Wat Neuet im Westen / Ruins

Wat Neuet im Westen (engl. ‘Ruins’) is a vivid documentary film about four artists and their memories of West Berlin’s idiosyncratic bar scene in the 1970s and 80s. While bartender and painter Jo Schmejkal delves into the depths of the underground, author Willi Gettél and painter Horst-Dieter Keitel provoke a press scandal, and video artist Knut Hoffmeister captures the scene with his Super 8 camera.

Director’s Biography – Daya Lavine Sieber, Anna Herrmann

Daya Lavine Sieber, born 1994 in Munich, studied art history, philosophy and media studies. During and after her master’s degree, she worked as a research assistant, freelance journalist, editor and in various cultural fields. Since 2021, she has been studying documentary film and television journalism at the University of Television and Film Munich and working for the Süddeutsche Zeitung. In her work as a filmmaker, she likes to focus on people with unusual life choices and how they engage with sub- and pop-cultural phenomena.

Anna Herrmann is an actress and artist from Berlin. Since the age of eleven, she has appeared in numerous films and television series. In 2014, she graduated from the Berlin University of the Arts with a degree in fine arts and later completed an acting training at the University of Music and Theatre in Leipzig. In her artistic work, she likes to combine different art forms in innovative ways.

The directors on their film

When we first heard Jo Schmejkal’s stories about the legendary bar ‘Ruine’ in West Berlin in the 70s and 80s, we were fascinated. These tales, full of wild energy and eccentric characters, opened a window into a time and place often overlooked in mainstream narratives. Our colleague Laurine Irmer introduced us to Jo Schmejkal, one of our protagonists, and accompanied us throughout our long research process, making a significant contribution to the script. What began as a fascination with one man’s memories soon developed into a vibrant mosaic of voices, memories and archive fragments from a vibrant but complex bar scene.

Daya Lavine has always been interested in uncovering hidden histories. In her previous film, ‘Sugar Tracks’, she explored Munich’s nightlife during the same period and was further fascinated by the untold stories of subcultural movements in German cities. For Anna, who grew up in Berlin, the city’s complex past and its colourful personalities have always been a source of inspiration.

Together, we wanted to piece together this puzzle – not only as a historical artefact, but as a reflection of the creativity and struggles of a generation shaped by the shadows of post-war Germany.

Daya Lavine Sieber: director, writer, producer
Anna Herrmann: director, writer
Laurine Irmer: writer
Liam Wölfer: producer
Luca Riedel: Producer
Hana Reintges: Cinematographer
Marian Marx: Editor

Project title (original language): Wat Neuet im Westen
Project type: Documentary, experimental, short, student project
Runtime: 30 minutes 43 seconds
Completion date: 31 October 2024
Country of origin: Germany
Country of shooting: Germany
Language: German
Shooting format: Digital
Aspect ratio: 1:1.66
Film colour: Colour
First-time filmmaker: No
Student project: Yes – University of Television and Film Munich