Peter Nestler

n insight into the English working class, with warmth, and compassion.

In his first documentary, Nestler uses a rather unconventional way of telling the story of a small Northern German seaside village. The protagonist and narrator is an old, worn-out dike sluice, expressing its very own nostalgic views of the people living in the village, situated at the other end of its floodgate. (Viennale)

Shot two years before the military junta began to rule the country, Von Griechenland reflects upon the instability, which has characterized Greek government in the 20th century, culminating in the victory and eventual dismissal of liberal politician Georgios Papandreou. The resulting chaos and demand for new elections brought hundreds of thousands of people to the streets, which further destabilized the Greek government. (Viennale)

In 1985, Swedish Television was about to sell an archive of photographs and texts which it had bought after World War II. In order to show the inestimable value of this archive, and to prevent the deal, Peter Nestler used some of the material for this exceptional documentary. It pays tribute to the victims of a mining disaster in Silesia before the reign of Nazi Germany. (Viennale)

Ethnologist and adventurer, Count Eric von Rosen was a man of contradictions: interested in the natives of Africa and colonial racism. Nestler embarks on a journey in search of his grandfather. (imdb)

A travelogue, filmed in Ecuador. The film is intimate and serene, depicting the indigenous cultures in the area through music and art history, and showing their struggles towards a communal way of living. (Letterboxd)

A cheerful take on the lives of school children in a Swiss rural environment. Young pupils recite short essays they have written on subjects ranging from the long walk to school, the distribution of milk during breaks, and to a brawl in the courtyard. (imdb)

Shot a few years after the first mining pits were closed in the Ruhr area, Nestler takes his audience on a journey through mining pits, coal heaps, cold stores and to workingmen's settlements and pubs in the city of Mülheim. (imdb)

As in many of his previous films, Nestler once more provides a critical view of the rise of the machine age. He uses the small village of Ödenwaldstetten as an example of the changes from manpower to mechanical power. (Mubi)

A documentary about the Sami people across Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia, and about the environmental devastation in that area throughout the 20th century.

This film about the Fascist coup in Chile was cancelled one day before being broadcast on Swedish Television. Originally shot for a TV youth program, "Lördags Chile" is another fine example of Nestler demonstrating the relationship between politics and economics, between thinking and acting. For him, the ownership structure is the main reason for the reign of terror in Chile.