The screenwriter, director and writer Wolfgang Kohlhaase is dead. He died in Berlin on Wednesday at the age of 91, the Academy of Arts said, citing his wife Emöke Pöstenyi. Among other things, Kohlhaase wrote the screenplays for the films “Berlin – Ecke Schönhauser” from 1957 and “Sommer vorm Balkon” from 2005.
He was considered one of the most important screenwriters in German film history. Born in East Berlin on March 13, 1931, he became known in the GDR with screenplays that dealt with the problems of young people in the divided city. These included “I was nineteen” from 1968. Kohlhaase worked with director Konrad Wolf on this film.
With him and also with Gerhard Klein he realized some films in the GDR. “Solo Sunny” won the Golden Bear in 1981. However, one of the films, “Berlin around the corner” from 1965, was banned in the GDR and was only released in cinemas after reunification.
Kohlhaase was also successful in reunified Germany. With director Volker Schlöndorff he worked on the screenplay for the film “Die Stille nach dem Schuss”, which was released in 2000 and has the RAF as its subject. Together with Eugen Ruge, he wrote the book for the film “In Times of Declining Light” (2017). In 2015 “As We Dreamed” came out. He had previously brought “Summer in front of the balcony” to the screen with director Andreas Dresen.
Kohlhaase also wrote radio plays and short stories. He has received many awards for his work, including the Federal Cross of Merit, the German Film Prize and the Honorary Golden Bear for his life’s work. Since 1972 he was a member of the Academy of Arts. He is survived by his wife Emöke Pöstényi, a dancer and choreographer.