‘No topic is too difficult’: children’s series on life in communist East Germany wins an Emmy | Germany
The creators of a children’s television series about life in communist East Germany said they hoped it would spark interest in the region’s history after the series won an International Emmy award.
Auf Fritzis Spuren (Following Fritzi) tells the story of how a 12-year-old girl living in the eastern city of Leipzig experiences life in the east and the events that led to the fall of the Berlin Wall.
“This certainly shows that no subject is too difficult for children,” said lead actor Julian Janssen. “They are exactly the difficult issues that need to be addressed.”
The story is told by two animated avatars, Julian and Anna. Take a journey back in time to East Germany (German Democratic Republic), protests against the regime are increasing. During their journey, they encounter people who grew up during the communist era and tell their own stories about what it was like.
The six-episode animated series was honored in New York on Monday evening, making German film history as the first German children’s television program to receive an award in the Kids: Facts & Entertainment category. Critics praised the series for showing “how exciting history can be.”
Speaking after the ceremony in New York, co-director Ralf Kukula said: “We are completely stunned to have won with this topic. Political content for children is not usually the focus of such programs… We are thrilled that the story of a little girl from Leipzig experiencing the fall of communism has now reached New York and won a major award.”
He said the creators behind it had been working on it for 16 years. “We started this in 2009, and standing here now is truly an incredible feeling.”
Anke Lindemann, editor-in-chief of children’s and family programming at Central German Broadcasting (MDR), said she hoped this recognition would mean that the series would now be watched not only by a global audience, but also by a wider audience in Germany, where interpretations of East Germany often differ.
“When you come from East Germany and grew up there like I did, and you know that part of your childhood is being told through this production about what it’s like to kids today, that’s very special. Now that it’s arrived in New York, hopefully it means everyone will be talking about it from now on,” he said.
In the Footsteps of Fritzi, aimed at children aged 8-12 and their families, The Lives of Others and Farewell, Lenin! are successful productions that helped bring the experience of life in East Germany to a wider audience. It will follow films such as Deutschland 83 and Kleo, as well as TV thrillers.
The series cuts between different episodes of daily life, from the classroom to the coal mine to the punk scene, and moves between documentary scenes and fictional scenes, mixing cartoon and real-world footage.
The first chapter begins by explaining the official reason why East German authorities built the wall as an “anti-fascist” protective barrier, and hints at the dangers faced by those who dared to question this statement. It ends with the introduction of the secret police, the Stasi.
Kukula said that at a time when Germany finds itself deeply divided, any experience that reminds people of what they have in common is important.
“When adults and children watched the series together and conversations between generations emerged as a result, then we were really impressed,” he told German media.
The series reaches its climax in the dizzying days of the fall of the Berlin Wall and tells the story of the euphoria that followed. Kukula, who also wrote the script, said, “We wanted to show what it was like when Germany was the happiest country in the world.” “I think it’s very important that we can remember that again.”
