As a child he had to bury the victims of the Nazis. As a man, he became a committed communist and one of the most important film directors of the GDR. After the fall of the Wall, he achieved worldwide fame as a painter. We present a documentary portrait of the artist and director Jürgen Böttcher aka Strawalde.

“STRAWALDE A Life in Pictures” is dedicated to the great DEFA film director and painter Jürgen Böttcher aka Strawalde. Born on 8th July 1931 in Frankenberg/Saxony, Strawalde is today 89 years old. His wish is to live to see his 90th birthday. After that he has “no desire to live much longer”. The interview recordings in “STRAWALDE A Life in Pictures” are probably the last there will be of him.

“STRAWALDE A Life in Pictures” accompanies the artist in detail through his biographical and artistic life: from his childhood under the Nazi regime, his career and his struggles in the GDR under the SED regime, to the fall of the Wall and his international successes as an artist. He relates very personally why he never wanted to break with and leave the GDR, despite all the repressive measures.

“STRAWALDE aka JÜRGEN BÖTTCHER – A Portrait of the Film Director and Painter” is a co-production of LOOKSfilm and Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (MDR). With the kind support of the DEFA Foundation.