Cafe Nagler (2016)

This insightful documentary film revolves around Mor Kaplansky, who was raised on tales of a grand and important place, where writers and artists met, which was at the center of Berlin nightlife. However, as she did research in Berlin, she discovered that Cafe Nagler was a nice but not historically important neighborhood cafe. No historian to whom she spoke knew of it.

The spot where it was located was bombed during World War II and is now a park. She searched in vain for anyone who remembered the place, and the one man she met who shared his memories of Cafe Nagler turned out to be either confused or a fraud – he was born the year it closed.

Still, Kaplansky persisted, although there were moments when she became discouraged.

'Our history is made up of stories,' she said. 'We rely on family stories... as a means to define who we are... The bare facts that can be found and not found are not that important. What we need more than anything is that good story that helps us define who we are.'

Showing the film in Berlin was particularly emotional for Kaplansky and her grandmother, and often surprising.