Johnny & Me

Johnny & Me 

AT/DE/CH, 2023, 90 min
Mischief Films, Hanfgarn & Ufer, Dschoint Ventschr 
www.heartfieldfilm.com

The German painter, graphic artist, photomontage artist and stage designer, John Heartfield, who was born in Berlin in 1891, was one of Europe's most important artists according to Bertold Brecht. Rosa Luxemburg personally handed Heartfield, a Communist from the very beginning, the party's manifesto in 1918. George Grosz and Kurt Tucholsky were among his closest friends and artistic companions. In protest against German warmongering, Heartfield anglicised his name. For the Nazis, the inventor of political photomontage soon became one of the most dangerous enemies of the state. He spent years on the run in Europe, and later failed to find a safe home even in socialist East Germany.

Plagued by a creativity crisis and self-doubt, graphic artist Stephanie becomes fascinated by John Heartfield's work, which she discovers in an exhibition. A time tunnel transposes her to a studio where the artist, now a cartoon character, takes her on a journey through his eventful life. A close friendship develops between the two colleagues. And Stephanie starts to work with paper and scissors again.

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