Konrad Weiß

Docudrama telling the story of a building with a breath taking career that began in the empire, flourished in the Weimar Republic, perished in the Nazi dictatorship, and was rebuilt after its partial destruction.

For over a year, the film team accompanied an eighth grade class and interviewed the students about their first romantic relationships as well as their relationships to parents and teachers. The young people's comments are accompanied by scenes of their daily lives and songs written by director Konrad Weiß. The resulting documentary is a sensitive, emotional, and humorous portrait of early adolesence that also provides information and advice for teenagers.

During the Nazi era flames were used to burn books, homes and people. Flames were a response to resistance. With the help of source documents from the time Weiss sketches a character portrait of German fascism.