"Friendship Beyond Borders"
Project 3
“Friendship Beyond Borders” tells two stories. 1952 – two cousins live in Helmstedt in West Germany and are inseparable. But everything changes when one part of the family moves to the GDR. 1968 – two school friends live in the restricted area of the GDR near Berlin and make plans to escape to West Berlin: will they succeed in crossing the icy Havel river?
The three participants of the third MoCom group got to know each other, the artist Livia Brocke and the entire MoCom team personally at the kick-off workshop in September 2022. They began to explore the group’s topic of Shared history – Shared Stories. During regular online meetings we discussed methods of memory work and later the collected memories and stories. After writing the manuscript, collecting sounds and music as well as recording the text, the three participants worked on their contributions for the accompanying pedagogical material.
The accompanying educational material (in German only) for the motion comic “Friendship Beyond Borders” is available for educational work in schools and elsewhere. The 12-minute video and additional material can be used not only in history class. Also due to references to the present they can be embedded in art, ethics, politics, English and German lessons. You can watch the motion comic on YouTube with subtitles (DE, EN).
Download the accompanying material as PDF via the button below. The file can be used digitally as well as printed. Or contact us to receive print copies. We would be interested to know how you have used the motion comic and accompanying material in your school or institution!
Trigger warning: The stories told in this motion comic can remind people of their own experiences, if they had to flee their homeland, live apart from friends and family for an uncertain time, or have been imprisoned.
Story and text: Fiona Neugebauer, Paul Reckardt, Annika Skala; coordinated by Lisa Hölscher
Illustration, edit and motion design: Livia Brocke
Narrator: Paul Reckardt, Lisa Hölscher
Project coordination and production management: Lisa Hölscher
Project concept and advice: Dr. Sarah Fichtner & PD Dr. Anja Werner
Pedagogical support: Insa Ahrens, Lisa Hölscher, Dr. Felix Ludwig, Susanne Otto from the Marienborn Memorial to Divided Germany
Music: „Mindclouds Klassik“ by Ronald Kah at www.ronaldkah.de
Sound effects: www.audiyou.de – „Kirchenglocken und Moped“ by naabie; Micky-Moped by naabie; www.freesound.org – „Carlos R – Swimming in the Pool.wav“ by DaNi7337 CC 3.0; „fork stabbing food eating clinking plate.wav“ by buzzatsea CC 0.0; „gunshots.mp3“ by watupgroupie CC Sampling+ 1.0 (www.freesound.org/s/36815/); „gunshots.wav“ by WIM CC 4.0; „Icy waves by lake shore 2013-02-02.wav“ by Kyster CC 4.0; „SCHOOL CLASSROOM AMBIENCE“ by Elenalostale CC 0.0; “Splash, Jumping, A.wav” by InspectorJ (www.jshaw.co.uk) CC 4.0; „Stapler / Stapling plier / Staple gun“ by Breviceps CC 0.0; „Walking in snow“ by silentseason CC 0.0; www.soundjay.com – „Phone Pick Up 1“; “Telephone Ring 2”; “Windy Forest Ambience 01”; www.pixabay.com – „Flourescent Light-29596“; „Male Angry Growl-6932“; „Military Alarm-129017“
