Synopsis
Günter Grass (1927-2015) belonged to Group 47 from 1957 and became an internationally respected author of post-war German literature with his debut novel "The Tin Drum" (1959). His central motivation was the loss of his homeland, Gdansk, and his confrontation with the National Socialist past, which is reflected in many of his works. In 1999 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. In 2011, Dagmar Wittmers looked over Günter Grass's shoulder as he worked with his printer Fritz Margull or met his sister Waltraut. In Behlendorf and Lübeck, Grass looked back on his years in Paris, family life in Berlin, his time at the side of Willy Brandt, whose speeches he edited. Friends such as the Israeli writer Amos Oz or publisher Klaus Wagenbach, the actress Katharina Thalbach and his daughter Helene gave their views on Grass the man and artist.
You might also like

A detailing of the rise to prominence and global sporting superstardom of six supremely talented young Manchester United football players (David Beckham, Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Phil and Gary Neville). The film covers the period 1992-1999, culminating in Manchester United's European Cup triumph.
The Class of ‘92

When Allied forces liberated the Nazi concentration camps in 1944-45, their terrible discoveries were recorded by army and newsreel cameramen, revealing for the first time the full horror of what had happened. Making use of British, Soviet and American footage, the Ministry of Information’s Sidney Bernstein (later founder of Granada Television) aimed to create a documentary that would provide lasting, undeniable evidence of the Nazis’ unspeakable crimes. He commissioned a wealth of British talent, including editor Stewart McAllister, writer and future cabinet minister Richard Crossman – and, as treatment advisor, his friend Alfred Hitchcock. Yet, despite initial support from the British and US Governments, the film was shelved, and only now, 70 years on, has it been restored and completed by Imperial War Museums under its original title "German Concentration Camps Factual Survey".
Night Will Fall

Ross McElwee sets out to make a documentary about the lingering effects of General Sherman's march of destruction through the South during the Civil War, but is continually sidetracked by women who come and go in his life, his recurring dreams of nuclear holocaust, and Burt Reynolds.
Sherman's March

Through deeply personal interviews with her siblings and an examination of the photographs, letters, and belongings left behind, Mariska assembles a new portrait of her mother Jayne Mansfield, an extraordinary and complex woman.
My Mom Jayne

A documentary focused on plastic pollution in the world's oceans.
A Plastic Ocean

A look at the origins, history and conspiracies behind the "Majestic 12", a clandestine group of military and corporate figureheads charged with reverse-engineering extraterrestrial technology.
Above Majestic

A dreamlike conversation with the past and the present, reimagining Latasha Harlins' story by excavating intimate memories shared by those who loved her.
A Love Song for Latasha

Alexander McQueen's rags-to-riches story is a modern-day fairy tale, laced with the gothic. Mirroring the savage beauty, boldness and vivacity of his design, this documentary is an intimate revelation of McQueen's own world, both tortured and inspired, which celebrates a radical and mesmerizing genius of profound influence.
McQueen

In the Realms of the Unreal is a documentary about the reclusive Chicago-based artist Henry Darger. Henry Darger was so reclusive that when he died his neighbors were surprised to find a 15,145-page manuscript along with hundreds of paintings depicting The Story of the Vivian Girls, in What is Known as the Realms of the Unreal, of the Glodeco-Angelinnian War Storm, Cased by the Child Slave Rebellion.
In the Realms of the Unreal

The film follows adventurer Jeff Johnson as he retraces the epic 1968 journey of his heroes Yvon Chouinard and Doug Tompkins to Patagonia.
180° South

A documentary on the life of John Lennon, with a focus on the time in his life when he transformed from a musician into an antiwar activist.
The U.S. vs. John Lennon

A documentary about ten very different lives connected by having appeared onscreen wearing masks or helmets in Star Wars.
Elstree 1976

A documentary about the life and films of director John Ford.
Directed by John Ford

In this documentary, recovering addict and amputee John Wood finds himself in a stranger-than-fiction battle to reclaim his mummified leg from Southern entrepreneur Shannon Whisnant, who found it in a grill he bought at an auction and believes it therefore to be his rightful property.
Finders Keepers

A documentary about how a dominant cultural and demographic institution both sustains their traditional activities and adapts to the digital revolution.
Ex Libris: The New York Public Library

A compilation of over 30 years of private home movie footage shot by Lithuanian-American avant-garde director Jonas Mekas, assembled by Mekas "purely by chance", without concern for chronological order.
As I Was Moving Ahead, Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty

Years spent recording footage of creatures from every corner of the globe is bound to produce a bit of drama. Here's a behind-the-scenes look.
Our Planet: Behind the Scenes

A visual montage portrait of our contemporary world dominated by globalized technology and violence.
Naqoyqatsi

Just two years away from turning 30, participants in Michael Apted's documentary series are facing serious questions of identity and purpose, wondering whether they've found their place in the world.
28 Up

Lyrical and powerfully personal essay film that reflects on the deaths of her husband Lou Reed, her mother, her beloved dog, and such diverse subjects as family memories, surveillance, and Buddhist teachings.