The film travels back in time through the underground of the GDR until its demise. A punk documentary about the life and death of the GDR punk Dieter “Otze” Ehrlich and his band “Schleimkeim”. With the fall of the wall, Otze not only loses his enemies, but also his life at the cost of freedom.

Cast

Abse

Speiche

Spinne

Lippe

Hagen

Cabi

Höhnie

Wolfgang Musigmann

Pankow

Basti

Steffen

Geralf

Schleimkeim - Otze und die DDR von unten - Poster 1 — Schleimkeim - Otze and the GDR from under ground

Jan Heck

Documentary

Production Country / Year: Germany 2023

Language: de. OF mit en. UT

Format: DCP, Color, 96min
1.85:1, Stereo PCM

Original Title: Schleimkeim - Otze und die DDR von unten

Director & Crew

Heck 1 — Jan Heck

Born in 1991 in Balingen. Studied Motion Pictures at the Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences. Worked as a cinematographer and editor. Studied Time-Based Media in Mainz. Active as a director and guitarist in a punk band.

Filmography

2001 MOOSGRÜN, Kurzfilm

2013 DER KÖNIG DER STADT, Kurzfilm

2016 ASSIS!, Kurzfilm

2017 ÜBERS WASSER, Kurzfilm

2022 CHAOS COMEDY CLUB, TV-Serie

2023 SCHLEIMKEIM – OTZE UND DIE DDR VON UNTEN, Dokumentar-Spielfilm HOF 2023

“I got the idea to make a documentary about the GDR punk band Schleimkeim when I realized that there was no film, TV report or other moving images about the band’s incredible story. Since I knew about Otze Ehrlich and Schleimkeim and couldn’t believe that it hadn’t been told in a cinematic way yet, the thought formed in my head, ‘I have to do this.’

This film was not only to convey the heroic journey Otze lived through, which ended in tragedy, but also to depict the GDR punk scene. Above all, it was to be told by all those who had experienced it themselves. That’s why I chose the documentary form and used all the stylistic means of punk, especially in the editing and during the shooting. The film had to be loud, fast, dirty and colorful. It had to be DIY anyway. After a long search, I was able to uncover real treasures of archive material, which I used to complete the editing. So, over four years’ work, this documentary came into being, and I am very proud of it.”

Jan Heck

Writer: Jan Heck
Director of Photography: Fabian Weber; Jonas Eichhorn; Robert Schulzmann; Robert Franz; Martin Kadel; Gabriel Sahm; Johanna Amberg; Matea Buzuk; David Schütz
Editor: Jan Heck
Sound: Marian Mierzwa-Hofmann; Benedikt Gaussling; Perschya Chehrazi; Marc Göbel
Sound Designer: Marian Mierzwa-Hofmann
Music Composer: Marian Mierzwa-Hofmann
Producer: Jan Heck