Rents have been exploding in Berlin, but it's not as bad as London or Paris yet. Students, families and pensioners can still live in the centre of Berlin. But affordable homes are getting scarce. International investors have also discovered the flat-trade in Berlin. The loosers of that boom are the tenants.
The filmmakers house was bought by investors of a 'dynamic' estate company, who want to convert the rental flats into freehold flats. But sales don't override contracts, and tenants in Berlin-Mitte have 7 years security of tenure. Katrin Rothe and her neighbours start to fight for their rights and against the gentrification. It's a new world dirctor is confronted with. It consists of accusations, pretence surveyor's appointments and provocations. Her lawyer says, she’s to ignore it all. But it's hard.
When the potential buyers attend her flat, the documentary continues with drawn and animated characters. The estate agent is getting more and more impatient while viewings. But also Katrin is getting more and more silent and anxious.
director's statement:
"...The global financial crisis started out as an American real-estate bubble. Now we have a real-estate boom, too. Worried investors no longer invest in stocks but in houses and flats, concrete gold. A little security in an uncertain world. I thought it was nothing to do with me until the day I received a refurbishment notification." ]
In order for our website to function optimally, we use cookies for some of our applications. This includes i.a. the embedded social media, but also a tracking tool that provides us with information about the ergonomics of our website and user behavior. If you click on "Accept all cookies", you agree to the use of technically necessary cookies and those to optimize our website. See "Cookie Settings" for more information.
Control settings
Please select your preferences. You can change these at any time.
In order for our website to function optimally, we use cookies for some of our applications. These cannot be deactivated, otherwise you will not be able to use all applications.
In order to make our website as user-friendly as possible, we have i.a. social media embedded on our website. This allows you to share content with your loved ones on the appropriate network with just a few clicks. We also use anonymous tracking technology, which gives us information about e.g. the user behavior, but also the effectiveness and ergonomics of our website. For this purpose, we also use services that may be based outside the European Union (especially in the USA), where the level of data protection may be lower than in Germany.