life in the gdr

Dancing at the Dump

Thu, 18 Apr 1991

The tragic love story between 17 year-old Gerat Lauter, who is in search of the truth, and his much older teacher Claudia, as it becomes a criminal case with state complicity in the chaotic GDR autumn of 1989.

Erzähle deine Geschichte - Die DDR in 30 Begriffen

Sat, 03 Oct 2020

Forbidden Love

Thu, 19 Apr 1990

18-year old Georg and 13-year old Barbara have been playing together as children. Play becomes love later, which leads to a catastrophe , as their parents are hostile leading to file a report to the court, as Barbara is still under age.

Das letzte Pokalfinale der DDR – Zwischen Mauerfall und Wiedervereinigung

Tue, 02 Jun 2020

In the midst of the transition towards reunification and a market economy, two teams meet for the last time in the final of the FDGB Cup shortly after the 1990 Volkskammer elections: favorites Dynamo Dresden and Polizeisportverein Schwerin. Matthias Hufmann and Benjamin Unger take a look back 30 years later.

Fotoshooting DDR - Bilder zwischen Propaganda und Alltag

Fri, 04 Oct 2024

Life in the GDR was not only documented on behalf of the state, but also by photographic artists and journalists. The documentary goes on a journey through time with some of them and shows little-known aspects of the GDR from its foundation to the fall of the Wall. Photographers in the GDR had a surprising amount of freedom; there was no explicit censorship of images. This allowed them to make visible what the state wanted to hide. This documentary presents two photographers who observed life in the GDR and whose work has been rediscovered in recent years.

Seven Freckles

Fri, 06 Oct 1978

East Germany 1978. Karoline and Robert, teenagers who used to live in the same house until Robert's family moved, meet again at this year's holiday-camp. First love, first nude experience, first self-made theatre performance of "Romeo and Juliet". A look at the east-German youth in the late seventies.

Wenn Mutti früh zur Arbeit geht

Wed, 26 Oct 2022

Pride & Attitude

Thu, 09 Oct 2025

The viewpoints of women from a country that no longer exists preserved on low-band U-matic tape. GDR-FRG. Courageous, self-confident and emancipated: female industry workers talk about gaining autonomy.

1-2-tip für immer - Disko in der DDR

Tue, 29 Dec 2020

Beyond the Blue Border

Thu, 03 Oct 2024

GDR, August 1989: Hanna and Andreas became a target of the secret police and had to give up their plans for their future studies and desired professions. Instead, they face arbitrariness, mistrust and reprisals. Their only chance for a self-determined life lies in fleeing across the Baltic Sea. Fifty kilometres of water separate them from freedom - and only a thin connecting rope around their wrists saves them from absolute loneliness.

Auf der Oder

Thu, 16 Apr 1970

Documentary reports on the annual icing of the Oder in the 160-kilometer border area between the GDR and the People's Republic of Poland. Icebreakers from both countries with experienced skippers join forces to make the international waterway between Frankfurt and Szczecin navigable again. Everyone works hard as a team and even a broken-down ship cannot stop them from achieving their goal. A look back at the winter of 1947 with its flooding shows what the freezing of the river and the subsequent thaw can do if the ice floes are not drained into the Baltic Sea via Lake Dammsch in good time. The skippers from both countries have known each other for years and trust each other; the camaraderie that has developed on the Oder unites the people, they control the river in winter for the common benefit of all.

3 1/2 Hours

Fri, 02 Jul 2021

August 13, 1961: The passengers on the interzonal train from Munich to East Berlin learn 3½ hours before crossing the border that the Wall is being built in Berlin. They have 3½ hours to make a life-changing decision: to get off the train or keep going.

In Syrien auf Montage

Fri, 01 Oct 1971

The film is a reportage showing the help of workers from the GDR in the industrial reconstruction of Syria. We witness the friendly relationship between workers from both countries, who are jointly involved in the construction of the cotton spinning mill in Homs. In impressive pictures the exoticism of the environment and the mentality of the Syrian hosts is shown. At the same time it becomes clear that the workers from the GDR become 'ambassadors of the GDR' through their collegial behaviour and good work.

From Us To Me / Vom Wir zum Ich

Tue, 29 Nov 1988

This first co-production between the GDR and Great Britain is intended to contribute to an understanding of the situation and attitudes of millions of working people in opposing social orders. Using the example of shipyard workers, fishermen, the brigade and family of a trade union active cook and unemployed person of various ages and professions in Newcastle on the one hand and a brigade of crane operators of the Warnowwerft and fishermen of the Warnemünde cooperative on the other hand, insights into the way of life and attitudes of people of our time are to be conveyed.

Am Todesstreifen: DDR-Grenzer erzählen

Sat, 12 Sep 2020

Zu den Sternen

Thu, 30 Sep 2021

They used to make music together in the GDR and were best friends. Then one of them became famous and the other was arrested. Decades later, the latter wants justice and accuses his successful colleague of spying on him and betraying his escape plans to the Stasi. The dramatic night-time conversation ends disastrously. After a concert, successful pop singer Marco Hoffmann's past catches up with him: his ex-bandmate Wolle wants to talk to him. The two had a rock band in the GDR - but while Marco was making a career for himself, Wolle ended up in prison after a failed escape attempt. Even after being ransomed to the West and the collapse of the GDR, Wolle couldn't get a leg on the ground. He suspected Marco of having spied on him as an IM. Wolle believes he has found clear evidence in his Stasi file. But Marco denies everything.

Sind so kleine Hände

Invalid Date

While many GDR opposition activists emigrated to West Germany at the beginning of the 1980s, the well-known singer-songwriter Bettina Wegner held on to her homeland against all odds. Although she was sent to prison as a young mother, she remained convinced that it was worth fighting to make the GDR a better, freer society. However, life as an undesirable person in the state becomes a real ordeal for her and her family.

Next Year at Lake Balaton

Thu, 26 Jun 1980

Jonas and Ines are in love and want to spend their vacation together camping on the Baltic coast. But Ines’s narrow-minded parents intervene and insist that the young couple joins the family vacation. Problems arise, so everyone ends up traveling to the Bulgarian Black Sea on their own. Along the way, Jonas meets a beautiful Dutch girl who is going to India via Turkey…

ABF-Memoiren

Sat, 13 Feb 1993

The documentary shows historical film footage from the workers' and farmers' faculties (ABF) of the GDR, which existed until 1962 and were intended to help level out class differences in the education sector by preparing mainly workers' and farmers' children for a university career.

Coded Message for the Boss

Thu, 29 Nov 1979

Wolf Brandin is in his mid-twenties and lives with his wife and child in East Berlin at the end of the 1950s. In West Berlin, the student of electrical engineering is recruited by the American secret service CIA. But Brandin immediately notifies the State Security of the German Democratic Republic and from then on lives a dangerous life as a double agent. When Brandin reaches the breaking point, his marriage starts to unravel because Brandin is not allowed to tell his family about his double life.