Street Number One

East Berlin in the 1970ies: the city hall arcades behind Alexanderplatz are becoming a matter of prestige for the socialist government. More than 900 people live together in architectural units that provide all kinds of social institutions and exclusive boutiques in order to promote a humane society.

In this film old and new tenants and roomers tell their stories, seeking to establish an ideal community within a totalitarian system. The spectator gains an insight into everyday life in the GDR, viewing it from an intimate private angle, but is also confronted with social change after the wall came down. Thus the architecture becomes a symbol for life plans, personal dreams and criticism. Street Number One is a cinematographic document of East-German model architecture and its human face.