The German People

The film explores the consequences of the racist attack in Hanau on February 9, 2020, in which nine people were murdered. Through the voices of survivors and the victims’ families, the film documents their grief, their quest for justice, and their struggle against systemic racism – both in the crime itself and in the state’s handling of it. As public attention fades, they continue to fight for remembrance and accountability, raising urgent questions about integration, citizenship, and who is truly considered a member of German society.

Director: Marcin Wierzchowski

Marcin Wierzchowski was born in 1984 in Warsaw and is a director, producer, and visual artist based in Frankfurt and Warsaw. He dropped out of school at 17 to work at a video rental store, later completed his education, and went on to study fine arts with a focus on film. His first documentary, Hanau – A Night and Its Aftermath, was awarded the Grimme Prize and served as the inspiration for his new film The German People, which premiered at the 2025 Berlin Film Festival. He has received the Gerd Ruge Fellowship for his project Traumaland and continues to work in both documentary and fiction.