IM OSTEN WAS NEUES
Germany 2025 – Director: Loraine Blumenthal – Original language: Chechnyan, Dari, English, German, Ukrainian – Subtitles: English – Length: 82 min.
What brings about a Damascene conversion? When he was younger, Thomas “Eichi” Eichstätt was an East German right-wing extremist thug. Today he volunteers as a football coach for stranded young people from around the world. He doesn’t have much left for himself; unfortunately the cash-strapped local municipality of Torgelow has no way of paying him for his valuable work. Daniel Sponsel
Content warning: this film deals with racist language and imagery.
Biography
Loraine Blumenthal studied documentary film at the University of Bristol. Since then she has worked in Berlin as a director, writer and producer with a strong eye for in-depth storytelling. Loraine is an alumna of the IDFAcademy.
Filmography (selection)
I SAW THE SIGN – BLACK LIVES MATTER, DE 2023, 24 min.
DER LANGE WEG DER M*STRAßE, DE 2020, 17 min.
THE MAYOR’S RACE, DE, UK 2018, 81 min.
Nominated for the DOK.deutsch Wettbewerb
Intense stories and the unusual on one's own doorstep: the competition presents films that deal with people and topics in German-speaking countries. The VIKTORIA DOK.deutsch Competition is endowed with 7,500 euros. The prize sponsor is Sky.
Nominated for the VFF Documentary Film Production Award
No youth rating
English/Original Title: CHANGING SIDES – EICHI AND THE FC PIO. Writer: Loraine Blumenthal. Camera: Anke Riester, Christian Trieloff. Sound: Ulli Menges, Philipp Lehner. Editing: Johannes Girke. Music: Philipp Krätzer. Production: inselfilm produktion. Producer: Gregor Streiber, Friedemann Hottenbacher.
