80 Years After

     On April 30th, 1945, just one week before the end of the Second World War, the Pomeranian town of Demmin was surrendered to the Soviet Red Army. Rapes, executions, and immolation were followed by a shocking wave of mass suicides. These events were barely discussed during the long period in which Pomerania was part of East Germany, and Syberberg (who resides in the nearby Pomeranian town of Nossendorf) has made reckoning with the events in Demmin part of his career-long mourning work.
     From April 30th to May 8th, 2025 (the 80th anniversary of the end of the European war), Syberberg organized an installation in which the full list of names from 1945 was displayed alongside historical documents, photographs, and reconstructions. The montage of Nightsong combines footage from the installation with the reading of the names in Demmin's St. Bartholomew's Church, extracts from the Brahms (1868) and Mozart (1791) Requiems, and Syberberg's own reflections on the war and its aftermath.
     80 Years After (2025, included as a supplement) contains crucial context for the events of 1945, the installation of 2025, and the film Nightsong. It is complemented by Syberberg's text below.
     Nightsong is the epilogue to Syberberg’s career. We would like to thank Mr. Syberberg for the opportunity to premiere this film.