UK premiere
Saturday 6 February at 6.30pm
Germany, 2009
Directors: Pagonis Pagonakis and Susanne Jäger
Producer: Gerhard Schmidt
Language: German with English subtitles
Duration: 85′
A black migrant travels through Germany to find out how accepting people are of him. What no one knows is that this man is Germany’s legendary investigative journalist Günter Wallraff.
For a year he travelled – with perfect make up and a hidden camera – around the country to experience how Germans treat their fellow black citizens. Wallraff mingles with football fans, allotment holders and country fete visitors. Always nice and polite ‘Kwami’ experiences how harsh and rude people can be.
Whether house hunting, getting a shooting licence, on a boat-tour or on a Berlin tram, the black German is greeted with ignorance and hostility, when he is only trying to make a living.
But there are some situaions that give hope – just when you least expect them.
Q&A
After the screening, director, Pagonis Pagonakis, discussed how the team approached covert filming and the preparation for impersonation as an investigative technique.
further information
Schwarz auf Weiss – the film site (German)
The Times Online – Günter Wallraff Film Black on White ExposesCasual Racism in Germany
Find out more about Film Week 2010
The cij would like to thank the Lorana Sullivan Foundation for supporting the event.