24 HOURS IN A CITY THAT NEVER SLEEPS

The closer we get to November 9th, the more events, exhibitions, documentaries, books and panel debates remind us of the upcoming 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. One richly anticipated event was the debut of “24h Berlin”, a day-long documentary of Berlin life, which was broadcast in parts of Europe from 6am on September 5th until the same time the following day (and is now available online).

This cinematic panorama of a day in the life of Germany's capital is the product of a collaboration between RBB (Radio Berlin Brandenberg), a local TV station, and Arte, a Franco-German station. At 6am on September 5th 2008, 80 camera teams spread all over Berlin for exactly 24 hours to capture the city's many stories and secrets. The result, at a cost of €2.8m ($4m), is a chronicle of a richly vital city–one that has kept its creative hunger and some rough edges two decades after unification.

“24h Berlin” also documents the incredible changes of the past 20 years, such as the city's amazing diversity and bustling cultural scene. The film's many protagonists include Daniel Barenboim, the musical director of the State Opera at Unter den Linden and conductor of its orchestra; Klaus Wowereit, Berlin’s gay mayor; Sasha Waltz, a distinguished German choreographer of modern dance; and Ricardo Villalobos, a DJ in the city’s world-famous club Berghain. We also meet Bernd Fritsche, a city cleaner, Kurt Lummert, a prisoner with a life sentence, and Sidney, a prostitute.

For me this grand project brought to mind Walter Ruttmann's wonderful silent film “Berlin, Sinfonie einer Grosstadt”, from 1927. “24h Berlin” is another, much longer and more modern symphony, composed by Volker Heise, the art director, and his giant, impressive team. Berlin was the only city bisected by the communist dictatorship, and the wall kept East and West apart for 28 years. This film reveals the way traces of this long division can still be found, both in terms of urban development and on a more personal level, in the minds and lifestyles of residents. But this is what distinguishes Berlin from other German cities, and what makes it feel so rare: that it is a city has never been finished and never will be.