"It began on 5 August 1961, in Gräfenhainichen, Saxony-Anhalt, in the GDR. That year, I went to visit my aunt in the Dänenstraße in East Berlin, just like I had many times before. And on this occasion, I went armed with an 8 mm camera (AK 8) which I had had for two years.
I was full of joyful anticipation of the large, wonderful city. With the camera I'd be able to capture a bit of Berlin on film and take it home with me. At that point, I didn't know what was about to happen. On Saturday, 12 August, I drove to West Berlin with my grandmother. We explored a couple of well-known places such as the Kurfürstendamm, Gedächtniskirche, Bahnhof Zoo and the Tempelhof airport.
For us East Germans, it was an amazing feeling to be allowed to film freely, without a permit, on the airport compound. Late that afternoon, we repaired back to the Eastern part of the city, unaware of what was secretly coming to pass with the city there.
When, on Sunday morning, the 13 August, I found out that the border had been closed, I realised that I'd recorded something on film that would be inaccessible to the majority of East German citizens for many years to come. At that point, I didn't know what I'd end up doing with this film material. Was it a blessing in disguise? Despite all the frustration and outrage, I was happy to have been in the right place at the right time at this historical moment. I drove to Berlin again on 7 October the same year; it was 'Republic Day'. I tried getting close to the border with my camera, and succeeded in doing so. That's how I, for example, managed to even film GDR border guards at the Brandenburg Gate, despite risking being taken into custody.
Now I had a framework to my film and I had in mind to complete it. And that's what I managed to do in 1989, when the Wall fell. I had experienced firsthand this great historical happening in colour, right up close in the heart of this joyously exultant crowd of people.
This private documentary was produced with music and a new national anthem as well as a politically critical and insightful commentary. Today, as a 67-year-old (I was 20 at the time), I am proud to have made a significant contribution to remembering the years of 1961 and 1989."
Hans-Joachim Werner
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