SCHUSS IN DER NACHT – Die Ermordung Walter Lübckes

“On June 1, 2019, at around 11:30 pm, a single shot is fired, marking a turning point for the Federal Republic of Germany. That night, in the small town of Wolfhagen-Istha in Hesse, the Government President of Kassel, Walter Lübcke, is murdered, while only a few meters away residents are enjoying the annual wheat carnival. There are traces of DNA on Walter Lübcke’s clothes, leading investigators on 15. June 2019 to the suspected murderer, Stephan Ernst. Ernst, a right-wing extremist with previous convictions, is arrested in Kassel by a special task force of the German State Police. An initial background check reveals that: Stephan Ernst is known to security authorities, but for the last six years they haven’t had him on their radar. Now he is back. And a person is dead. The Docudrama Schuss in der Nacht speaks emotionally yet factually about the lead up to the fatal attack on Kassel’s Government President. It examines the first murder of a politician, motivated by right-wing extremism, since the time of National Socialism. The film is based on intensive research and conversations with those involved. Above all, the script relies on the transcript of Stephan Ernst’s first confession, which was later revoked and replaced by two new confessions. Through these transcripts, it becomes oppressively clear how Ernst increasingly radicalized himself and how Walter Lübcke, as an exponent of a caring stance towards refugees, became a hated figure for right-wing radicals. The 90-minute film connects scenic elements with documentary material and, in the process, reconstructs the public meeting in Hesse’s Lohfelden, in which Walter Lübcke, clearly and without compromise, stands up for the values of democracy. That same evening he became – at first on the web – a stereotypical enemy for the far-right. The hateful words ultimately became deeds, and the hushed response of those watching in Lohfelden turned into a growing feeling of shame for many, as they themselves report on camera. Central to the film is Stephan Ernst’s interrogation (played by Robin Sondermann), which delivers investigators Norbert Bartels (Joachim Król) and Petra Lischke (Katja Bürkle) some insight into his thought processes. What led to the murder of Walter Lübcke? People from Walter Lübcke’s inner circle also get a chance to speak: friends from his home town, political companions like the Minister of Justice for Hesse, Eva Kühne-Hörmann, and the Kassel pastor Arno Wilke, who was the last to see Lübcke, sitting with him on his terrace on the evening of June 1, where the Government President was later to be shot. From the montage of enacted scenes, documentary material and very personal interviews, an impressive mosaic emerges, showing what this political murder means for Wolfhagen-Istha, but also for Germany. A completely new view of the events of June 2019 – and of that which follows.”… >>>

Opening Ceremony Kassel Dokfest