Whispers of Freedom: Portraying the Story of the last person shot at the Berlin Wall (399)

Chris Gueffroy, was the last person to be shot dead at the Berlin Wall and a new short film called “Whispers of Freedom” portrays his story.

I speak with the film’s director Brandon Ashplant who shares the challenges of accurately portraying real individuals with deep personal histories.

Actors Cameron Ashplant (Chris) and Wendy Makkena (Karin) reflect on research they undertook to authentically represent life in East Germany.

The discussion also touches on the emotional impact of visiting key locations including Chris’s grave and the site of his death, and the delicate process of obtaining consent from his family to tell this story.

Episode extras https://coldwarconversations.com/episode399/

Where can I see the film?

There’s been various updates since we recorded. The trailer has been released and is available on the Golden Goat Films Facebook and Instagram pages (@goldengoatfilms). The World Premier is at the Sunderland Shorts Film Festival at 18:00 on Friday 16th May at the Omniplex, Sunderland. Cast and crew in attendance. So if you are in the area, do join them.

The Canadian premiere is in September at Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival (TINFF) - which makes the film Canadian Screen Award Qualifying, opening up its route to the Academy Awards (if we’re lucky enough!)

The Guernsey premier is on September 12th and the Berlin premiere is on October 2nd at the DDR Museum. The film will thereafter live at the museum, available for international tourists to watch on an ongoing basis.

The fight to preserve Cold War history continues and via a simple monthly donation, you will give me the ammunition to continue to preserve Cold War history.

You’ll become part of our community, get ad-free episodes, and get a sought-after CWC coaster as a thank you and you’ll bask in the warm glow of knowing you are helping to preserve Cold War history.

Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/

If a monthly contribution is not your cup of tea, we welcome one-off donations via the same link.

Find the ideal gift for the Cold War enthusiast in your life! Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/store/

Follow us on BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/coldwarpod.bsky.social

Follow us on Threads https://www.threads.net/@coldwarconversations

Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/ColdWarPod

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/coldwarpod/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/coldwarconversations/

Youtube https://youtube.com/@ColdWarConversations

Love history? Join Intohistory https://intohistory.com/coldwarpod

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices