Die Möllner Briefe

“Remembrance is about acting.” This poignant refrain anchors Martina Priessner’s powerful documentary Die Möllner Briefe, which unravels a haunting chapter in Germany’s recent history. In November 1992, a neo-Nazi arson attack in the town of Mölln claimed the lives of three members of the Arslan family—grandmother Bahide, cousin Ayşe, and 10-year-old Yeliz—and left young İbrahim Arslan with physical and emotional scars . Thirty years later, İbrahim discovers hundreds of forgotten letters of solidarity, sent by strangers to the victims’ families but inexplicably buried in the city archives instead of being delivered.
Priessner’s camera traces his emotional journey as he confronts local officials about this betrayal and finally connects with the letter-writers whose voices were silenced. With a restrained artistry and unflinching sensitivity, Priessner transforms a story of trauma into an urgent plea for accountability, solidarity, and the enduring power of collective memory in the face of rising right-wing extremism. (BH)

Martina Priessner is an author and director who lives in Berlin and Istanbul and has been working on German-Turkish migration for many years.