‘No topic is too difficult’: children’s series on life in communist East Germany wins an Emmy

In Fritzi’s Footsteps takes a look at life in the GDR by blending animated sequences with real-life interviews and footage from the present day. Photograph: Balance Film / MDR / WDR

The creators of a children’s television series about life in communist East Germany have said they hope it will awaken interest in the region’s history, after it was awarded an International Emmy.

Auf Fritzis Spuren (In Fritzi’s Footsteps) tells the story of a 12-year-old girl living in the eastern city of Leipzig and how she experiences life in the east and the events that lead to the fall of the Berlin Wall.