People | iHeartBerlin.de

Make Some Noise and Save Your City

Our city is changing. As long as we’re loud enough, it can change for the better.

My body is still sobering up from excessive new years celebrations when I leave my apartment on Karl-Marx-Allee on this frosty Thursday morning. I might feel like trash, but stepping through the elegant row of columns guarding the gates to the monumental ‘Stalin-palaces’, I live in, just gives me something grand each time.

I’m on my – semi-thought-through – mission to keep it that way: I’m buying my apartment! – I’m 25, I just finished my studies, and my savings got me as far as a new MacBook… Turning around the corner to Ostbahnhof, nervously fiddling with the pile of signed documents in my right hand, I ask myself: Have I gone mad?

These Instagrammers show the REAL Berlin

by Michalina | People, Photos, Stories

We all know the glossy Instagram accounts that almost make you think Berlin is a permanently sunny resort where all you see are fit yogis running around with their cute puppies and the occasional elderly couple sitting on a bench in Tiergarten. Well, one look out of the window will suffice to realize that the reality is not all that ideal. But we love that about Berlin – its unpredictable weather, extraordinary characters, and the fact that some corners can get a bit rough. We found three Instagrammers that celebrate those characteristics of our beloved city – and provide a much-needed antidote to the pointless strive for perfection.

Joseph Wolfgang Ohlert: About Conquering Berlin & Leaving It

by Andy | Art, People

You just know, when Joseph’s in the room. The soon-to-be 28-year-old’s personality is as immersive as his imagery. The Berlin Wunderkind has left his mark on the big city – now, after almost a decade, he’s ready to leave her behind…

His cheeky charm and exceptional talent led Joseph Wolfgang Ohlert into the forefront of a new generation of Berlin creatives. The last eight years have seen him working as a portrait photographer for established publications such as Intro, Siegessaeule and Gay Times capturing the rare place where beauty, intimacy, and refined aesthetic meet like no other. His first, much-acclaimed photobook ‘Gender as a Spectrum’ – a collaboration with Kaey – was released in 2016, and hit the bull’s eye of a zeitgeist of sexual liberation and social acceptance for LGBTQIA+ people. At the time, Joseph was studying at the renowned University of the Arts Berlin, after already graduating from Ostkreuz School for Photography, and, on top, he opened up his own gallery ‘P7’ in 2017.

Berlin Bouncer: A Movie About 3 of Berlin’s Most Famous Club Bouncers

by Franziska | Movies, Party, People

Finally! The feared and mystified bouncers of the infamous Berlin club scene are featured in their own film! Didn’t you always want to know what a bouncer is like in daily life? Director David Dietl accompanied three well-known bouncers, Frank Künster, Sven Marquardt and Smiley Baldwin, for a while to give us a glimpse behind the curtains of the people that you usually have a very one-sided conversation with – “bitte” or “heute leider nicht”.

Berlin Bouncer tells the story of the development of Berlins nightlife and fills us in about the good and the ugly parts of its history. From the Fall of the Wall until today, Berlin’s party scene has changed and evolved dramatically. Who has witnessed it more up close and personal than Berlin’s club bouncers? Dietl takes us far beyond the party scene, deep into the story of each protagonist and into their daily lives.

Love in Berlin: Intimate Portraits of Berlin Couples

by Franziska | People, Stories

The intimate photography project comecloser.berlin is the creation of Berlin-based photographer Julia Liebisch and captures the dynamic of a variety of different couples from Berlin. Her curiosity and devotion towards authentic documentary photography lead her towards the idea of capturing people’s most precious possession – the love towards their significant other. She is devoted to capturing real life and imperfect stories, far away from the staged images, our eyes are already very used to daily on advertisement and social media.

Berlin Artist Philipp Scherer Talks About His Work on Game of Thrones

by Giulio | People, TV

Earlier this year a unique exhibition called Unseen Westeros took place in Berlin dedicated to the world of Games of Thrones. Forty artists from the art departments of the iconic series had been working together for three years to present you something special.

Being big fans of Games of Thrones, we could not miss the chance to get in touch with the organizers. That’s why we decided to interview Philipp Scherer, who is not only one of the creative minds behind this amazing exhibition but also one of the concept artists who has been working for almost all seasons of Game of Thrones. He shared stories and experiences with us, and it was pretty interesting and inspiring!

This Photographer Captures Berlin’s Club Crowd

by Franziska | Party, People

This Instagram account has only been around for two months and already managed to become an insider amongst the techno crowd in Berlin – meet @nachtclubsberlin! This account is dedicated to showcasing spontaneous pictures of all kinds of party people before and after clubbing in the biggest techno clubs of Berlin. Behind the camera, we met photographer Sabrina Jeblaoui. The former Parisian fell in love with Berlin upon visiting the city several times in the past until she decided to move here on a whim in the Summer of 2017.

Today, I feel German: A reminder of sorts, for all the days I don’t.

by Guest Author | People, Stories

Before I proceed, you should know that I am Black and a first-generation immigrant. Therefore, it is not completely lost on me that my feelings on this subject of identity will be met with resistance, disagreeing opinions and questions, all of which may emerge because “Today, I feel German” will be considered by many an atypical declaration. It is not every day a man who was born and raised at the heels of Mount Fako, Cameroon audaciously declares himself part of a giant colonialist nation, Germany, in such a public format. These are not feelings I am allowed to claim ownership of, because possessing such opinions can easily be mistaken for the denouncement of one’s own traditions and heritage in the quest to insert one’s self onto a culture that has no place for one’s sensibilities and difference.

Studying in Berlin: 4 International Students Share Their Experience

by Giulio | People, Stories

Deciding to move away from your home country to study abroad can probably be one of the most difficult decisions in your life. Choosing the right city is not about spinning the globe with eyes closed and dropping a finger on a random destination. Unfortunately, the choice is way more complicated, and even if it is not easy to realize it at the very start, it can be literally life-changing.

Sending applications to universities in other countries means to gradually plan your future and to figure out a lot of important issues, like which university and which program could be the right one for you or for your future career. But besides all that, the choice should not fall upon the university only, but also in the city you would love to live in!

How Former Refugees Give Something Back To Berlin

by Michalina | People, Stories

photo: GSBTB

Community integration is a goal we are all working towards in Berlin. The fact that our city is home to individuals from many different backgrounds is something we should cherish and never take for granted, especially given the current trends in politics. We have already written about the actions you can take against the xenophobic far right – be it taking part in demonstrations or supporting particular initiatives. Today, we want to look at things from a more positive angle and focus on the amazing ventures which have truly enriched the city and which were started by people who came to Berlin as refugees. One organization that provides an environment which genuinely fosters such projects is Give Something Back to Berlin – we spoke to them and created this list featuring five success stories.

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