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The filmmaker, artist and activist Rosa von Praunheim is dead. The director died at the age of 83. Further details about the circumstances of the death were not initially known. According to a report by the “Berlin Courier” passed away on Wednesday (December 17th).
The news comes just a few days after a very personal moment in his life: Last weekend, Rosa von Praunheim and his long-time partner, the artist Oliver Sechting, made it public that they had tied the knot after 17 years together.
The dismay at the sudden death of one of the most influential figures in German cultural and LGBTQIA+ history is all the greater.
Huge cinematic work
Rosa von Praunheim, born Holger Mischwitzky in Riga in 1942, was one of the most radical and productive voices in German film. With works such as “It is not the homosexual who is perverted, but the situation in which he lives” (1971), he wrote film and social history. The film is still considered to be the initial spark of the gay movement in Germany. Even deliberately trashy films like “The Bedwurst” earned him a reputation as a clever agent provocateur.
Von Praunheim remained artistically active until the end. His more recent works include the semi-documentary film drama “Rex Gildo – The Last Dance” (2022) and the documentary feature film “Satanic Pig,” which celebrated its world premiere at the Berlinale in February of this year. In total, he directed and worked as a writer and producer in more than 150 films.
In addition to his work for film and television, Rosa von Praunheim was also a painter and writer. Above all, he saw himself as a political activist. He was considered a pioneer and co-founder of the LGBTQIA+ movement in Germany and did not shy away from confrontation.
Rosa von Praunheim caused an outcry when he outed comedian Hape Kerkeling as homosexual on television in 1991 without his consent. The director was sharply criticized for this step at the time, but defended his actions as a political act against social repression.
With the death of Rosa von Praunheim, Germany lost an uncompromising artistic personality who provoked and forced debates. Criticized or celebrated for his aesthetic and discursive methods, he has had a lasting impact on the view of sexual diversity in Germany.