A significant film screening in Mainz

Meeting with director Katharina Otto-Bernstein and her film “The Last Spy”

Mainz made a strong cultural statement with the premiere of the documentary film The Last Spy (German: Der Jahrhundert-Spion) in the ballroom of the Rhineland-Palatinate State Chancellery. The historic location provided the perfect setting for a film that tells the extraordinary life story of Peter Sichel who grew up in the “golden Mainz” of the 1920s, was expelled as a Jew, and later became a CIA secret agent and successful wine merchant.

The focus of the evening was on filmmaker Katharina Otto-Bernstein, who developed the filml over eight years – as director, writer and co-producer. Her approach combines historical accuracy with great narrative sensitivity. The film is available in two versions:
– 90 minutes for ARTE/ZDF, designed for a European audience
– 107 minutes original version The Last Spy, with additional personal statements by Sichel.

The conversation with Bettina Sichel, the protagonist’s daughter, also provided a remarkable accent. She now lives in California and runs a wine business.

The premiere showed the significant role that documentary film can play in cultural memory – especially in a city like Mainz, which has an important Jewish heritage as part of the ShUM sites.