Frauen in Berlin

In long takes with few cuts, women talk about their lives. All the conversations are shot in interior rooms, attesting to trust and great candour. They talk about work, relationships, what’s left of the day, and families – which is naturally political. Chetna Vora began studying directing at the HFF Babelsberg in 1976. Frauen in Berlin would have been her first feature film; however, the HFF broke off production before it was finished, and the negative material was largely destroyed. What remains is a rough version that was secretly filmed on video beforehand, an invaluable and candid document, especially in this form.

• Chetna VoraDirector