Case study: The German documentary film HINTER GUTEN TÜREN (Behind Good Doors) focuses on the sensitive and crucial issue of violence against children within families. The impact campaign for this film addresses several key challenges while securing strategic partnerships and fostering deeply emotional connections with audiences to inspire sociopolitical change.

Campaign team

• Filmmaker: Julia Beerhold
• Producers: Thorsten Reglin & Roswitha Ester – Ester.Reglin.Film
• Distributor: Holger Recktenwald, mindjazz pictures
• Marketing and project coordination: Lena Mrachacz, mindjazz pictures
• Key liaisons at partner organisations: Rainer Rettinger, Deutscher Kinderverein e.V.; Cora Ripking, National Coalition – Netzwerk zur Umsetzung der UN-Kinderrechtskonvention in Deutschland; Birger Holz, BilderKraft gUG
• Additional consultant: Stefanie Lachmann, Tour41 e.V.
• Campaign strategist: Ben Kempas, Film & Campaign
• Impact producer: Tabita Knoblauch, Film & Campaign

The film and its intent

HINTER GUTEN TÜREN (Behind good doors) tells the story of two siblings: their parents loved, supported, and inflicted raw violence on them. A slap in the face when they stumbled and fell; sometimes for no apparent reason at all. Photographs of their bruises and tearful faces joined the collection of family memories in the photo album and were later on laughed about. To their parents, this was no contradiction. They claimed to love their children, and the children believed them.

The violence experienced by brother, he passed on to his sister, 5 years younger than him. When she was 11, his friends began to sexually abuse her. Afraid of further punishment, she kept quiet.

To this day, official estimates suggest more than 200,000 children experience abuse by a family member in Germany every year. Each day, 12 children get beaten to the point of needing emergency medical attention. In each school class, 1-2 children experience or have experienced sexual abuse.

By sharing her own story, Julia Beerhold wants to encourage others to share theirs, to seek help in dealing with the trauma, and to eliminate the taboo around the topic in our society. Her message is clear: You are not alone!

Key challenges

1. How can we find strategic partners to consult on the various facets of the issue, to implement ideas and help facilitate funding opportunities for a long-term impact campaign?
2. How can we attract audiences to cinemas for a potentially triggering and emotionally difficult film?
3. How can we convince cinemas to show such an intense film, with some hesitating as they fear low attendance?
4. How can we utilise the film to affect positive change in the fight for children’s rights and against child abuse in Germany?

Securing strategic partnerships for a long-term sociopolitical impact campaign

We had originally been approached by the filmmaker and the producers while the documentary was still in production, and developed a first campaign proposal at the time. 

Months ahead of the film’s theatrical release in late May 2024, the distributors at mindjazz pictures approached us to help find appropriate partners for an impact campaign. These would help facilitate post-screening discussions as part of the film’s cinema tour across Germany.

After extensive research and many preliminary discussions with potential strategic collaborators, we were joined by Deutscher Kinderverein (German Children’s Association), the National Coalition – Network for the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of a Child in Germany, and BilderKraft (hosts of an annual conference for a non-violent childhood aimed at professionals working with and for children), as well as consulted by Tour41 who provide support to victims of sexual abuse in their childhood.

Together we re-developed the campaign concept, refined our vision and our campaign goals, taking into account the newly accessible expertise, networks and tools at our disposal through our partners.

Building awareness and changing attitudes

The campaign builds awareness around violence against children and childhood sexual abuse, aiming to destigmatise the conversation around this issue.

Together with our partners, we implemented a multi-faceted approach, including a website with a petition we built on NationBuilder and a provocative digital out-of-home marketing campaign by Deutscher Kinderverein in collaboration with marketing agency Vow to the New which marked the launch of a nationwide cinema tour from the end of May 2024.

The tour featured structured discussions led by filmmaker Julia Beerhold, providing a supportive environment for audiences to process the film's potentially triggering content. A crucial aspect of the cinema tour has been the provision of trauma specialists at the majority of events. This support has been essential in creating a safe space for viewers to engage with the challenging content of the film and to process their own experiences. 

Feedback from our events as well as from traditional media (radio, television, newspapers) has been very positive and at times profoundly personal and emotional. Some people shared their own stories after watching the film, others expressed their deep gratitude for someone else telling their story through film. This response underscores the film's power to resonate with and validate the experiences of survivors of childhood trauma.

Photo: Die Offene Blende e.V.

There is a strong demand for more film screenings, particularly in community settings with post-screening discussions. However, this is balanced by feedback from individuals who express difficulty in attending public screenings due to fear of public emotional reactions.

A significant challenge has been convincing cinemas to book such an intense film, with some hesitating due to concerns about ticket sales. This tension between public demand and commercial considerations illustrates the unique challenges of distributing and screening films dealing with sensitive social issues.

Photo: Die Offene Blende e.V.

In order to circumvent this, our extensive research and outreach program has enabled us to secure partnerships with local organisations and institutions to host theatrical screenings and post-screening discussions, therefore guaranteeing cinema programmers attendance and audience participation. These special events have proven extremely successful, with several of them selling out. That said, the commercial aspects of film distribution have been kept separate from the outreach campaign, ensuring that the campaign stays focused on its impact goals.

Long-term engagement: Changing behaviours, improving structures and building networks

As the cinema tour is drawing to a close, the campaign is shifting its focus to ensure the long-term relevance of the film. Two key strategies are being implemented:

1. Positioning the film as fundamental educational material for professionals working with and for children: In October a mandatory private screening for all 400 members of päd-aktiv e.V. in Heidelberg set the stage for our pedagogical and educational outreach. This showcased the value of the film, initiating discussions around recognising signs of a child experiencing violence, and protecting children as well as reflecting on one’s own childhood and recognising one’s own potential for violence. The annual conference on the ‘Day of non-violent upbringing’ on 30th April 2025, hosted by our partners at BilderKraft, will continue the conversation and integrate the film in the context of autobiographical work as a educational tool. This initiative aims to extend the film's impact beyond public screenings and into professional practice.
2. Providing a support network for survivors of childhood violence and abuse: The support network and workshop series Dein Netz (‘Your net’) – a collaboration between filmmaker and trauma specialist Julia Beerhold and psychotherapist and specialist for systemic family therapy and somatic experience, Justinus Jakobs – has seen much interest and is set to launch early next year. This online initiative is aimed at supporting audience members post-screening to reflect on their experience after watching the film and provides a safe space to share, heal and build resilience.
3. Developing a political impact strategy: Just in time for the start of the film’s cinema tour in May 2024, we launched our online petition 'Three Demands for Child Protection' which allows supporters to sign and share three core socio-political impact goals. With a steadily increasing number of supporters, demonstrating growing public support for the campaign's goals, we aim to launch our next steps in our political impact strategy, early next year. 

The campaign plans to call on politicians and policymakers to implement our “Three Demands for Child Protection”, applying pressure on the governing coalition to act on their promise to bring child protection to the centre of political discourse, and to integrate children’s rights into the German constitution. Our key partnerships with the National Coalition Deutschland and Deutscher Kinderverein will help facilitate these.

These long-term strategies demonstrate the campaign's commitment to creating lasting change beyond the initial release and screening of the film. HINTER GUTEN TÜREN is not just a documentary film, but a catalyst for societal change, aiming to break the silence surrounding child abuse and push for stronger protection of children in Germany. The emotional resonance of the film, combined with the strategic approach to its distribution and the accompanying impact campaign, positions it as a powerful tool for advocacy and social change in the realm of children's rights and protection.

Visit the website (in German)

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