Private Project

THE LEAP

On 15 August 1961 the nineteen-year-old East German border policeman Conrad Schumann leaped over a barbed-wire barrier into the West section of Berlin. This moment was captured by the photographer Peter Leibing. According to Time magazine, the photo of the fleeing policeman is an icon of the 20th century and
counts among the 100 photographs that have changed the world. Like no other photo it stands for the division of Germany and the history of Berlin. Today it is part of UNESCO’s Memory of the World Programme. THE LEAP carries visitors from reunified Berlin
back to the year 1961.
60 years after the Berlin Wall went up, film director Boris Hars-Tschachotin tells the story of the genesis of the iconic shot from three different filmic perspectives: that of Conrad Schumann fleeing in his National People’s Army uniform, that of the photographer Peter Leibing, and that of the West Berlin
policeman Manfred Klumm. In the 1960s, there were approximately two million refugees worldwide.
In 2021, more than 80 million people have already been forced to leave their homes, their friends and families.
Behind every flight lies a fate, a human being.

  • Boris Hars-Tschachotin
    Director
  • Boris Hars-Tschachot
    Writer
  • Boris Hars-Tschachot
    Producer
  • Anton von Lucke
    Key Cast
    "Conrad Schumann"
    Babylon Berlin
  • Max von der Groeben
    Key Cast
    "Peter Leibing"
    Fack ju Göhte
  • Daniel Axt
    Key Cast
    "Manfred Klumm"
    SOKO
  • Birgit Berthold
    Key Cast
    "Berlinerin"
  • Jean-Michel Boubil, VFX Supervisor
    Key Collaborators
    Undine, Foxtrott
  • Henry Uhl, Sound and Music
    Key Collaborators
  • Christiane Chaboissier, Production Design
    Key Collaborators
  • Christian Möller, Cinematographer
    Key Collaborators
  • Uta Spiekermann, makeup artist
    Key Collaborators
    Gundermann
  • Michael Reuter, Postproduktion Supervisor
    Key Collaborators
  • Bernhard Joest, Sound Mixer
    Key Collaborators
    Das Boot
  • Gabriele Leuter, Costume Design
    Key Collaborators
  • Dorissa Berninger, Line Producer
    Key Collaborators
  • Project Type:
    Virtual Reality, Installation, 360 Video
  • Runtime:
    17 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    June 1, 2021
  • Country of Origin:
    Germany
  • Language:
    English, German
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Boris Hars-Tschachotin

Boris Hars-Tschachotin

An award-winning director and installation artist absorbed by his passion for creating imaginary worlds.
Boris‘ work is authentic, expressive and deeply felt, always driven by a powerful visual language, rendered with a mastery of detail. It draws its narrative strength from a particular process of observation, be it in the field of human behavior, science or nature. The desire to construct these narratives developed at an early age from an interest in photography and film. Today Boris loves crossing the border between art and science, challenging the ways documentary and fictional stories are told.
His films have been selected for over 70 international festivals including Venice, Toronto, Munich, Los Angeles, Aspen, Biarritz, and New York. They have been acquired by countless broadcasters and won many awards.
In addition, guest professorship at the Film University Babelsberg Konrad Wolf for "Climate Communication in Audiovisual Media", as well as lectureships at New York University (New York), Humboldt University (Berlin), The Academy of Architecture (Mendrisio, Switzerland).
While earning his master’s degree (and later a PhD) in Art History, Philosophy, and Film History at Humboldt-University, he became a feature film location scout. At Studio Babelsberg he met and worked with Jean -Jacques Annaud, lstván Szabó, Richard Donner, Tom Cruise, Wim Wenders or Volker Schlöndorff – „listening,“ as he says, “learning, and becoming ever more inspired.“ As a result, his own work expresses strong emotions, fashioned within simple and compelling atmospheric worlds.

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Director Statement

The topic of division, of the erection of new, insurmountable border fortifications, is still relevant today, as is the mistaken belief that walls can overcome problems.