From 1884 to 1914, “Togoland” was one of the German Empire's colonial possessions in Africa. This cinematic search for traces leads deep into Germany's colonial past. Its starting point are places in Togo, formerly known as “Togoland,” where remnants of the German colonial era are still visible today. Dilapidated buildings, traces of the imperial empire's communication technology, and symbols of economic dependence are captured by the camera and linked to reflections on memory, forgetting, and historical responsibility. The calm observation gives the locations space and makes them silent witnesses to a repressed history.

THE FIRE, A FOWL AND AN (UN)FORGOTTEN PAST was realized in 2017 by Jürgen Ellinghaus and was produced as an international co-production between Germany and France. The film does not focus on dramatic staging, but on atmospheric images that prompt a critical examination of colonial heritage. It is thus one of a series of projects in which Ellinghaus explores the relationship between Europe and Africa through film.

It was first screened in 2017 at the FESFICA Festival in Atakpamé (Togo), where it also won an award. Further screenings took place at international festivals such as the Viennale in Vienna, which presented the unusual short film format in the context of socially relevant works.