No Place Like Home (wt)

On the grounds of a former Stasi leisure resort just outside Berlin, a former florist, a previous furniture packer and an ex-soldier work at an intensive therapeutic residence for troubled children. The kids, aged between 7 and 14, live here for an average of three years. Their intake forms include parental drug abuse, refugee history, domestic violence or sexual abuse. To the world outside, the facility is a dumping ground for troublesome pupils, lost children written off in the news as aggressive problem kids that riot and rob. The residence’s grounds, nestled in the forest by a large lake, offer a sanctuary far away from anything. The aim is to create a home for the children that they can rely on – not a replacement family, but a life that resembles the structure of a family as the nucleus of society. An intimate insight into the child and youth welfare system in Germany and a touching, entertaining portrait of the daily work of unsung heroes filmed over the course of a year.This film is now in post-production.