Directors/Producers: Jamie Coughlin Silverman, Gabriel Silverman
Description:
This is a rare look into the inner workings of a data-driven surveillance state run by one of the most feared secret police forces the world has ever known – East Germany’s Stasi. A personal investigation into family secrets by Peter Keup, a Stasi victim-turned-historian, takes a turn when he contacts the men who ran the system. These are the first dialogues between Stasi officers and a victim ever recorded. Through these encounters a terrifying mosaic is built of the lengths people go to maintain power in a dictatorship, as well as the indomitable human spirit that seeks truth and self-determination.
Biography:
Jamie Coughlin Silverman and Gabriel Silverman are award-winning journalists-turned-documentary filmmakers. Their first feature documentary, TRANSMILITARY, won the Audience Award for Best Documentary at SXSW and received critical acclaim. TransMilitary was represented by Cinetic Media and distributed by Gravitas Ventures. It premiered on Logo TV and Amazon Prime. The film screened at more than 100 film festivals worldwide, and the Silvermans were named to the 2018 Top 10 Filmmakers to Watch list by The Independent. The Silvermans are Gotham (IFP) Documentary Lab Fellows, CNN/Film Independent Episodic Lab Fellows. Their work has been supported by the International Documentary Association, Catapult Film Fund, Jonathan Logan Family Foundation, and Frameline Completion Fund. They are the first recipients of funding from the GLAAD Media Institute. Their production company, SideXSide Studios, is a global documentary firm that specializes in consequential and high-visibility non-fiction storytelling. Prior to SideXSide Studios, the Silvermans worked in leading newsrooms. Gabe was a video journalist at The Washington Post where his work was recognized with more than a dozen awards, including an Edward R. Murrow Award for his investigative work, a White House News Photographers Award for Best Documentary, and two Emmy nominations. Jamie was the supervising producer for USA Today Sports, where she led editorial and branded video content strategy.
