Die persönlichkeitsrechtlichen Grenzen bei Doku-Drama, Doku-Fiction und anderen Bearbeitungen realer Ereignisse in Filmen und Theaterstücken

The article deals with the conflict between artistic freedom as protected by the German Constitution (Grundgesetz = GG) on the one hand and the personal rights of real-life persons on the other hand that are used as more or less fictional characters in films and theatrical plays. The increasing popularity of so-called docu-fiction-formats has recently led to a series of higher court rulings throughout Germany. The article provides an overview on the diverse formats based on real-life events or characters (i.e. documentary films, docu soaps, biopics, docu-fiction movies and docu-fiction plays). The authors then describe the legal framework which requires to find a balance between artistic freedom, guaranteed by Art. 5 (3) GG, and personality rights such as the »general personality right« (Allgemeines Persönlichkeitsrecht, Art. 1 (1) and Art. 2 (1) GG). In particular, they analyze the disputed scope of §§ 22 et seq. Kunsturhebergesetz (KUG), a private law provision, that protects as a specific personality right the appearance and image of a person. The main focus of the article is centered on the analysis of the guidelines and balancing criteria that have evolved over time. Fiction creates its own reality, both intertwine inseparable. That is the reason why the German Constitutional Court (Bundesverfassungsgericht) has followed an art-specific perspective which resulted in the presumption that novels (Esra-Case) and plays (Ehrensache-Case) as a matter of principle are fictitious. The authors argue that this presumption also has to be applied with regard to films, even if the film has a more or less documentary character. Consequently, novels, plays and films in principle cannot be blamed for giving inaccurate information, even if the real-life model for a fictitious character is identifiable. But – as the Contergan-Case has shown – this presumption cannot be applied to the core elements of a historical event (e.g. court proceedings), provided and only provided there is evidence that the viewers have cause to assume, that the displayed events have actually occurred in real life. Thus, there is a gradually growing obligation to stick with the actual facts, depending on which kind of scenes are to be reenacted in the film. Scenes that illustrate everyday or family life call for lesser accuracy and authenticity than the documented historical plot of a real-life event. Apart from other criteria relevant to balancing artistic freedom and personality rights the authors also address the specific factors that have to be taken into account when the depicted real-life characters are children, victims of a crime or delinquents. The authors come to the conclusion that German courts in recent years have strenghtened artistic freedom, even if some criteria applied by the courts certainly need further clarification. Die künstlerische Bearbeitung realer Begebenheiten und Personen in Filmen und Theaterstücken birgt ein nicht unerhebliches persönlichkeitsrechtliches Konfliktpotential. Die in den vergangenen Jahren besonders populären sog. Doku-Fiction-Formate haben daher wiederholt die Gerichte beschäftigt und eine wahre Rechtsprechungsserie ausgelöst. Nachdem unlängst der BGH seine Entscheidung in Sachen »Kannibale von Rohtenburg« gefällt hat, scheint es nunmehr an der Zeit, eine Zwischenbilanz zu ziehen. Der Beitrag gibt zunächst unter II. einen Überblick über die verschiedenen Formate, die auf mehr oder weniger stark ausgeprägte Art und Weise auf reale Ereignisse zurückgreifen. Unter III. wird sodann der maßgebliche Rechtsrahmen abgesteckt. Dabei wird besonderes Augenmerk auf die umstrittene Reichweite der §§ 22 ff. KUG gelegt. Den Schwerpunkt des Beitrags bildet dann unter IV. eine kritische Bestandsaufnahme der Abwägungsgrundsätze und Leitlinien der jüngsten Rechtsprechungswelle. Das Spannungsverhältnis zwischen Kunstfreiheit und Persönlichkeitsrecht wird dabei anhand der Vorgaben des BVerfG aus dem Esra-