A German Life

Name: A German Life
Director: Cristian Krones
Released: 2016

Cristian Krones 2016

Although Brunhilde Pomsel always described herself as just being a side-line figure and not at all interested in politics, she nevertheless got closer to one of the worst criminals in world history than anyone else presently alive. Today aged 105, Pomsel used to work as secretary, stenographer and typist for the Nazi Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels. Brunhilde Pomsel’s life mirrors the major historical ruptures of the 20th century and German life thereafter. Nowadays, many people presume that the dangers of war and fascism have long been overcome. Brunhilde Pomsel makes it clear that this is certainly not the case.

Add to Playlist

Add Bookmark

Bookmark List

Play Trailer

Running Time:

113 min.

Spoken Languages:

German

Subtitles:

English

Directors:

Cristian Krones

Producers:

Blackbox Film & Medienproduktion GmbH

Cinematographers:

Frank van Vught, Davor Marinkovic

Editors:

Christian Kermer

Production Companies:

Blackbox Film & Medienproduktion GmbH

Press

The Guardian

Pomsel is giving one of the first, and last, in-depth interviews of her life. Often, end-of-life statements such as these are suffused with a sense of guilt. But Pomsel is unrepentant.
The Huffington Post

A German Life is a contrapuntal fugue between official images and a personal voice.
Haaretz

Her story sheds light on human nature, especially under a dictatorship.
The Film Prospector

A German Life is an extraordinary, timeless and essential masterpiece in documentary filmmaking. In fact, A German Life is also a very timely film as the analogy with todays events is inevitable.
The Times

A tiny, frail woman with a remarkable memory and a keen interest in current affairs, she delivered a warning from history to the politicians and voters of today. “It seems like Europe is collapsing and everything is fracturing again.”

Festival Participation

Visions du Réel - 2016
Jerusalem Film Festival - 2016
DMZ International Documentary Film Festival - 2016
Doclisboa - 2016
Doc Buenos Aires - 2016
UK Jewish Film Festival - 2016
DocPoint - 2017
Millennium Docs Against Gravity - 2017

Additional Materials

Distribution Company

Back to Film Summary

This Week’s Featured Films

An investigative journalist uncovers the money, influence, and alarming rationale behind covert efforts to control the most vital resource on the planet in the latest exposé from filmmaker Gabriela Cowperthwaite (Blackfish)
The road to eliminating poverty begins with her
Israel's military service is questioned through the experiences of young Israelis struggling with enlistment pressures. Innocence uncovers the personal cost of conforming, with lost lives and haunting diaries illustrating the impact of military duty on young souls.
Fresh from their Nobel Prize win, mRNA pioneers race against time to develop new cures for cancer, HIV, and other deadly diseases, in this gripping documentary.
How did we come to this moment, where free speech issues have never felt more complicated and urgent, and where the nation is wondering a new: what price are we willing to pay for free speech?
Let us tell you a story about the boundary pushers who shape souls and give children strange dreams. The stars of STORY & PICTURES BY are picture book creators changing the narrative for the next generation, even when their own lives are not fairytales.
After speaking out on his torture, Bahraini footballer Hakeem al-Araibi faces arrest on his honeymoon, igniting a campaign to save him from extradition. The story follows his rescue led by Australian activists, pitting justice against political and royal pressures.
A political thriller that that goes inside the U.S. fundamentalist Evangelicals, revealing their power and influence on U.S. foreign policy, as they aim to fulfill the Armageddon prophecy and ultimately destroy our civilization
A one-hour documentary that delves into the science of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and the birth of a new movement to treat and prevent toxic stress