---
title: Alum Premieres Documentary to Rave Reviews at SXSW
date: 2025-03-13T05:30:00-04:00
author: University of Maryland
canonical_url: "https://today.umd.edu/alum-premieres-documentary-to-rave-reviews-at-sxsw"
section: Articles
---
# Alum Premieres Documentary to Rave Reviews at SXSW

*March 13, 2025* — by [Karen Shih ’09](/author/karen-shih)


> Film Examines East German Secret Police Through Victim’s Eyes With Surveillance Implications for Today

*The Spies Among Us 1920x1080 — In a new documentary, "The Spies Among Us," co-directed by UMD alum Gabriel Silverman '05, former East German political prisoner Peter Keup shares evidence that his late brother was secretly informing on their family.*

Few of us think twice about posting our favorite meals to social media. Or logging a daily run in an app. Or sharing real-time snaps from a weekend away. But during the Cold War, such seeming minutiae is the type of information that the German secret police would—and did—kill for.

Now, a new full-length documentary by University of Maryland alum Gabriel Silverman ’05 examines the “long-lasting effects of a surveillance state” in “[The Spies Among Us](https://thespiesamongus.film/),” which premiered Saturday at the [SXSW Film & TV Festival](https://www.sxsw.com/festivals/film/)in Austin, Texas.


*Gabriel Silverman headshot — Gabriel Silverman '05*



**Sidebar note:**

**Another Terp Film at SXSW**   
Two more UMD alums are debuting a film at SXSW: Michael Strassner '11 co-wrote and starred in and David Bonnett '10 produced "The Baltimorons," directed by Jay Duplass, the former star of "Transparent" who's also directed episodes of television series including "Somebody Somewhere" and "Search Party."

"The Baltimorons," filmed entirely in Baltimore, follows a recently sober ex-improv comic, played by Strassner, who breaks a tooth and seeks urgent dental care on Christmas Eve, leading to romance.

The film is "marbled with a tender vein of melancholy alongside its unforced comedy," says The Hollywood Reporter. "It's the kind of quirky concept that easily could have been cringe material, but the actors give it a lived-in naturalism that sneaks up on you."





**Topics:** [People](https://today.umd.edu/tags/people)


**Tags:** [Alumni](https://today.umd.edu/topic/alumni), [Government and Politics](https://today.umd.edu/topic/government-and-politics)


**Units:** [College of Behavioral and Social Sciences](https://today.umd.edu/topic/college-behavioral-and-social-sciences)