Rosa von Praunheim

Rosa von Praunheim, b. 1942 - The most prominent representative of German postmodern cinema. In 1970, Rosa von Praunheim shot his most famous film "It is not the Homosexual that is Perverted, but the Situation in which he Lives." The film was one of the driving forces behind the development of the gay and lesbian liberation movement in Germany.

Born in Riga during the Second World War, Holger Mishvittsky (the birth given name of Rosa von Praunheim) was adopted by a German citizen, who soon after moved to Berlin. Rosa learned from his German mother only in 2000 that he was an adopted child. Rosa began to investigate his roots, travelled to Riga and began searching through the archives. The film My Mother (Meine Mütter) was the result, released in 2007.

The pseudonym Rosa von Praunheim symbolizes solidarity with the homosexuals, who were victims of the Nazis regime. All homosexuals in concentration camps were forced to had a pink triangle.

Over the past 40 years Rosa has shot more than twenty films. He has also written socio-political books examining the various forms of harassment of LGBT people, problems of prejudice and critically analyzed the LGBT movement in their quest for equal rights.

Rosa von Praunheim’s films include:

It is not the homosexual that is perverted, but the situation in which he lives (1970), Army of Lovers or Rebellion of the Perverts (1972-1976), A Virus Knows No Morals (1985) on the spread of HIV, Survival in the New York (1989) on the three German women, who decided to build their lives in New York, I am My Own Wife (1992) a biography of the first open transvestite Charlotte von Malsdorf in the GDR and many others.

Two documentaries of Rosa von Praunheim: I am My Own Wife (1992) and Survival in New York (1989) will be shown as part of the special event on Cinema and Civil Activism.

I am My Own Wife (Ich bin meine eigene Frau), Director Rosa von Praunheim, Germany, 1992, 90 min The life of Charlotte von Mahlsdorf (aka Lothar Berfelde), a transvestite who survived the Nazis, the repressive East German regime, and neo-Nazi attacks after German reunification. He lived, as he puts it, “like a 19th-century Hausfrau.” The film portrays Charlotte’s steadfastness and courage in the face of incomprehension and hostility.

Survival in New York Überleben in New York), Director Rosa von Praunheim, Germany, 1989, 87 min In 1989 Rosa von Praunheim points out the successes, trials, and tribulations of three young German women trying to conquer the New York City jungle. Claudia, Uli, and Anna have very different backgrounds and deal with big-city challenges in very different ways; but all agree that the fascination of New York outweighs its frustrations, heartaches, and dangers.