IN PORTRAIT: STEFAN FISCHER – POPLARS AT THE BANKS OF THE REED BED. PORTRAIT SKETCHES FROM A MACHINERY FACTORY (1972, 42 minutes) Sunday, March 23, 1:30 PM, Motorenhalle, Wachsbleichstraße 4a (Backyard), 01067 Dresden

The work of Transylvanian-born documentary filmmaker Stefan Fischer (1936–2014) took a significant turn following his emigration to West Germany in 1973. While he had previously worked for socialist Romania’s television, he later joined the ARD studio in Saarbrücken. From there, he traveled back to his former homeland to document the final decades and the "transition period" of the former socialist states. This film provides a sensitive portrait of the workers at the Tehnofrig factory in Cluj, where Fischer himself had once worked as a mechanic.