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zwischenzeit – an untold story about vietnamese contract workers.
What remains of history when it disappears between factory buildings and silence?
It centers on Anh and Mai, two fictional characters inspired by real experiences.
After reunification, many workers were left in legal limbo, facing deportation.
"zwischenzeit" is an animated documentary told quietly, intimately, and fragmentedly.
The film weaves together moments of daily life and fragmented memory into a visual poem.
These characters never existed. But they could have.
An animated documentary
old quietly, intimately, and fragmentedly.
To bring historical context into the animated documentary, I incorporated original photographs from archives and private collections. These visuals served as references to authentically capture the atmosphere, settings, and textures of the time, blending historical memory with illustrated storytelling.
Anh & Mai
two fictional characters inspired by real experiences.
Anh grew up during the Vietnam War and is a symbol of hope and resilience for a war-torn generation. Marked by loss and poverty in his childhood, he is hardworking, loyal, and driven by a deep sense of responsibility for his family. In the GDR, he finds a new perspective. He is enthusiastic about the the high standard of living he never had in Vietnam. However, he struggles with the challenges that come with living between two cultures.
Mai represents the generation of Vietnamese migrants who are confronted with the aftermath of war and the challenges of migration. Mai is uncertain and feels like a stranger, especially in the GDR. She arrives at a time when most contract workers are arriving. There she is confronted with her inner conflict between home and foreign lands.
Weaving together
fragmanted memories into a visual poem
Visual language
The film's visual language is dreamlike and fragmentary. Since memories never reflect reality, I opted for a hazy, noisy style. Light gradients, color gradients. Everything blurs together.
The sunflower mirrors the protagonists’ emotions: at times standing tall, swaying in the wind, wilting, or even turning to ash.
Color & Shapes
The color & shape palette deepens the cultural contrasts:
Vietnam appears in warm, earthy greens with round organic shapes for nature, family, and comfort.
The GDR is rendered in cool, bluish tones with angular shapes. Feeling distant almost futuristic.
After reunification
After the fall of the Berlin Wall, everything changed. For the Vietnamese contract workers, though, things only got harder.
“Suddenly, we no longer had a job, no security.”
“Will we all be deported now?”
“Between the machines and the empty corridors, there was room for everything, except for us.”
09/ 11/ 1989 – most Vietnamese contract workers lost their legal status. The years that followed were marked by uncertainty, deportations, and racist violence. Most notably the attacks in Rostock-Lichtenhagen in 1992. In the end, only about 16,000 Vietnamese were able to stay in Germany.
22–26/08/1992 Rostock-Lichtenhagen, the Sunflower House was attacked for several days by a violent mob while hundreds of onlookers cheered and police stood by. Vietnamese contract workers and their families were trapped inside, fearing for their lives. The attacks shocked Germany and revealed the precarious situation of many migrants.
The film that remembers
Credits
A Production by
Long Huy Đào – Script, Director & Producer,
Animation & Illustration
Anne Feldmeier – Co-Producer
Florian Dawel – Co-Producer
Mai Linh Đặng – Voice Actress for Mai
Việt Anh Alexander Trần – Voice Actor for Anh
Elias Müller – Germans Voice Actor
Filip Kränzlein – Germans Voice Actor
Maha Schwarz – Mother Voice Actress
Alexander Sura – Character Design
Luca Zarantonello – Illustration & Character Design
Ana Scheele – Illustration
Dilara Schneider – Illustration
Kimberley Willems – Illustration
Lea Schmerbach – Illustration
Yannik Beyer – Illustration
Steve Wühr – Sound Design
Hans Könnecke – Music
Elias Prinz – Guitar
Prof. Walter Mehl – Project Supervision
Supported by – Stadt Nürnberg