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It is based on a true story: When Khalil, a primary school teacher living in Berlin with his journalist girlfriend Leyla, gets hold of war images from his Kurdish hometown Cizre, he believes to have recognized his long-lost sister in the amateur material. His life starts slipping out of his hands when he tries to make contact with her via the Kurdish community. They ask him to make sure that the footage is placed in the German news landscape. However, broadcasters seem to show no interest in the material as other international conflicts promise more news value. It is only after Khalil and Leyla manipulate the footage that they get the media attention they wish to attract. But when the news about the conflict reach Khalil’s classroom, he realises that it is not only important to successfully compete in the field of media images, but protecting his own life in Berlin is vital.

Stille Post is a film about political and ethical values. Why is it that some wars are more reportable than others? Is it okay to manipulate images in order to attract public attention for the conflict?

We will show the film in a preview screening at the Volksbühne ahead of the official start on 15 December 2022; the screening is followed by a discussion:

A WAR OF IMAGES? Media coverage in the era of fake news and image manipulation

How do images of war have to look today in a context where expectations are mostly shaped by movie films? How does journalism respond to the fact that image manipulations are easy, yet checking the facts and identifying manipulations are too time-consuming and complex to fit in the fast-paced news cycle?