Showing @ CCA, Glasgow, Sat 11 Oct only @ 16.30

Gertrud Schulte Westenberg, Matthian Coers / Germany / 2014 / 78 mins

Rising rent prices is a subject much bemoaned by many Londoners but it’s not just an issue for the behemoth-like UK capital. The conversion of affordable housing into luxury apartments or swanky brasseries is also creating huge problems for many of Berlin’s less-well-off citizens, as they are priced out of the properties and districts they call home. Gertrud Schulte Westenberg and Matthian Coers’ uplifting documentary gives voice to the multiple grassroots organisations who are challenging their government’s discriminatory policies.

The diverse cross-section of people affected by this issue is well documented as the film depicts the shared struggle of many different communities; from the elderly pensioners who face losing their much loved community centre to the Turkish-German population who set up an occupation to make their grievances publically known. While the film shows the struggle of these individual groups, it also depicts the macro perspective as they unify together to make the issue an unavoidably political one; through marches, meetings with politicians and protests against evictions.

There’s an empowering sense of solidarity for anyone who cannot afford their once affordable homes: nobody’s problems are too small. Modern technologies enable these disparate organisations to pool their resources and mobilise together against the state. Fighting the huge financial resources of international property investment companies is never easy, but these groups have found strength in numbers and even when the police come out in full force, the positive spirit of the movement transcends the oppressive actions of the powers that be.

Showing as part of the Document International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival 2014