At the end of April 2023, a film crew from the Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF—comprising filmmaker Anna Beeck, cameraman Hovhannes Martirosyan, and sound technician Danylo—interviewed me at my home in Antibes over the course of three days for “Sabat”, a documentary produced by Ma.ja.de Filmproduktion. The film explores the enigmatic story of a Mongolian camera student we all knew as Sabat, who served as the camera assistant on my graduation film “Carlos” at the Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF.
During the interview, I shared not only my personal experiences with Sabat but also reflected on my years at film school in the 1960s and my subsequent life—both personal and professional—as a film director, writer, and journalist.
The documentary received a Special Mention in the Best Documentary category at the Sehsüchte Festival, Europe’s largest student film festival, and was broadcast on several German television channels throughout 2025.
Synopsis
Over 40 years ago, Batkhorol Sagdkhorol, known as Sabat – a film student and diplomat from the Mongolian Embassy in East Berlin – vanished. Was he a spy, defector, on the run, or entangled in the regime’s affairs? Decades later, the filmmaker embarks on a search. But the closer she gets to the truth, the more the answers slip away.
Vor über 40 Jahren verschwand Batkhorol Sagdkhorol, genannt Sabat – Filmstudent und Diplomat aus der mongolischen Botschaft in Ost-Berlin. War er Spion, Überläufer, auf der Flucht oder in die Machenschaften des Regimes verstrickt? Jahrzehnte später begibt sich die Filmemacherin auf die Suche. Doch je näher die Wahrheit rückt, desto mehr entgleiten die Antworten.
DOK.fest München 2025 / Jan Sebening
“You were part of my family for 16 years and I never knew you.” Sabat was a film student in the former GDR and later worked as an interpreter at the Mongolian embassy in East Berlin. Then, without warning, this young family man vanished—no word, no farewell—to the Beeck family, who had been very close to him. Nearly 50 years later, his granddaughter Anna embarks on a journey to uncover the truth and seek answers to questions that no one dared—or was able—to ask at the time.
What unfolds is a gripping true crime narrative, haunted by a lingering question: Was there ever a crime? Will there ever be answers? With stunning cinematography and a soundtrack that doesn’t just accompany the story but elevates it to cinematic art, Sabat is storytelling at its finest.
