Modern Ruins

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MODERN RUINS is a 5-part series about the disintegrating modern monuments witnessing rise and fall, economical boom, cracked dreams and utopias, structural and political changes and how nature reconquers living space.

Year

2013

Length

5x43/52 min

Directors

Reinhild Dettmer-Finke, Markus Reher, Kai Christiansen, Christiane von Schwind, Alice Agneskirchner

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The series Modern Ruins describes the dynamics of modern times, which is defined by the will for constant progress, but inevitably has to slow down. It highlights visually impressive ruins, which embody the major topics of the 20th and 21st century: social change and social struggle, colonization, globalization, mobility and the management of limited resources.

The series explores various places shaped by (economic) crisis around the globe, revealing that crisis was and is an inherent part of human history. It visualizes the concept of „Creative Construction“. The technical term „Creative Destruction“ is used in the economic sciences. It describes the downside of progress and globalization. Every economic development is built on constructive, respectively creative destruction. Old structures are replaced by more efficient solutions and innovations and finally demolished. Thus destruction is necessary and not a system failure, it enables reconstruction.

Visiting the bizarre landscapes of the different episodes, the series gives an insight into our contemporary culture and its complex developments on three different continents: in North America (Detroit), South America (Fordlândia in Brazil), Africa (Kolmanskop in Namibia) and Europe (the Norwegian Spitsbergen and the German Lohberg).

Written and Directed by
Christiane von Schwind (Fordlândia)
Alice Agneskirchner (Detroit)
Reinhild Dettmer-Finke (Namibia)
Markus Reher (Spitsbergen)
Kai Christiansen (Lohberg)

Idea & Concept By
Christian Beetz
Georg Tschurtschenthaler

Music
Eike Hosenfeld
Moritz Denis
Tim Stanzel

Sound Mix
Dominik Rätz

Color Grading
Vera Mewing

Graphic Artist
Susanne Radelhof

Production Management
Kathrin Isberner
Susanne Heinz
Nick Pastucha
Sarah Maret

Producer
Anahita Nazemi

Executive Producer
Christian Beetz

Commissioning Editors
Marita Hübinger
Caroline Auret

Modern Ruins
Trailer
  • „Just in diesem Moment überraschen uns die aus dem Theaterbereich stammenden jungen Regisseure Hans Block und Moritz Riesewieck mit einem erstaunlichen Dokumentarfilm, der seit Monaten Publikum und Kritik auf den wichtigsten Festivals der Welt elektrisiert. Völlig zu Recht: Es ist, als würden einem die Scheuklappen weggerissen, als sähe man das, was sich seit Jahren direkt vor unseren Augen abspielt, zum ersten Mal unverschleiert... eine fesselnde ,Doku noir' mit höchstem Anspruch...Dieser Film müsste an allen Schulen gezeigt werden.“
    Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
    17.05.2018

In co-production with

  • wdr

In co-production with

  • zdf

In collaboration with

  • arte

Supported by

  • media programme