We need your help! Donate and #SAVESIDE
From Us to Me (2016) is a feature-length documentary by Amber Films that revisits the East German city of Rostock, reflecting on the profound changes experienced by its residents since the collapse of the German Democratic Republic (GDR).
In 1987, Amber Films gained unprecedented access to document everyday life in Rostock, focusing on workers from the state-owned fishing enterprise and a brigade of women crane operators at the Warnow shipyard. The resulting film, From Marks & Spencer to Marx and Engels, offered an unvarnished portrayal of GDR society, leading to enthusiastic audience responses and abrupt cancellations by authorities. It was broadcast on Channel 4 in the UK, alongside an 'exchange' film made on the Tyne by the East German film company DEFA.
Nearly three decades later, in 2013 and 2014, Amber Films returned to Rostock to reconnect with the original participants. From Us to Me captures these individuals as they reflect on their lives during the GDR era, the upheavals following reunification, and the personal transformations over the ensuing 25 years. The film offers intimate insights into their experiences, with one participant remarking, "We have waited 25 years for someone to come and ask us these questions."
The documentary stands as a poignant exploration of memory, identity, and resilience, shedding light on the human dimensions of political and social change in post-reunification Germany.
From Us to Me, was an Amber Films co-production with Moving Films.
