Iris Gusner
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Iris Gusner (born
Trautenau Trutnov (; ) is a town in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 30,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument zones, urban monument zone ...
16 January 1941) is a German
film director A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that Goal, vision. The director has a key role ...
and
screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...
.


Life

Gusner's father, Hans Walter Beyer, was a council official who was killed in the
war War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...
. She took her name from her mother, who worked as a secretary. Her first few years were spent growing up in
Upper Silesia Upper Silesia ( ; ; ; ; Silesian German: ; ) is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia, located today mostly in Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic. The area is predominantly known for its heav ...
, but in 1945 her family was among the millions of
Germans Germans (, ) are the natives or inhabitants of Germany, or sometimes more broadly any people who are of German descent or native speakers of the German language. The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, constitution of Germany, imple ...
forcibly relocated further west. She ended up in
Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...
, by now in the
Soviet occupation zone The Soviet occupation zone in Germany ( or , ; ) was an area of Germany that was occupied by the Soviet Union as a communist area, established as a result of the Potsdam Agreement on 2 August 1945. On 7 October 1949 the German Democratic Republ ...
of what remained of Germany. She attended school in
Markkleeberg Markkleeberg () is an affluent suburb of Leipzig, located in the Leipzig district of the Free State of Saxony, Germany. The river Pleiße runs through the city, which borders Leipzig to the north and to the west. Markkleeberg is known to be th ...
, a short distance to the south of the city. After passing her final school exams in 1959 she undertook a one-year practical training as a sorter at the wood processing plant in Wiederitzsch (Leipzig). By this time the Soviet occupation zone had become the stand-alone
German Democratic Republic East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...
, politically separate both from the former US, British and French occupation zones, which together now comprised the
German Federal Republic BRD ( ; English: FRG/Federal Republic of Germany) is an unofficial abbreviation for the Federal Republic of Germany, informally known in English as West Germany until 1990, and just Germany since reunification. It was occasionally used in the Fede ...
, and from those parts of Germany to the east of the country's new eastern frontier agreed in 1945 at Potsdam conference, most of which were now incorporated within the redrawn frontiers of
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
or the
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
. Gusner sat and passed the entrance exam to join the
film directing A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that vision. The director has a key role in ch ...
course at the Film Academy at the
Babelsberg Babelsberg () is the largest quarter of Potsdam, the capital city of the German state of Brandenburg. The neighbourhood is named after a small hill on the Havel river. It is the location of Babelsberg Palace and Park, part of the Palaces and Park ...
district of
Potsdam Potsdam () is the capital and largest city of the Germany, German States of Germany, state of Brandenburg. It is part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. Potsdam sits on the Havel, River Havel, a tributary of the Elbe, downstream of B ...
, but in October 1960 she was selected and sent for further training in the
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
. Between 1961 and 1967 she studied at the Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography (VGIK / Всероссийский государственный университет кинематографии имени С.А.Герасимова) in
Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
where her teachers included
Mikhail Romm Mikhail Ilyich Romm (; – 1 November 1971) was a Soviet film director, screenwriter and pedagogue. He was named People's Artist of the USSR in 1950. Life and career Early life He was born in Irkutsk into a family of mixed Russian Jewish ...
. In Moscow her first daughter was born. She received her "Short Film Diploma" for a film entitled "The Insurance Agent".
Filmography
* 1967: Der Versicherungsagent (''Strachowoj agent'') * 1973/90: Die Taube auf dem Dach * 1974: Was halten Sie von Leuten, die malen * 1976: Man nennt mich jetzt Mimi… * 1976:
Das blaue Licht ''The Blue Light'' () is a black-and-white 1932 film directed by Leni Riefenstahl and written by Béla Balázs with uncredited scripting by Carl Mayer. In Riefenstahl's film version, the witch, Junta, played by Riefenstahl, is intended to be a ...
* 1978: Einer muß die Leiche sein * 1980: Alle meine Mädchen * 1981: Wäre die Erde nicht rund * 1984: Kaskade rückwärts * 1988: Ich liebe dich – April! April! * 1993: Sommerliebe


Career

In 1970 she took a job in Berlin with
DEFA DEFA (''Deutsche Film-Aktiengesellschaft'') was the state-owned film studio of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) throughout the country's existence. Since 2019, DEFA's film heritage has been made accessible and licensable on the PR ...
, the East German state-owned film studio. Her first assignment involved working as a
production assistant A production assistant, also known as a PA, is a member of the film crew and is a job title used in filmmaking and television for a person responsible for various aspects of a production. The job of a PA can vary greatly depending on the budget ...
on
Konrad Wolf Konrad Wolf (20 October 1925 – 7 March 1982) was an East Germany, East German film director. He was the son of writer, doctor and diplomat Friedrich Wolf (writer), Friedrich Wolf, and the younger brother of Stasi spymaster Markus Wolf. "Koni" ...
's film, "
Goya or the Hard Way to Enlightenment ''Goya or the Hard Way to Enlightenment'' () is a 1971 East German drama film directed by Konrad Wolf. It was entered into the 7th Moscow International Film Festival where it won a Special Prize. It is based on a novel with the same title by Lio ...
" (1971). In 1972, Gusner began directing feature films for DEFA Films, where she continued to work for many years. Her own first film, " The Dove on the Roof" (1973) was not released for general viewing in the German Democratic Republic and the original footage was destroyed at the studio. It was not till 1990 that a black and white version could be released, despite that the original film was in color. In 2010 a reconstructed version of the original 1973 film appeared, derived from a working copy that had survived the official destruction. The film concerns a professionally successful young female engineer from
Mecklenburg Mecklenburg (; ) is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The largest cities of the region are Rostock, Schwerin, Neubrandenburg, Wismar and Güstrow. ...
called Linda Hinrichs in search of fulfillment in her private life (played by
Heidemarie Wenzel Heidemarie is a given name. Notable people with the name include: * Heidemarie Bártová (born 1965), female diver from the Czech Republic * Heidemarie Cammerlander (born 1942), Austrian politician (The Greens) * Heidemarie Fuentes, American actr ...
), and her evolving relationships with two contrasting men. It paints an unflattering portrait of the world of work which may explain the adverse reaction of the East German authorities. It is difficult to assess this particular film because of how late it was released due to its controversy. There is not much written about Gusner's films, nor have they been distributed outside of Germany. She was involved in 1973 with a film, "
Bear Ye One Another's Burden ''Bear Ye One Another's Burden'' () is a 1988 East German drama film directed by Lothar Warneke. It was entered into the 38th Berlin International Film Festival, where Manfred Möck and Jörg Pose won the Silver Bear for Best Actor The S ...
" based on an autobiographical part of a novel by Wolfgang Held, but Gusner was evidently not trusted to see the film through to completion, although an officially acceptable version of the film did eventually appear in 1987, directed and apparently re-scripted by
Lothar Warneke Lothar Warneke (15 September 1936 – 5 June 2005) was a German film director, screenwriter and actor. His 1977 film ''The Incorrigible Barbara'' was entered into the 10th Moscow International Film Festival. His 1981 film ''Our Short Life'' ...
, and was well received. 1976 saw her production of "
The Blue Lamp ''The Blue Lamp'' is a 1950 British police procedural film directed by Basil Dearden and starring Jack Warner as PC Dixon, Jimmy Hanley as newcomer PC Mitchell, and Dirk Bogarde as criminal Tom Riley. The title refers to the blue lamps that ...
", based on a story from the
Brothers Grimm The Brothers Grimm ( or ), Jacob Grimm, Jacob (1785–1863) and Wilhelm Grimm, Wilhelm (1786–1859), were Germans, German academics who together collected and published folklore. The brothers are among the best-known storytellers of Oral tradit ...
. This film was passed for general release. Her 1980 film, " All My Girls" chimed better with the official mood and is considered Gusner's most successful film. It is an up-beat portrayal of the interactions of six young women who work together in a factory making light-bulbs. It is based on the nonfictional lives of women working at a NARVA factory. For this film Iris Grusner was a co-recipient of the Arts Prize from the national Trades Union Confederation: the film opened the East Germany's first ever
National Film Festival National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...
, at
Karl-Marx-Stadt Chemnitz (; from 1953 to 1990: Karl-Marx-Stadt (); ; ) is the third-largest city in the Germany, German States of Germany, state of Saxony after Leipzig and Dresden, and the fourth-largest city in the area of former East Germany after (East Be ...
, later the same year. Here it won first prize from the "Film Jury of The Public". Several of her films during the 1980s returned to themes involving the lives of working women under socialism. Many of Gusner's films, including " All My Girls", are considered to be romance films. Despite receiving much acclaim, these films have been dismissed and critiqued by many for their submission to gender roles; however, more contemporary critiques have found feminist undertones to her films that subvert the status quo. In Summer 1989, a few months before the collapse of the GDR, she relocated to
Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...
, then West Germany's television capital, and embarked on a career there producing television films and writing screenplays. She has subsequently returned to Berlin. In 1993, she directed the TV film with Iris Berben in the lead role of a 48-year-old painter who fell in love with her son's study friend. In 2009 Iris Gusner and the self-proclaimed feminist film director
Helke Sander Helke Sander (born January 31, 1937, in Berlin) is a German feminist film director, author, actor, activist, and educator. She is known primarily for her documentary work and contributions to the women's movement in the seventies and eighties. ...
published a "Biographical Two-way" (''"biografische Zwiesprache"'') under the title "Fantasy and Work" (''"Fantasie und Arbeit"''). In 2012, Gusner travelled to the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the United States to give a retrospective of her films, and discuss her portrayal on emancipating women of East Germany. During her visit, many of her films were being premiered for the first time in the United States.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gusner, Iris Mass media people from Berlin People from Trutnov 1941 births Living people