THE SPIES AMONG US premiered to two sold-out theaters at the Zoo Palast on January 29th, with the support of the Berlin Commission for the Reappraisel of the East German Dictatorship (Berliner Beauftragter zur SED Aufarbeitung der SED Diktatur). The German press reacted with across-the-board critical acclaim. Select press below:
“‘The Spies Among Us’” is the most important film about the East German secret police since the Oscar-winning feature film ‘The Lives of Others.’” – Die Welt
“The directing duo Silverman succeeds where West German filmmakers usually fail. Mielke’s men say, ‘We don’t talk to them. They’re just filming their prejudices.’ This is how retired Stasi agents interact with a former victim in front of an American film crew’s camera. This is where the documentary’s power lies. The once-powerful men waver between excuses, reassurances, and surprising insights.” – Christhard Läpple, Tanz der Spione
“The documentary Spies Among Us…represents a remarkable contribution to the cinematic exploration of GDR history…The filmmakers draw parallels between the Stasi’s obsession with collecting analog data—which recorded even the most mundane details of everyday life—and the possibilities of digital surveillance today.” – Spione unter uns: Eine analytische Begegnung mit der Stasi-Vergangenheit
ZDF, “Kulturzeit”: Peter Keup im Gespräch über die Doku “Spione unter uns” (interview with Peter Keup)
WDR, titel thesen temperamente: Der Dokumentarfilm “Spione unter uns” über DDR-Unrecht (interview with Jamie and Gabe Silverman)
Deutschlandfunk, DDR-Zeitzeuge Peter Keup: Der lange Tanz in die Freiheit