2014 appeared series "14 – Diaries of First World War" (time online was n a cooperation partner) according to an idea of producer Gunnar Dedio. Original recordings and staged scenes should not tell any new heroic stories, but rar give an auntic picture of horrors of war by means of real models. According to same principle, Dedio has now created a sequel with his screenwriter and show runners Jan Peter. The documentary drama series "War of Dreams" plays in period between first and Second World War and interweaves 13 individual fates this time.
Online Time: Mr. Dedio, several series and films are just talking about time between two world Wars, years 1918 to 1939: Babylon Berlin, Mackie Messer – Brecht's three-dime film and now also its eight-part series War of Dreams. What makes this time 100 years later so interesting for filmmakers?
Gunnar Dedio: I think time is so interesting because it has so frighteningly many parallels to today: fake news, terrorism, escape to extremes, fear of migrants, xenophobia.
Gunnar Dedio is a film producer and author. His main focus is on historical materials. For series "Then in GDR" he received Adolf-Grimme prize in 2005. 2014 ran his documentary drama series "14 – Diaries of First World War" on television and at numerous festivals. © Steffen Runkel/LOOKSfilmOnline Time: What did fake news look like between two world wars?
Dedio: At that time mass media had just emerged. The First World War had provoked a propaganda ministry and a propaganda industry. Press and film have been instrumentalized, and it has been permanently housed with exaggerated or even false messages to direct mood in a certain direction. In our social media presence on War of dreams we have collected headlines from this period. At some I think y are from today: "The US is closing against Europe", "radical change of course in Turkey", "Justice Scandal in USA", "USA Withdraw from peace treaty", "Vienna fights housing crisis" – but y are from Twenties and Thirties.
Online Time: From outset, was it your intention to show parallels between n and present to spectators?
Dedio: When we started project four years ago, we wanted to stir up Europeans. Let us learn from our common history! What we have achieved toger here in Europe is not a matter of course. It is worthwhile to fight for it and not – like our ancestors – to shed blood in fight against each or. Let us try to exploit resources that democracy gives us and not to flee to extremes.
Online Time: In recent years, many things have changed in Europe, but also in Germany.
Dedio: We have exactly situation that we also describe in series. All of a sudden mood in USA and now partly in Germany is tipped and "foreigners out" roars. The parallelism is already frightening.
Online Time: In War of Dreams one experiences details from postwar history that are probably unknown to a large audience: mutiny of sailors in Kiel, role of Cossacks in World War I, life of militant anarchist Marie-Jeanne Picqueray, Revolutionary beginnings of Vietnamese Nguyen Ai Quoc, later known as Ho Chi Minh. According to what criteria did you choose individual stories?
Date Of Update: 12 September 2018, 12:00
