125 minutes / Color
/ English subtitles
Release: 2019
Copyright: 2018
A thrilling true story of one of the most spectacular escapes of the 20th century.
Coinciding with the 30th anniversary of Germany’s reunification, BALLOON is based on one of the most daring escapes of the Cold War, when two families living in Communist East Germany sailed over the heavily fortified border in a homemade hot-air balloon.
In the summer of 1979, the Strelzyk and Wetzel families—who had been working on their audacious plan for more than two years—try to flee East Germany in a homemade hot-air balloon. But after the balloon crashes just before the West German border, the Stasi find traces of the attempted escape and immediately launch an investigation. In a nerve-wracking race against the clock, the two families attempt to build a new balloon as the Stasi get closer and closer each day.
“Filmmaker Herbig and his team prove to be especially adept at contriving situations where anything anyone does causes fear, anxiety, stress and worry, leaving everyone, very much including the audience, existing on the knife’s edge of unremitting tension.” —Los Angeles Times
“Captures the paranoia and excitement of its time.” —The DC Line
“As spellbinding, taut and poignant as The Lives of Others. It will make you stand up and cheer!” —NYC Movie Guru
“It's all somewhat schematic and messy, a glossy portrait of tumultuous times. It's also quite entertaining, anchored by solid performances, and a contagiously well-meaning spirit.” —Film Threat
Select Accolades
In divided Germany, studies showed that East Germans enjoyed their sexual lives more than their West German counterparts. What could account for the difference?
André Meier | 2007 | 52 minutes | Color | English | English subtitles
2010 Academy Award Nominee, Best Documentary Short Subject. The history of the Berlin Wall from the rabbits' point-of-view.
Bartek Konopka and Piotr Roslowski | 2010 | 39 minutes | Color | English subtitles
A gripping and true story set in 1956 in East Germany of a group of students who saw their life changed forever by a harmless human act of solidarity during the early stage of the Cold War.
Lars Kraume | 2018 | 111 minutes | Color | English subtitles
