The Mölln Letters

Cinema-Documentary | DE (2025) | 96min

In November 1992, a racist arson attack in Mölln shattered the lives of İbrahim Arslan and his family. At just seven years old, İbrahim survived, but he lost his sister, his cousin and his grandmother. In the aftermath of the attacks, the city received hundreds of letters of solidarity which were ignored for nearly three decades. Woven into İbrahim’s poignant journey of discovery and his encounters with three letter writers, these rediscovered letters form a visual and emotional bridge between past and present. The film follows İbrahim and his siblings, painting a complex portrait of the lasting trauma that continues to affect them to this day. While İbrahim has found a way to cope by fighting against racism and advocating for a remembrance culture centred on the victims’ perspectives, his brother Namik is still at the beginning of his journey to come to terms with the traumatic experiences.

The film not only amplifies the perspectives of the victims and survivors but also uncovers the vibrant solidarity that once existed – a solidarity of which the victims and survivors were previously unaware. It offers a new perspective on remembrance – one that takes the voices of survivors and their experiences seriously and provides them with the space and recognition that they deserve.  (Berlinale)

Writer and Director: Martina Priessn3er
Editor: Maja Tennstedt
Camera: Ayşe Alacakaptan, Julia Geiss, Ute Freund, Anne Misselwitz
Sound: Bilge Bingül, Ludwig Fiedler
Music: Derya Yıldırım
Production: Friedemann Hottenbacher, Gregor Streiber
Produced by: inselfilm produktion

Funded by: Die Beauftragte der Bundesregierung für Kultur und Medien (BKM), Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg (MBB)
Distributer: RealFictionFilme

World Premiere 75th International Film Festival Berlin | Panorama

Cinema Release: 25.09.2025 (Deutschland)

Awards:
Panorama Audience Award 2025
Amnesty International Film Award Berlinale 2025
Roman Brodmann Award