Program

30 Kilo Heimat

Storyline

Christl Eibl, born in 1940 in Chodský Újezd (Heiligenkreuz) in the Czech Republic, tells of loss. A traumatic experience – especially for a six-year-old child: the loss of familiar surroundings, of home. In the film ‘30 Kilo Heimat’ (30 Kilos of Home), she, the grandmother, tells her grandson, the director, about her fate as a displaced person from the Sudetenland.
She was born there and lived in the small town with her German family. Six years later, she was expelled with her parents, grandparents and little sister. However, Christl not only talks about the expulsion, but above all about the traces that the loss of her homeland left on her. She talks about reconciliation, but also about letting go and remembering.

About the film/director

Michael Eibl, born in Munich in 2006, has been interested in film and media for as long as he can remember – and in how stories are created. Growing up with Die Sendung mit der Maus and Willi wills wissen, he began making his own short films while still in primary school. Together with a friend, he wrote short stories, filmed them, edited them on an old Windows XP laptop and sold the DVDs to his classmates.
Today, he studies film production at the SAE Institute in Munich, works as a director of photography and develops his own documentary projects. From Windows Movie Maker to Premiere Pro to DaVinci Resolve and professional Sony and Arri cameras – a lot has changed technically, but for him, the same things still matter today: real people, real emotions.
Since he was twelve, he has been working on his passion project, ‘30 Kilo Heimat’ – a documentary film about his grandmother and her story of displacement. The film is representative of his style: close to people, driven by empathy and the desire to make memories tangible.
As a director and cinematographer, Michael wants to make films that give hope and connect people – stories of reconciliation that leave a lasting impression. His strength lies in documentary storytelling: building relationships, creating trust and turning real encounters into moving films.

FILMOGRAPHY:
"30 Kilo Heimat" (Documentary, 2025) – Director, Camera (DoP), Production
"SAMSARA" (short film, 2026) – DoP & Production

Director’s statement

Since I had the idea for this film at the age of 12, I have grown personally, as has my relationship with my grandmother. Because it is about her, 30 Kilo Heimat is a project close to my heart.
Despite the specific subject matter, over time I was able to figure out what makes this film relevant today. In addition to inviting viewers to explore their family history, I want to show that our grandparents here in Germany experienced flight and expulsion. Hopefully, this will help some people empathise with the refugees and displaced persons of our time. Knowing that their ancestors went through the same thing.