In August 2024, attentive observers in Friedensau were able to spot film crews lugging around large microphones and other filming equipment, lining up in groups to shoot scenes with actors and extras dressed in historical costumes. These scenes depicted significant historical events from Friedensau's history. We are talking about the film on Friedensau that is currently in production, "Echo of Faith."
There are various films about Friedensau. The oldest surviving footage is a promotional film from 1935 that Friedemann Mahlhus, the former head of the Friedensau media department, secured decades ago, and which—later supplemented with explanatory words by Gottfried Donat—gives an impression of Friedensau about 90 years ago.
In recent years and decades, too, MDR film crews have been on site from time to time, reporting on events at the university or on campus, in short or longer sequences. A "docudrama" that deals with the history and stories of the town of Friedensau is now in production. The basis of the film "Echo of Faith" is the book by Wolfgang Hartlapp, "Wanderer, come to Friedensau...", from 2009. Lecturer and church historian Dr. Johannes Hartlapp wrote the screenplay. The film was produced by Friedensau-Media under the direction of Matheus Volanin and Matthias Reischel; the latter is the director of various ARD series.
The majority of you, dear readers, know Friedensau. Many were part of the school or were university students at one time. The view and perspective of the place is usually based on personal experience. This was also the case when filming the drama.
Theology student Wieland Gelke had the opportunity to take part in the filming of "Echo of Faith". This experience impressed him and other amateur actors from Friedensau. He describes his impressions on set: "It is tense silence. Everyone stands rigidly and waits for the signal: 'Action!' And then it starts immediately. I am standing opposite two sinister figures whose clothing and demeanor are tailor-made National Socialists. Everything about them intimidates me and makes me feel uneasy. ... I feel the pain and powerlessness, I get smaller and smaller inside and still try to keep my friendly but slightly distant and shy manner. Then, all of a sudden, the call comes: 'Thank you, and that's it!' and everyone stands there as if transformed. The grim expressions disappear and the Nazis who had just been so nasty become very friendly and likeable people...”
He continued, “For me, as a layperson, it is a completely new and overwhelming experience: the costumes, the makeup, the props, and the set are designed with loving details. Together with the wonderful performance of the actors, it is very easy to immerse yourself in your role and the time. As the managing director of Friedensau Seminary, I [as Otto Vogel] am faced with a political authority figure that wants to intimidate me and take over our buildings. It's all just an act, but the emotions are real, nonetheless. I feel the discomfort, the helplessness, and the pain that the representatives of the university must have felt in that situation. I am deeply moved to know that they remained strong back then, relied on God, and saved our Friedensau from far worse."
Karola Vierus, who has lived in Friedensau for more than 45 years, as well as studied and worked here, also has her own scene. She plays—with no doubt what her role could be—an organ player. This is how she experienced filming in the Friedensau chapel: "I found that everything was very professional and well-organized. ... they only struggled with the fluorescent tube above the music stand of the organ, which was too bright: it was first taped over with light paper and then with dark paper, so that reading the music was a bit tiring. I found the little group that represented the churchgoers in the gallery very funny: in the special GDR fashion of the 1980s, in beige and mouse gray... they sat there concentrating. That amused me a lot.”
Other filming locations were an old Latin school in Gernrode (Harz), the traditional Kleinbahn association in Magdeburgerforth—because the Pabsdorf-Friedensau train station no longer exists today—and the New School, in a classroom that had been converted into an office. Interviews were also held with Dieter Leutert (in Potsdam), Wolfgang Kabus (in Augsburg), and Bernhard Oestreich (in Friedensau), which will be included in the docudrama.
The necessary post-production work is currently underway, including editing the film, optimizing the soundtracks, and so on. Thanks go to everyone who was involved in this film, who acted in it, or donated to finance it. The film premiere is scheduled to take place in spring 2025. It will be exciting for all of us to see what has become of this project. I'm really looking forward to it!
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