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SABAT

Germany 2025 — Directed by: Anna Maria Beeck — 90 min — Subtitles: English — Production Company: Ma.ja.de. Filmproduktions GmbH — Producers: Heino Deckert, Filippo Konradin Ricordi

More than 40 years ago, Batkhorol Sagdkhorol, known as Sabat – film student and diplomat, vanished from the Mongolian embassy in East Berlin. Was he a spy, a dissident, on the run or caught up in the regime's machinations?

In 1963, Batkhorol Sagdkhorol, mostly called Sabat, a young film student from Mongolia, arrives in East Germany and soon becomes part of an East German family. Rising to prominence, he joins the highest diplomatic circles, working alongside Erich Honecker and Mongolian President Tsedenbal. But in 1979 he vanishes – cut off from his friends, erased from embassy records, even missing from official archives. What happened to  Sabat? The quest for answers leads from the small town Potsdam via England, France, Austria to the vastness of western Mongolia. Yet, the closer the searcher comes to the truth, the more elusive it becomes. Secrets grow deeper, and it becomes clear: the search reveals more about those seeking answers than those hiding them. A story of friendship, betrayal, and the pursuit of truth, SABAT explores the shadows of a life left behind, and whether the ultimate revelations lie in the journey itself.

Festivals & Awards 

• Nonfiktionale 2025
• Sehsüchte 2025 – Special Mention in the category Best Documentary Film
• DOK.fest Munich 2025 – Nominated for the German Documentary Film Music Award
• Filmkunstfest MV 2025 – Documentary Film Competition

Writer: Anna Maria Beeck. Camera: Hovhannes Martirosyan, Elias Franke. Sound: Danylo Okulov, Ichinnorov Zendmene-Erdene. Editing: Honorata Szulakowska, Armano Forster. Music: Max van Dusen. Production: Ma.ja.de. Filmproduktions GmbH. Producer: Heino Deckert. Co-Producers: Filippo Konradin Ricordi.

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