Witness Becoming Black: A Filmmaker’s Quest for Truth About Her Past
Filmmaker Ines Johnson-Spain shares her experience of growing up Black with white parents in East Germany in the 1960s. Born with dark skin to white parents in East Berlin in the 1960s, filmmaker Ines Johnson-Spain had a childhood shrouded in secrecy. Ines was told as a child that her skin colour was a coincidence and of no importance. But she discovered later that her biological father was one of the African students invited by the East German government during the Cold War to study at an East German college. To better understand her past, she travels between Togo, Benin and Germany and untangles the astonishing strategies of denial that her parents and those around her came up with.
An inspiring documentary series that brings world issues into focus through compelling human stories.
Primary Title
- Witness
Episode Title
- Becoming Black: A Filmmaker’s Quest for Truth About Her Past
Date Broadcast
- Thursday 6 May 2021
Start Time
- 08 : 00
Finish Time
- 09 : 00
Duration
- 60:00
Channel
- Al Jazeera English
Broadcaster
- Al Jazeera Media Network
Programme Description
- An inspiring documentary series that brings world issues into focus through compelling human stories.
Episode Description
- Filmmaker Ines Johnson-Spain shares her experience of growing up Black with white parents in East Germany in the 1960s. Born with dark skin to white parents in East Berlin in the 1960s, filmmaker Ines Johnson-Spain had a childhood shrouded in secrecy. Ines was told as a child that her skin colour was a coincidence and of no importance. But she discovered later that her biological father was one of the African students invited by the East German government during the Cold War to study at an East German college. To better understand her past, she travels between Togo, Benin and Germany and untangles the astonishing strategies of denial that her parents and those around her came up with.
Classification
- Not Classified
Owning Collection
- Chapman Archive
Broadcast Platform
- Television
Languages
- English
Captions
Live Broadcast
- No
Rights Statement
- Made for the University of Auckland's educational use as permitted by the Screenrights Licensing Agreement.
Contributors
- Ines Johnson-Spain (Producer)
- Kobalt Documentary (Production Unit)