“I can’t live without my children!” It is the cry of a desperate mother when Nina Kern, in her late 20s, has her three children taken away from her by a court order. They have been living in a children’s home for four months. The young mother is accused of “neglect” and an “anti-social lifestyle”. The court grants Nina one last chance, appointing a civil engineer and a teacher from her neighbourhood as her guarantors. Will Nina be able to prove herself a fit parent? For her portrayal of Nina, Katrin Sass won the Silver Bear for Best Actress at the 1982 Berlinale.
Bürgschaft für ein Jahr is being presented barrier-free for the first time in the cinema with German subtitles for the hearing impaired and audio description as part of the Heiner Carow Prize ceremony. The award, endowed with 5,000 euros, is presented by the DEFA Foundation and goes to a first or second, predominantly German documentary or feature film made by a filmmaker currently based and working in Germany. This year’s jury comprises Evelyn Schmidt (director), Cem Kaya (director) and Linda Söffker (DEFA Foundation).