The Unbending: Documentary about pioneering women in West German politics who had to fight for their place alongside men
Film plot and background
Documentary about pioneering women in West German politics who had to fight for their place alongside the men
“Politics is far too serious a matter to be left to men alone.” With this premise, Käte Ströbel, Federal Minister from 1966-1972 set the marching orders for many other female politicians of her time.
In interviews, “The Unbending” female politicians of yesteryear report how chauvinism was taken for granted in the German parliament and how women had to fight for equal rights in German politics. Herta Däubler-Gmelin (SPD), Marie-Elisabeth Klee (CDU), Ursula Männle (CSU), Christa Nickels (Greens) and others talk about their experiences, their political path from the politics of the 1950s to reunification in 1990 and finally the appointment of Angela Merkel as Germany’s first female chancellor in 2005. The settings of yesteryear bring back memories of a world that continues to resemble today’s in many ways.
“The Indomitable” – background, cinema release
Documentary filmmaker Torsten Körner succeeds with his look into the past and the incorporation of historical documents in a highly topical film that deals with inner-German history in times of the MeToo movement. Partly comical and absurd, sometimes bitter and frightening, the political debates and TV reports of yesteryear are reflected with the personal view of those involved.
Even today, women earn on average 21 percent less than men, not only in politics. Lower chances of advancement and regressive role models continue to dominate our society. In the documentary, the pioneering women give further impulses for equal rights in the Federal Republic of Germany.
The planned cinema release on 19 November 2020 of the documentary “Die Unbeugsamen” had to be postponed indefinitely. The documentary received FSK clearance from 0 years.
