Premiere in Cinex Lienz: Axel Mitbauer's dramatic escape history

Premiere in Cinex Lienz: Axel Mitbauer's dramatic escape history

In the shadow of the historical backdrop of Germany in the 1960s, the moving story of Axel Mitbauer unfolds. On Thursday, June 12, 2025, the documentary "The competition of my life - the story of Axel Mitbauer", the cinema debut by Lienz director Antonio La Regina, celebrates its premiere in Cinex Lienz. The film tells the impressive, true life story of the former top athlete, who was targeted by the GDR regime at the age of 18 when he was considered a promising medal candidate for the Olympic Games in Mexico. But shortly before the crucial departure, the Stasi tracked down its escape and so a nightmare for the young athlete began. This leads to weeks of interrogation, psychological torture and finally a lifelong ban on sports.

Axel Mitbauer swam 25 kilometers through the Baltic Sea in August 1969, a brave act that brought him closer to freedom. The documentary captures this impressive escape in game scenes, archive material and contemporary witness interviews. The aim of the film is to make reality in the GDR tangible during the 1960s and to make the fate of Mitbauer visible in front of a wide audience. The film already took up at the prestigious Cineplex Leipzig, where the premiere took place on May 31, 2025, and celebrated great success there.

A look behind the scenes

The director Antonio La Regina has a moving past: grew up in Lienz, he went through the military academy and became officer before a serious accident in 2013 brought him to rethink his life. Since then he has been active as a free filmmaker and has not only taken over the management of his own production company, style power film, but also discovered his talent as a radio presenter. His documentary about Mitbauer is both a personal concern as well as an aligning contribution to the processing of GDR history.

The escape of athletes from the GDR is a widely underestimated chapter in history. From 1952 to 1989 there were numerous attempts to escape, and Axel Mitbauer is one of the best -known representatives of these bold athletes. Numerous athletes who did not want to live with the pressure and monitoring of the regime were looking for the width for various reasons. All the more, the question arises: How strong is the spirit of a person who is willing to risk his life for freedom?

an impressive experience

After the film screening in the Leipzig Cineplex, there was the opportunity to enter into a public discussion with Axel Mitbauer and Antonio La Regina. Such opportunities make it possible to hear directly from those affected and thus stimulate reflection on the serious issues of the past. Information about tickets and other details can be found on the website of the Leipzig.

Overall, "The competition of my life" is more than just a film - it is a strong testimony to the unshakable will and the importance of freedom for everyone. Axel Mitbauer, now 75 years old, remains an impressive figure that shows how sport and politics were found in the GDR.

For everyone who wants to deal with the story and the Stasi theme, this film is an absolute must. The accumulating situation in the GDR for athletes, which were often branded as "sports traitors", is impressively presented and remains burning relevant.

More details on this moving story can be found in Dolomitenstadt, which report on the premiere and Leipzig-Info also has some interesting insights into the film and its origin [published] (https://www.leipziginfo.de/aktuelles/artikel/cineplex-leipzig- show-documentarfilm-der-Wettkampf-meines-lebens-die-geschichte-von-axel-mauer/). There is also a comprehensive historical documentation of the athletes' escape here, which ensures a deeper understanding of the topic.