There is a certain magnetism of the city of Berlin. People may arrive for a short visit, spending a few days straddling the saddle of a beaten-up bike, only to leave months or even years later. It seems that the diversity, complexity and unpredictable nature of the city is not only hard to leave, but hard to describe. In the true Berliner spirit of creativity and expressionism, the mammoth project 24h Berlin does a pretty fascinating job at documenting and presenting a day in the life of this weird and wonderful city.

24h Berlin is the world’s longest documentary. Filmed in real time on the September 5th, 2008, it debuted online last Saturday, exactly one year from the day of filming. Headed up by German film maker, Volker Heise, the ambitious project included 80 camera teams and over 400 people across Berlin, in addition to footage shot on the September 5th by your every day resident, and uploaded to the site to be reviewed and possibly included.

The results are pretty impressive. What was created is a sort of historical document – an epoch of the city of Berlin, whose intrigue and appeal appears to be growing by the day. The documentary captures stories of family, work, relationships, death, fun and hard times – and their relationship to this fascinating city.

The film explores the diversity of the city – the famous party and sex scene, the punks, the artists, the immigrants, the hard core and the old. A particularly challenging story occurs in the early hours of the morning when we meet an elderly Berliner living out his final days as he loses his battle with cancer. As he quietly puffs on a cigarette and sips his small beer, we watch as he ponders his helplessness and finality.

24h Berlin gives this fine city a depth and diversity that is often overshadowed by the wild times and partying Berlin is famous for. This project not only confirms the Mayor’s famous statement of a few years ago, “Berlin is poor, but sexy,” but also proves that it is complex and real.

www.24hberlin.tv