Jakob Werner

They call themselves Fancy Bear, Cozy Bear or Voodoo Bear. Elite units of the Russian secret services are hidden behind these code names. They are among the most dangerous hackers in the world. The bears were already in the computer of then-Chancellor Angela Merkel in 2015, interfered in the US election campaign in 2016 and are currently influencing the war in Ukraine. The makers of the successful YouTube channel “Simplicissimus” in co-production with funk and SWR are back and show the destructive potential of state hacking with this documentary. With the help of leading German hackers, cyberspace experts and a lot of humor, they delicately demystify the Russian bears: Who are the people behind them? How do they operate? And what makes them so incredibly dangerous?

When Otto Dov Kulka was 11 years old and had to start the death march from Auschwitz to Groß-Rosen, he saw a prisoner lying with a broken leg on the orders of the defendant Baretzki who then probably shot him. Unlike this unknown prisoner, Kulka managed to escape death. Nineteen years later, he testified alongside 210 other Auschwitz survivors against 20 indicted former SS officials, participating in a trial that confronted the German people with their past and gave voice to silence.

How does a woman deal with the hair that grows other than on her head? A young woman talks about her journey between first depilation attempts, recurring frustration and slowly, but steadily growing pride in her own body. With verve, humour and honesty, this short, animated documentary visualizes a subject that’s all too often hushed up or shaved off. Strong performance, great cinema!