The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum
or: how violence develops and where it can lead / after the novel by Heinrich Böll
Marguerre-Saal
[recommended for ages 16 and up]
A young woman meets a man at a party. They spend the night together. In the morning, he is gone, but the police are at her door. She is accused of having abetted a wanted terrorist. Katharina Blum is interrogated in a humiliating manner, and there ensues a rapid dynamic that exposes her to condemnation. The tabloids get a hold of the story and make the most of it – she is staged as the real culprit and her life is destroyed with lasting effect as the media pay no heed to either the presumption of innocence or her privacy.
A good half century after Heinrich Böll sought to castigate the power of the media with his novel, our society is menaced by trolling, hatespeech and cyberbullying. How does this form of violence develop – and what do we do against it?
This production is accompanied by a programme from the Arts & Education team.
Listen to an introduction in German by Lene Grösch here.
Trailer by Siegersbusch Film