Der Pannwitzblick

Under fascism, propaganda films prepared the mass destruction of 'abnormal' people. The nazis transformed the camera objective and made it the 'eye of society'. Meanwhile, fascism has been defeated. So it seems. Mass destruction is past history. But the 'eye' is still there. Handicapped people talk about this subject in DER PANNWITZBLICK. In this context, euthanasia has become an issue again in Germany. Non-handicapped people's view of handicapped people tends to have some odd aspects. It betrays fear that changes into aversion. This is what registrations of human behaviour bring out. DER PANNWITZBLICK is an analytic montage-film about viewpoints, about camera positions, and the balance of power between those who portray and those who are portrayed - for the camera and for the eye. The film-title was derived from a passage from Primo Levi's work, in which Levi describes the despising look of the concentration camp doctor Pannwitz.