THE MOELLN LETTERS

SYNOPSIS

In November 1992, racist arson attacks in the German town of Mölln devastated the lives of İbrahim Arslan and his family. The 7-year-old boy survived the fire, but he tragically lost his sister, cousin, and grandmother. In the aftermath, the city received hundreds of letters of solidarity, which were archived and forgotten about for nearly three decades. Woven into İbrahim’s poignant journey of discovery 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 and offers a sensitive portrayal of the enduring trauma that still affects their lives today. By fighting racism and advocating for victims, İbrahim has found a way to channel his pain, while his brother Namık still struggles with the emotional scars of the past. The Moelln Letters not only amplify the voices of survivors and victims but also uncover long-forgotten letters expressing support and sympathy. This film brings forth a new perspective on remembrance — shifting the focus to the stories of the survivors and ensuring they receive the space and recognition they deserve.

DIRECTOR’S BIOGRAPHY

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, We sit in South, premiered in 2010 in the national competition at DOK Film Festival Leipzig and was nominated for the Grimme Prize in 2011. During a five-year stay in Turkey, she created the found footage film Everyday I’m Chapulling, which focused on the Gezi Park protests in Istanbul. As an IPC-Mercator Fellow, in 2015, she produced the film 650 Words in Istanbul, which explores migration and language. Her documentary The Guardian premiered in October 2020 in the German Competition at DOK Leipzig and was awarded the Goethe Institute Documentary Film Prize.

FESTIVALS AND AWARDS

Berlin (Panorama Audience Award; Amnesty International Film Prize), Thessaloniki, Munich

DESCRIPTION

THE MOELLN LETTERS (doc.)
DIRECTOR: Martina Priessner
COUNTRY: Germany
YEAR: 2025
RUNTIME: 96’
LANGUAGE: German, Turkish
CAST: Havva Arslan, Ibrahim Arslan, Namik Arslan, Yeliz Burhan
PRODUCTION: Inselfilm Produktion

8. 11. u 17č DKC