Jürgen Böttcher
Jürgen Böttcher (Strawalde), b. 1931 in Frankenberg (Saxony) and was raised in the village Strahwalde. In Dresden he studied painting at the Akademie für Bildende Künste. Following a brief intermezzo he studied directing at the Hochschule für Filmkunst in Babelsberg. As a documentary filmmaker, his portraits (Wäscherinnen, Martha and Die Küche) and films about the world of industrial production made him one of the most influential documentarists with an international reputation. His career is marked by censorship and cutbacks; his only feature film, Jahrgang 45 (1965), was banned during the 11th plenary session of the Central Committee. His predilection for painting found experimental continuation in his cinematic tributes, such as Kurzer Besuch bei Hermann Glöckner (1985) and Verwandlungen (1981). Jürgen Böttcher lives as a painter and filmmaker in Berlin.