Erika Runge

Erika Runge discovered her interest in social issues through her involvement in student movements. After graduating from university, she continued her political involvement. She conducted interviews which she compiled in her book Bottroper Protokolle. In it we discover frank opinions on working conditions, the image of women, but also on sex and politics. She developed the story of Madame B., one of the protagonists, into a documentary: Warum ist Frau B. glücklich? From then on, Erika Runge was one of the first to use documentaries as a mouthpiece for workers, letting the people themselves testify. In her films, she practices a kind of historical reconstruction ‘from below’, and also incorporates the social experiences of working-class women.