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Westerwelle (2026)
Directed by Jobst Knigge
Documentary · 1h 30m
A documentary that offers an intimate portrait of Guido Westerwelle, Germany’s former Vice-Chancellor, balancing his political career with his groundbreaking role as a gay pioneer. Released for the 10th anniversary of his death, the film explores the sharp contrast between his polarizing public persona and his private vulnerability. The narrative anchor consists of never-before-heard audio recordings from 2014, captured in Mallorca by journalist Dominik Wichmann as Westerwelle battled acute leukemia. The movie weaves these raw archives with emotional interviews from his husband, Michael Mronz, and key political rivals. It charts his rise within the FDP, his historic 2004 public coming out, and his legacy as Germany’s first openly gay cabinet minister. The plot highlights the unique diplomatic challenges he faced visiting nations hostile to LGBTQ+ rights, his sudden fall from political grace, and his final fight against cancer alongside Mronz.
Cast
Guido Westerwelle
Wolfgang Kubicki
Christian Lindner
Renate Künast
Klaus Wowereit
Gregor Gysi
Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann
Crew
- Director
- Jobst Knigge
- Screenplay
- Dominik Wichmann, Klaus Brinkbäumer, Jobst Knigge
- Director of Photography
- Benedict Sicheneder, Jean Schablin, Sebastian Seibert
- Editor
- Marek Weinhold
- Producer
- Rüdiger Barth
Details
- Release date
- 2026-03-10
- Runtime
- 1h 30m
- Genres
- Documentary
- Original language
- DE
- Spoken languages
- German
- Countries
- Germany
- Production
- Open Mind Media, LLC, WDR, MDR