geRecht - Episode II: Cases of Freedom in Court

When a successful Afghan asylum seeker from the past is suddenly suspected of terrorism, the principles of everyone involved are put to the test under political influence and media pressure. In this situation, the judge is haunted by her past as she recognizes herself in the young Azade Jahangiri (Anke Retzlaff), who, after fleeing Afghanistan and Iran, courageously sues to overturn the rejection of her asylum application.

At the same time, the far-right daughter of an old friend propels her into a vision of a bleak future. Through her encounter with the young plaintiff, Judge Baumann’s private and professional lives become intertwined. In the end, she declares the idea of justice within the German asylum system to be a myth and recognizes her personal responsibility as a judge and as a human being.

But how can the bleak future for her and for everyone be shaped?

‘geRecht’ consists of a completely new digital-analog performance format:

Through floor-to-ceiling video projections, an artistically designed monitor installation, and a multi-channel sound system, visitors come face-to-face with a wide variety of (larger-than-life) legal experts. Over the course of the performance, the audience finds itself in settings such as the administrative courtroom, the staff offices, and the hallways of an asylum law chamber. For visitors, the three-dimensional space emerges not only within the two-dimensional film image but, above all, between the screens: the performers interact with one another—just as if they were physically present actors—with perfect lines of sight. They move from screen to screen and speak through the audience or over their heads. In the process, multifaceted arrangements of film images, text, computer-generated images, and sound provide deep insights into the practical work of the lawyers, but above all into their expertise, their inner worlds, their hearts, and their emotions under daily pressure. All three episodes of ‘geRecht’ build on one another but can be viewed individually.

• Episode 1 premiered in April 2021 and will be shown again on September 23, 24, and 25.