. Sixty-year-old Detlef Stoffel lives with his ninety-one-year-old mother, who is in need of constant care. Detlef, who has little choice in the matter, finds his living situation often restrictive, frustrating and challenging. He nonetheless readily invites us to examine his fascinating personal archive that reveals an eventful, moving, exciting and exhilarating time when it seemed that dreams were possible. Fellow-travellers and other contemporaries remember the atmosphere of hope that prevailed in 1972 when Stoffel founded the Bielefeld Gay Group IHB, took to the streets and advertised their cause – also somehow managing to run a gay organic food store. DETLEF provides a thoughtful, laconic and often sobering cinematic account of an era.

details

  • Runtime

    91 min
  • Country

    Germany
  • Year of Presentation

    2012
  • Year of Production

    2012
  • Director

    Stefan Westerwelle, Jan Rothstein
  • Cast

    Detlef Stoffel, Anneliese Stoffel, Corny Littmann, Gustav-Peter Wöhler, Lilo Wanders
  • Production Company

    Stefan Westerwelle
  • Berlinale Section

    Panorama
  • Berlinale Category

    Documentary Film

Biography Stefan Westerwelle

Stefan Westerwelle was born in Detmold in Germany in 1980 and studied film and television at the Academy of Media Arts in Cologne. He has worked as a freelance screenwriter and director since 2006. His film SOLANGE DU HIER BIST screened at Locarno in 2006 and DETLEF screened at the Berlinale Panorama in 2012.

Filmography Stefan Westerwelle

2006 Solange Du Hier Bist

Filmography Jan Rothstein

2013 Lose Your Head