Where·to With History?

The film deals with the catastrophes of the 20th century and their aftermath that the German city of Dresden has endured, but has relevance for all cities and countries that have suffered similar phases of destruction and conflict. The film shows the dramatic architectural losses of the city during the war and the post-war years, but also depicts how architecture is now again used to reinvent lost narratives and identities, and that this often happens at the cost of all the things - people, cultures and buildings - that do not conform to the new-old ideals of what Dresden is.

Dresden has in recent years grown both famous and infamous. Famous for its attempt to meticulously reconstruct its once bombed-out historical center and bring the colorful baroque settings of the 18th century back to life. Infamous for the right-wing-surge that has since 2015 swept the city and made it a center of far-right activity in Germany and Europe.
One the one hand, the city exemplifies the ‘blooming landscapes’ that everyone hoped the German reunification in 1990 would bring about. On the other hand, it seems to testify to all the things that have gone wrong in Germany, Europe, and the world since that time.
Every Monday evening, the two realities clash dramatically, as the right-wing Pegida movement takes to the picturesque squares and streets to rally against foreigners, refugees, politicians, and the media. And although a majority in the population deplores the development, they are clueless as to what can be done against it. If only the right-wing movement would stop misusing the historical settings and silently vanish by itself.
But do the two realities oppose each other? Or are they rather interrelated? Has the attempt to architecturally reproduce what was lost in 1945 been instrumental in bringing back the political ghosts of that very same era?
Through interviews with stakeholders, urban planners, politicians and critics, Where·to with history? looks into the possible connections between architecture and politics in Dresden. It shows how architecture has indeed helped pave the way for the current right-wing-surge. But more generally, it depicts a city caught up in painful dilemmas and blind alleys in its ongoing attempt to overcome a destructive and ideologically charged past that just won’t go away.

  • Hans Christian Post
    Director
    Last Exit Alexanderplatz (2015), Whose City? (2017), We are here (2019)
  • Hans Christian Post
    Producer
    Last Exit Alexanderplatz (2015), Whose City? (2017), We are here (2019)
  • Michael Truckenbrodt
    Producer
  • Andi & Jenny
    Key Cast
  • Jens Baur
    Key Cast
  • Harald Bretschneider
    Key Cast
  • Gerhard Glaser
    Key Cast
  • Nora Goldenbogen
    Key Cast
  • Dankwart Guratzsch
    Key Cast
  • Ludwig Güttler
    Key Cast
  • Manaf Halbouni
    Key Cast
  • Anja Heckmann
    Key Cast
  • Dieter Krull
    Key Cast
  • Torsten Kulke
    Key Cast
  • Matthias Lerm
    Key Cast
  • Matthias Neutzner
    Key Cast
  • Nilsson Samuelsson
    Key Cast
  • Stephan Trüby
    Key Cast
  • Jörg Urban
    Key Cast
  • Karoline Schulz
    Editor
  • Helen Neikes
    Sound design
  • Erik Krambeck
    Grading
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Wohin mit der Geschichte?
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Experimental, Feature
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 30 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    March 1, 2020
  • Production Budget:
    22,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Germany
  • Country of Filming:
    Germany
  • Language:
    German
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Film Color:
    Black & White and Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Budapest Architecture Film Days
    Budapest
    Hungary
    March 7, 2020
    World premiere
  • MoveCineArte

    Brazil
    National
  • MoveCineArte
    Venice
    Italy
    September 12, 2020
    National
  • Hellerau, Europäisches Zentrum der Künste
    Dresden
    Germany
    September 24, 2020
    German premiere
  • Cinema Urbana

    Brazil
    Regional
  • Copenhagen Architecture Film Festival
    Copenhagen
    Denmark
    October 1, 2020
    National
  • AFFR
    Rotterdam
    Netherlands
    October 8, 2020
    National
  • Miasto Movie
    Wroclaw
    Poland
    October 11, 2020
    National
  • ArchFilmLund
    Lund
    Sweden
    October 17, 2020
    Swedish premiere
  • Cinetekton

    Mexico
    National
  • Urban Eye Film Festival
    Bucharest
    Romania
    November 8, 2020
    Romanian premiere
  • Istanbul International Architecture and Urban Films Festival
    Istanbul
    Turkey
    December 10, 2020
    Turkish
    1st Prize Winner
  • SF Urban Film Fest
    San Francisco
    United States
    February 20, 2021
    North American Premiere
    Official selection
  • Architecture, Design, Art Film Festival
    Palm Springs
    United States
    March 27, 2021
    Official selection
  • American Documentary and Animation Film Festival
    Palm Springs
    United States
    March 27, 2021
    Official selection
Director Biography - Hans Christian Post

Hans Christian Post has since 2000 worked on-off in the documentary field. First as a research assistant for Ove Nyholm during the production of the award winning film, "Anatomy of Evil". Later, from 2005 till 2007, as researcher, assistant writer and production leader for the German company, WTS-Mixed Media, who in that period produced documentaries for 3sat and arte.

Since 2014, he has worked independently as film maker and producer. In 2015, he finished his first documentary, "Last Exit Alexanderplatz", which was followed by "Whose City?" in 2017, "We Are Here" in 2019 and "Where to With History?" in 2020.

In addition, he teaches different courses at the Department for the study of Culture at the University of Southern Denmark.

He holds a master’s degree and a PhD in Cultural Studies from the Department of Arts and Cultural Studies at the University of Copenhagen. His primary field of research is cultural and urban memory. With Dresden and Berlin as primary cases, he has written extensively on the intertwining of city planning, building preservation, memory, and history politics.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

With this film, I try to show just how intertwined architecture, memory and politics can be, and give insight into the drastic, ongoing consequences that war and the destruction of cities and its cultural/architectural heritage can have. The film is based on the research I conducted as a cultural scientist at the University of Copenhagen in the early 2000s. As such, the film can certainly be viewed as a science film although it can be said to fit many different genres. Still, I am in general interested in exploring how the cultural sciences can merge with the documentary film genre and produce something that combines scientific research, research dissemination and entertainment, and in this way allows for the cultural sciences to reach larger audiences and have greater impact than is currently the case.