Milos Stehlik Interviews Christian Petzold About ‘Transit’ Film

The new film “Transit” is based on a 1942 novel by German-Jewish author Anna Seghers.
The new film "Transit" is based on a 1942 novel by German-Jewish author Anna Seghers. Marco Krüger / Schramm Film
The new film “Transit” is based on a 1942 novel by German-Jewish author Anna Seghers.
The new film "Transit" is based on a 1942 novel by German-Jewish author Anna Seghers. Marco Krüger / Schramm Film

Milos Stehlik Interviews Christian Petzold About ‘Transit’ Film

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WBEZ Film Contributor and director at Facets Chicago Milos Stehlik interviews the world’s great filmmakers on Worldview. Today, he talks with German filmmaker, screenwriter and director Christian Petzold about his new film, Transit.

Based on the 1942 novel Transit Visa by German-Jewish author Anna Seghers, the film follows Georg (Franz Rogoswki), a refugee fleeing Nazi Germany, as he escapes to Marseille, France. It’s not long before the Nazis occupy France, and Georg assumes the identity of a dead writer, Weidel. He must keep a low profile while awaiting permission to escape to Mexico and a budding romance with the author’s widow, Marie. All of this act, while based on a 1942 novel about events during World War II, within the film actually takes place in a nightmarish version of 2018.