Helke Sander facts for kids
Helke Sander (born January 31, 1937, in Berlin) is a German feminist filmmaker, writer, actor, and activist. She is well-known for her documentary films and her important role in the women's movement in Germany during the 1970s and 1980s.
Sander's films often focus on showing things in an experimental way, rather than just telling a straightforward story. She is seen as a key figure who helped start the "new" feminist movement in Germany. This began with a powerful speech she gave at the Socialist German Students Conference. Many of her works aim to show life from a female perspective and highlight the daily challenges women face.
In her essay "Feminists and Film (1977)", Helke Sander explained her reasons for making films. She believed that for women, being truly authentic meant breaking old rules and ways of doing things, especially in art. Her work often challenges traditional ideas and forms.
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Early Life and Education
Helke Sander was born in Berlin. She lived in Dresden during the terrible bombing of Dresden in World War II. By the time she finished high school, she had attended 15 different schools across Germany. She earned her high school diploma, called an Abitur, in Remscheid in 1957. After that, she studied acting in Hamburg.
In 1959, Sander married the Finnish writer Markku Lahtela. They had a son named Silvio. After Silvio was born, the family moved to Helsinki. There, Helke Sander studied German language and literature and psychology at the University of Helsinki. She also directed and acted in plays. She even taught classes on drama and improvisation. From 1966 to 1969, she studied at a new film school in Berlin, the 'Deutsche Film und Fernsehakademie'. Her film work is closely connected to her strong involvement in the feminist movement.
In 1965, Sander returned to West Germany. She worked at the German Film and Television Academy as a reporter and translator. She found it hard to support herself and her son, even though she worked a lot. This frustration led her to become active in the Socialist German Student Organization (SDS). In January 1968, she helped create the "Aktionsrat zur Befreiung der Frauen” (Action Council for the Liberation of Women). This group started the movement for Kinderläden, which were shops converted into childcare centers.
Career and Activism Highlights
Helke Sander continued her studies at the Berlin Film and Television Academy. She became one of the first students to graduate from this important institution. During this time, she was very active in the student movement. She also founded the "Action Council for the Liberation of Women" in 1968.
Starting the Women's Movement
In 1968, Sander gave a powerful speech at the SDS conference in Frankfurt. She explained how women often had to "adapt" to be accepted in society. She asked the SDS to support women's political goals. When the male members tried to ignore her request, Sigrid Rüger famously threw a tomato. This moment is often seen as the start of the second wave of the German women's movement.
In 1971, Helke Sander organized another women's group called 'Brot und Rosen' (Bread and Roses).
Feminist Film Initiatives
Together with Claudia von Aleman, Sander organized the 'Erste internationale Frauenfilmseminar' (First International Women's Film Seminar). This event took place in Berlin in 1973. It was the first European feminist film festival ever. The festival showed films by 40 different female filmmakers from Europe.
In 1974, she started Frauen und Film (Women and Film). This was the first feminist film journal in Europe. She was its chief editor and writer until 1982. Frauen und Film was the only journal of its kind in Europe at the time. It was a place to discuss and criticize sexism in movies and to talk about films made by women.
Important Films and Themes
Her first full-length film was "Die allseitig reduzierte Persönlichkeit – REDUPERS" (The All-Around Reduced Personality). This film is considered one of the most important German feminist films of the 1970s. It mixes documentary style with fictional storytelling. The movie follows a talented woman artist in Berlin. It shows the many demands she faces from society, highlighting the challenges women deal with in their jobs, finances, politics, and personal lives. This film helped create a "new filmic language" with its experimental style.
In 1984, Sander made a film called "Der Beginn aller Schrecken ist Liebe" (Love is the Beginning of All Terror). This was a satire about relationships between men and women, and Helke Sander herself starred in it. The story is about a man who comes between two women, showing a witty and ironic female viewpoint.
In 1989, Sander, along with Margarethe von Trotta, Christel Buschmann, and Helma Sanders-Brahms, produced a film called Felix.
Bericht aus Bonn (The Germans and their Men – Report from Bonn) was a documentary-fiction film from 1989. In this film, Sander explored how feminist ideas had changed Germany after twenty years of women's activism. She interviewed male politicians, government officials, the federal Chancellor, and everyday people.
Teaching and Recognition
Starting in 1981, Helke Sander was a professor at the Hochschule für bildende Künste (Academy of Fine Arts) in Hamburg. She taught there until 2001.
In 2003, the Arsenal Institute for Film and Video Art in Berlin honored Helke Sander. They showed a collection of all her films at their Arsenal Cinema.
Sander is also a writer. She wrote "Die Geschichten der drei Damen K" (The Three Women K). This book tells stories about the funny side of relationships from a female point of view.
In 2005, Sander made Mitten im Malestream (In the Midst of the Malestream). In this film, she looked back at the second wave of German feminism, which she helped start in 1968. The film explores the main questions and conflicts that still remain. This movie summarizes her entire career of activism. It also pushes the boundaries of experimental filmmaking.
Filmmaking Style: Filters and Themes
Helke Sander's films are known for her use of "filters." These filters are visual cues that remind the audience that what they are seeing is a specific point of view. Using filters draws attention to the film's documentary style and the ideas being shared. This helps the audience be aware of the message being delivered. Sander's use of filters helped start a new trend in experimental filmmaking. In this new style, the visual look of the film became as important as the story itself.
Redupers: The All-Round Reduced Personality (1977)
Redupers is a documentary about the Berlin Wall, which divided East and West Berlin. It also explores the main character's connection to the city. Helke Sander shows the central character, a woman, dealing with the political and personal challenges of being a woman during a time of unrest. Sander also focuses on the work of photographer Edda Chiemnyjewski. Many feminist thinkers believe that the Berlin Wall in Redupers represents not only a physical divide but also the differences between men and women.
The Subjective Factor (1980)
The Subjective Factor tells the story of how the women's movement and the student movement in Berlin began. It is set in a commune, a place where people live together and share responsibilities. The film touches on ideas about society without strict rules and some extreme actions. Sander's film shows that in this commune, Leftist men often made the decisions, while women were expected to do household chores and were not allowed to speak up.
The film takes place in the late 1960s. It combines fictional scenes with real newsreel footage. The use of filters in the film highlights its documentary nature and the specific viewpoints being presented. Sander's use of a female voice-over in The Subjective Factor was considered very modern filmmaking at the time.
Filmography
Director (30 titles)
- 2005: Mitten im Malestream [In Midst of the Malestream] (documentary)
- 2001: Village (TV documentary)
- 1998: Muttertier – Muttermensch [Animal Mother – Human Mother] (TV documentary)
- 1997: Dazlak
- 1992: BeFreier und BeFreite (documentary)
- 1989: Die Deutschen und ihre Männer – Bericht aus Bonn [The Germans and their Men – Report from Bonn] (TV documentary)
- 1989: Die Meisen von Frau S. (documentary short)
- 1988: Felix (segment "Muss ich aufpassen?")
- 1987: Nr. 5 – Aus Berichten der Wach- und Patrouillendienste (short)
- 1986: Nr. 8 – Aus Berichten der Wach- und Patrouillendienste (short)
- 1986: Seven Women, Seven Sins (segment "Völlerei? Füttern!")
- 1985: Nr. 1 – Aus Berichten der Wach- und Patrouillendienste (short)
- 1984: Der Beginn aller Schrecken ist Liebe [Love Is the Beginning of All Terror]
- 1983: Die Gedächtnislücke – Filmminiaturen über den alltäglichen Umgang mit Giften (documentary)
- 1981: Der subjektive Faktor [The Subjective Factor]
- 1981: Wie geht das Kamel durchs Nadelöhr? (documentary)
- 1978: The All-Around Reduced Personality – Outtakes (Die allseitig reduzierte Persönlichkeit – Redupers)
- 1973: Männerbünde (TV documentary)
- 1973: Macht die Pille frei? (TV documentary)
- 1971: Eine Prämie für Irene [A Reward for Irene] (TV film)
- 1970: Kinder sind keine Rinder [Children are Not Cattle] (documentary short)
- 1969: Das schwache Geschlecht muss stärker werden – Weibergeschichten (TV film)
- 1968: Die rote Fahne (documentary short)
- 1967/68: Brecht die Macht der Manipulateure! (documentary film)
- 1967: Silvo (documentary short)
- 1967: Subjektitüde (short)
- 1965: Naurukierukka (TV film)
- 1965: Skorpioni (TV film)
- 1965: Teatterituokio (TV series)
Awards and Recognition
In 1985, Helke Sander won the Golden Bear award for best short film. This was for her short film "Nr. 1 – Aus Berichten der Wach- und Patrouillendienste" at the Berlin International Film Festival. In 2003, the Arsenal Institute for Film and Video Art in Berlin honored Helke Sander. They showed a special collection of all her films at their Arsenal Cinema.
Writings
- Die Geschichten der drei Damen K., München : Frauenbuchverlag, ISBN: 3-88897-123-3
- Oh Lucy : Erzählung, 2. Aufl., München : Kunstmann, 1991, ISBN: 3-88897-044-X
See also
In Spanish: Helke Sander para niños
- Women's Cinema
