KAPUTT / BROKEN

KAPUTT / BROKEN (2016)

“The pain told me what time it was,” recalls Gabriele Stötzer. “We had no watches or anything.” Gabriele Stötzer and Birgit Willschütz were political inmates at Hoheneck Castle, the most notorious women’s prison in East Germany. Their story is one of overcrowded cells, despotic hierarchies, ruthless everydays, and the enduring effects of incarceration. Most of all, however, it is about the crushing pressure of forced labour. Prisoners at Hoheneck manufactured millions of pantyhose, bed sheets, and other products for West German retailers, bringing enormous profits to both sides of the Iron Curtain. Part of the young animadoc tradition, the seven-minute film pairs original audio interview extracts with abstract, monochrome animation.

“Broken” has won a Sundance Award for Shortfilm Animation.

Watch the full movie: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/27/opinion/broken-the-womens-prison-at-hoheneck.html