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ZDF’s ‘Gegen das Vergessen’ Airs Tonight, Following Berlin Care-Home Theater

The film spotlights a troupe where people with dementia perform alongside schoolchildren using cues instead of memorized lines.

Overview

  • Scheduled for 22:15 on ZDF’s 37 Grad, the documentary follows the Papillons at the Pflegewohnheim Am Kreuzberg in Berlin.
  • The project pairs residents with children and teens who prompt entries through touch, whispers and props, with personal recordings available to play during scenes.
  • The ensemble meets weekly and mounts roughly one public performance a year, with the current piece titled Totenwache.
  • Profiles include Ekkehard Walkenhorst, whose relationship with his son has warmed, and Elvira Werthmüller, 87, who still brings her yodeling to the stage.
  • The filmmakers emphasize dignity, visibility and intergenerational connection for the 1.8 million people in Germany living with dementia, presenting a creative complement to clinical care.