I Was a Witness

“Andreas Reiner told me about his plan to photograph people who had left the Jehovah’s Witnesses – and suggested that we develop a documentary film together. After he told me some of the stories, I knew immediately that I wanted to be part of it. It didn’t take long to convince my business partner and producer, Monika Agler, either.

From the outset, the question was: How do you make a film that does justice to this depth? After many discussions, we came to the conclusion that only one thing should take center stage: the protagonists themselves.

We deliberately rejected ideas for a classic home story or filming locations from the defectors’ pasts. These would have shifted the focus away from what was important to us: to give these people a space where they could really be heard.

The static camera was also a conscious decision. No effects, no distractions. Just closeness, calm, and full concentration on what was being said – even at the risk of this approach appearing ‘unspectacular’ in formal terms. For us, this was exactly the right way to go.”

Günter Moritz