
22 Jan THE MOELLN LETTERS
Trailer
Press Screening Berlinale: THU, 30 January – 10:00 AM, CinemaxX 6
World Premiere: tba
Screenings: tba
Director Martina Priessner and main protagonist İbrahim Arslan are available for interviews.
THE MOELLN LETTERS (Die Möllner Briefe) by writer-director Martina Priessner is celebrating its world premiere at the International Film Festival Berlin 2025 in the Panorama section. The documentary by the award-winning director tells the stories of the victims and survivors of the racist arson attacks in Mölln, Germany, in 1992.
THE MOELLN LETTERS brings forth a new perspective on remembrance – one focused on the survivors‘ stories, ensuring they receive the space and recognition they deserve. Mölln was the first racist attack in reunified Germany killing three people: ten-year-old Yeliz Arslan, 14-year-old Ayşe Yılmaz, and 51-year-old Bahide Arslan, trying to save the two girls. Before, she managed to save her seven-year-old grandson İbrahim Arslan from the flames by wrapping him in wet cloths. Numerous people were injured.
SYNOPSIS
In November 1992, racist arson attacks in Mölln, Germany, devastated the lives of İbrahim Arslan and his family. The 7-year-old boy survived, but lost his sister, cousin, and grandmother to the tragedy. In the aftermath, the city received hundreds of letters of solidarity which went decades unnoticed. Interwoven with İbrahim’s poignant journey of rediscovery and his encounters with three of the letter writers, these long-forgotten messages create a powerful visual bridge between past and present. The film follows İbrahim and his siblings, portraying a complex picture of the lasting trauma that continues to shape their lives. By fighting racism and advocating for victims, İbrahim has found a way to channel his pain, while his brother Namık still struggles with the scars of the past.
THE MOELLN LETTERS not only amplifies the voices of survivors and victims, but also uncovers the hidden solidarity they were unaware of for years.
Martina Priessner studied Social and Cultural Sciences at Humboldt University in Berlin and works as an independent filmmaker and author in Berlin. Her documentary film debut, WIR SITZEN IM SÜDEN (ZDF/Das Kleine Fernsehspiel), premiered in 2010 in the national competition at the DOK Film Festival Leipzig and was nominated for the Grimme Prize in 2011. She has received scholarships from Nipkow, DEFA, Mercator, and the Tarabya Cultural Academy. During a five-year stay in Istanbul, she created the found- footage film EVERYDAY I’M CAPULING in 2013, which focused on the Gezi Park protests in Istanbul. As an IPC- Mercator Fellow, she produced the film 650 WÖRTER in Istanbul in 2015, which explores migration and language. Her documentary DIE WÄCHTERIN (The Guardian), developed with support from the BKM, premiered in October 2020 in the German Competition at DOK Leipzig and was awarded the Goethe Institute Documentary Film Prize.
THE MOELLN LETTERS is produced by inselfilm produktion, Germany. Supported by BKM and Medienboard Berlin-Bandenburg.
World sales are handled by New Docs.
The German cinema release is scheduled for early fall 2025 by Real Fiction.
96 min. / Germany 2025 / documentary
Production Company:
inselfilm produktion GmbH
Friedemann Hottenbacher
+49 (0)163 7812604
friedemann@inselfilm.de
www.inselfilm.de


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