Detlef

It is no piece of cake turning sixty. Detlef Stoffel lives a lonely life with his 91-year-old mom, who is in need of constant care. This was not his choice, but former gay rights activist Detlef is used to fighting his way through everyday frustrations and handles the situation with an ironic, even cynical detachment. His narration and personal film archive take us to the time of fierce activism of the 1970s, when homophobia was the normand fighting for the most basic rights equated to daily clashes with the police. On the other hand, as Detlef tersely remarks, everything was somehow simpler and the rainbow flag meant more than just a promise of a certain lifestyle. In the rich archival footage, Detlef’s life story intertwines with an account of an era in Western Germany: first romances, first public appearances of the Bielefed Gay Group IHB founded by Detlef, battles with the law, and a microphone tug-of-war with equally cross feminists. All of this constituted the turbulent 1970s, when utopia seemed just within reach.