This film screened 16th May 2018.

Dismayed by East German state bureaucracy, Dr Schmidt (Armin Mueller-Stahl) seeks the help of an underground faction to assist in his escape to the west.

Defection to the west was a taboo subject for GDR filmmakers, which makes Roland Gräf’s film all the more remarkable for addressing the topic head-on whilst being financed under the auspices of the state owned DEFA studios. Winner of the Grand Prix at the 1978 Karlovy Vary Film Festival, it was the last film Mueller-Stahl made in the East before moving to West Germany in 1980 and later to the US.

Screening as part of the Trust No One season, May 13th to 30th at the Irish Film Institute. Click for more info.