When I wrote down my favorite Bundesliga team tables
in math class in the 1970s, I had VfL Bochum in first place. For some
reason that I can’t remember, I admired the famous libero Franz-Josef Tenhagen
, and there was also this Hermann Gerland at the likeable underdog from the Ruhr area
. He played with fire like hardly anyone else
. When he became coach at “my” club Tennis
Borussia in the 90s, Gerland finally ascended to my personal icon heaven
.

If you mention the name Gerland today, not only to people of my generation, you will rarely get anything other than great respect for one of the most profound connoisseurs of German football in recent decades. What a
stroke of luck that he has the time and inclination to watch the opening film of this year’s 11mm year “A Summer in Italy” together with the Berlin audience. Who, if not he, who was Flick’s assistant coach at the 2022 World Cup, can draw a line from the 90s team to the current national team. And the fact that there is also this beautiful documentary about him, which he is also watching together with us , on Friday, March 27 at 4 pm, with free admission, makes the
whole thing a great start to this year’s vintage. On both evenings, festival director Birger Schmidt will talk to Hermann Gerland after the films, and he will certainly answer your questions.

Christoph Jungmann
11mm – Festival organization