Tango Dream

Tango Dream 1985

4.70

Sitting at her typewriter, listening to tango music, she dreams. Buenos Aires and Montevideo are far away, a different world where, long ago, the tango came into being. A dream about dance and music, as well as about unfulfilled desire and wanderlust behind the Berlin Wall.

1985

The Wind Rose

The Wind Rose 1957

5.00

An international anthology about the struggles of female workers around the world.

1957

Gut gemeinter Zuruf oder Das Kleefest

Gut gemeinter Zuruf oder Das Kleefest 1977

1

A village in the Republic celebrated its traditional clover festival in the summer of 1976. In the form of a political feuilleton, the film conveys to the viewer the new attitude to life of the people in the countryside.

1977

Who's Afraid of the Bogeyman

Who's Afraid of the Bogeyman 1989

1

Portrait of a private coal company in East Berlin's Prenzlauer Berg district in 1988/89. The feisty woman boss runs the business with humour and understanding. Her seven male employees respect her. To the outside world, they are all tough guys, but as they describe their jobs and personal situations, above and beyond the hard manual labour, their vulnerability starts to come to light.

1989

Eine Nacht wie jede andere

Eine Nacht wie jede andere 1957

1

Black and white short documentary about the patrol of the EMW radio car "Toni 14" of the Berlin police.

1957

The Russian Miracle

The Russian Miracle 1963

8.00

Das russische Wunder (The Russian Miracle) (1963) is a two-part East German documentary directed by Annelie and Andrew Thorndike. The documentary chronicles Russia’s dramatic transformation from the Tsarist Empire to the Soviet Union, covering key historical moments including the 1917 October Revolution and the rise of Soviet communism. Through the use of archival footage, the film explores the socio-political upheavals that reshaped Russia and culminates in the achievements of the Soviet space program. Produced by DEFA, it was first broadcast on East German television in 1963, offering an insightful look at Russia's 20th-century evolution.

1963

Tango

Tango 1985

1

A brief history of the emergence and artistic innovations of tango in 19th-century Argentina and Europe. The film offers a mosaic of tango melodies, art works, dance performances, historical footage, photographs of Buenos Aires at the turn of the 20th century, and texts by Celedonio Flores and Enrique Santos Discépolo.

1985

Filmsommerliches

Filmsommerliches 1966

1

A feuilletonistic conversation with the movie audience about the question: How do you feel about going to the movies? In general - and especially in summer? What do people expect from movies these days and what criticism do they have on their minds? The interviewees are vacationers of all ages and tastes. The occasion and background for this not entirely serious survey is the 1965 Summer Film Festival, which is captured in a cheerful reportage style. Interviews with actors on the festive opening evening and climax of the film confirm that there is only a relative cinema fatigue. It depends on the quality of the film on offer.

1966

Das Stacheltier - Der Wintermantel

Das Stacheltier - Der Wintermantel 1954

1

A little man wants to order a warm coat from a fabric he has brought with him to a tailor's workshop in winter. He is laughed at and told that orders for this type of garment are only accepted in the summer - after all, they work to a schedule. When the customer continues to insist on his request, he is declared insane by the employees of the atelier - they are not a capitalist company after all. This infuriates him so much that a neurologist, the fire department and an ambulance are called. The doctor clarifies the situation and advises the first tailor to have a word with his assistant. "I'm normal," he claims. "I believe it," replies the doctor, "but will the others believe it...?"

1954

Helgoland dem Frieden

Helgoland dem Frieden 1951

1

Under the sign of the swastika, it was, amongst other things, turned into a naval base, it got heavily destroyed in two waves of attack in April of 1945 by British bombers. After the war, Heligoland was made available as bombing training ground for the English army by the West-German government. Seven young people occupied the isle and began to repair the emergency shelter for sailors who got in danger. This and further major actions eventually ended the bombing exercises. Back then, the watchword was: “Heligoland to the Germans! “ – “Heligoland for peace!”

1951

Amok

Amok 1985

1

The desperate private war of a Vietnam veteran of the US Army. The Film explores the biggest amok run in the history of the USA at that point of time. The story of a mass murder in San Diego on July 18 1984 is told by showing reports of a local TV station. It turns out that the amok was partly caused by traumatic experiences during the Vietnam War.

1985

In Syrien auf Montage

In Syrien auf Montage 1971

1

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.

1971

After Winter Comes Spring

After Winter Comes Spring 1989

7.60

A locomotive journey traversing the North to the South of the German Democratic Republic on the eve of its dissolution. Labourers, punks, mothers, intellectuals, young and old are implored to reflect on their life choices, the sacrifices they've made, and their place in the world. Despite everything, hope persists.

1989

Song of the Rivers

Song of the Rivers 1954

5.00

An allegorical documentary about the workers of the world, whose common destinies and hopes for peace are symbolically united by the rivers that run through their respective lands. The film was shot on the Volga, the Mississippi, the Nile, the Yangtze, the Amazon and the Ganges and combines these images of five continents with the music of Dmitri Shostakovich and the poetry of both Bertolt Brecht and Paul Robeson.

1954

Bulky Trash

Bulky Trash 1991

1

In early summer 1989, Helke Misselwitz portrays young musicians in a band who produce their music on other people’s waste items. The four boys call themselves "Bulk Rubbish" and they drum out their resentment, having grown up on the new housing estates of East Berlin. A straight-up picture of the GDR youth is presented here, which in no way conforms to the official image. The film crew concentrates on the observation of the boy Enrico and his mother Erika: when the mother marries in the West, her son decides to stay in East Berlin, bidding her farewell at the border-crossing. Only shortly after, the tables are turned again: as the events in Berlin leading up to the fall of the Wall are practically captured live from the film crew, Enrico insists on maintaining his cultural identity, even after the fall of the Wall. The "Bulk Rubbish" musicians want to remain citizens of their own state and perceive the looming reunification with scepticism.

1991

Film-Salabim

Film-Salabim 1984

1

Children are introduced to the magical world of cinema in a cheerful and fantastic way; embedded in a turbulent story, they learn about the film professions. A young author, Alice, has written a story and travels to the DEFA feature film studio where this story is to be realized. On the way there, she meets characters she has already invented. The doorman, who is later recognized as one of the actors, wants to refuse them entry. Now begins a cheerful plot to realize the story, which is based on a well-known fairy tale, combined with the chase of the gatekeeper, prince and princess. Alice stands up for her charges, who occasionally slip away from her, and tries to move the plot forward, which involves various film professions. In the end, the real and the fictional merge in a fairytale meadow.

1984