The film follows the explosive development of two cities on two different continents and its effects on the people living there.
These two very different cities – Bochum in Germany’s Ruhr region and Detroit in the US Rust Belt – have something very important in common: both Detroit and Bochum were very much shaped by the automobile industry. And both the beginning and the end of Bochum’s auto industry can be traced to Detroit.
Following the end of the industrial age, people on both sides of the globe are searching to find a new identity. The audience is introduced not only to the residents affected by these developments and their realities defined by these but also to the active players – planners, scientists, and politicians – in the transformation, all announcing promises and visions for a future that is more than uncertain. Despite all their differences, the residents of Bochum and Detroit are connected by their desire for a dignified and happy life. This cinematic journey through the two cities becomes a journey into the hearts of their people.
We Are All Detroit – What Stays and What Disappears
Ulrike Franke, Michael Loeken
Born in 1970 in Dortmund. Studied theater, film and television studies, Romance studies, and art history at the University of Cologne. Active as writer, producer, director, and professor.
1998 UND VOR MIR DIE STERNE... – DAS LEBEN DER SCHLAGERSÄNGERIN RENATE KERN (Co-Regie), Dokumentarfilm
2001 HERR SCHMIDT UND HERR FRIEDRICH (Co-Regie), dokumentarischer Fernsehfilm SOLDATENGLÜCK UND GOTTES SEGEN (Co-Regie), TV-Dokumentarfilm
2002 DIE REISE ZU DEN WALEN... UND ANDERE KINDERTRÄUME (Co-Regie), TV-Dokumentarfilm
2005 LEBEN NACH DEM ABSCHIED - WENN DER TOD UNS SCHEIDET (Co-Regie), TV-Dokumentarfilm
LOSERS AND WINNERS (Co-Regie), Dokumentarfilm
2010 MARK CONSTANTINE – DER LUSH-GRÜNDER (Co-Regie), TV-Dokumentarfilm
2012 ARBEIT, HEIMAT, OPEL (Co-Regie), TV-Dokumentarfilm WIR OPELANER (Co-Regie), TV-Dokumentarfilm
2014 GÖTTLICHE LAGE (Co-Regie), Dokumentarfilm
2021 WE ARE ALL DETROIT - VOM BLEIBEN UND VERSCHWINDEN, Dokumentarfilm HOF 202
Born in 1954 in Neviges. Studied theater, film, and television studies in Cologne. Worked as a sound engineer. Active as writer, producer, and director.
1998 UND VOR MIR DIE STERNE... – DAS LEBEN DER SCHLAGERSÄNGERIN RENATE KERN (Co-Regie), Dokumentarfilm
2001 HERR SCHMIDT UND HERR FRIEDRICH (Co-Regie), dokumentarischer Fernsehfilm SOLDATENGLÜCK UND GOTTES SEGEN (Co-Regie), TV-Dokumentarfilm
2002 DIE REISE ZU DEN WALEN... UND ANDERE KINDERTRÄUME (Co-Regie), TV-Dokumentarfilm
2005 LEBEN NACH DEM ABSCHIED - WENN DER TOD UNS SCHEIDET (Co-Regie), TV-Dokumentarfilm
LOSERS AND WINNERS (Co-Regie), Dokumentarfilm
2010 MARK CONSTANTINE – DER LUSH-GRÜNDER (Co-Regie), TV-Dokumentarfilm
2012 ARBEIT, HEIMAT, OPEL (Co-Regie), TV-Dokumentarfilm WIR OPELANER (Co-Regie), TV-Dokumentarfilm
2014 GÖTTLICHE LAGE (Co-Regie), Dokumentarfilm
2021 WE ARE ALL DETROIT - VOM BLEIBEN UND VERSCHWINDEN, Dokumentarfilm HOF 202