In the summer of 1979, electrician Peter Strelzyk (Friedrich Mücke) and bricklayer Günter Wetzel (David Kross) are decisively fed up with the daily oppression of living in the GDR. The two men join forces to escape the country’s barbed wire confines by way of a homemade hot air balloon. Avoiding the ever-vigilant eyes of suspicious neighbors and the Stasi alike, the Strelzyk and Wetzel families manage to flee communist East Germany using a combination of skill, daring—and thousands of yards of taffeta. Previously dramatized by Disney in 1982’s Night Crossing, director Michael Herbig brings authenticity to this story of extraordinary acts from everyday people, constructing a full-throttle suspense thriller sure to resonate with today’s audiences. A Distrib Films US release

In German and English; with English subtitles

Official Selection: Zurich Film Festival