Screening Nostalgia

The Heimat film genre, assumed to be outdated by so many, is very much alive. Who would have thought that this genre - which had been almost unanimously denounced within academic circles, but which seemed to resonate so deeply with the general public - would experience a renaissance in the 21st century? The genre's recent resurgence is perhaps less due to an obsession with generic storylines and stereotyped figures than to an anthropological need for grounding that has resulted in a passionate debate about issues of past and present. This book traces the history of the Heimat Film from the early mountain films to Fatih Akin's take on Heimat.