I was just reading about the anniversary of a German counter-culture convention that took place in January 1978.

Fifteen-hundred students gathered at the Technical University, in Berlin. One veteran of the event said it was full of "craziness and truth" -- a time in which young people didn't merely want to discuss an alternative society; they wanted to live it -- either there in Berlin or "someplace else."

This spontaneous meeting, so goes the analysis, was the result of the disorientation of the left, hit by a wave of state repression the previous fall. In January, the resurgent youth movement attempted to create "niches of freedom and autonomy within the system," an alternative culture. Many then-"radical" pieces of it - collective decision-making, granola, sustainable living, etc. - survived and are taken for granted today.

Sound familiar?

As it happens, I was there in Germany that fall and spring - although I didn't make it to Berlin until spring of 1978. (I shot the accompanying sunrise photo in southern Germany.) 

Now, my family and I are deciding to return there, to take up residence in Berlin. 

I could say that we are trying to reduce our "carbon footprint" on the planet by moving to an urban area that (I believe) boasts one of the most "green" living standards in the world. (Although it's also true that we are moving for family reasons.) 

We plan to sell our house and move in June. Internet and 'global communty' being what it is, I suspect we'll be able to stay in touch. :-) 

More next time about what it means for the film. 

PS: Thanks to the Gazette for the article on the project. Thanks, also to those who found me and wrote comments. (I'm fighting the temptation to hum "Alice's Restaurant.")