Achtung Staatsgrenze

Short film about the GDR state border

1963-01-01 | de

Robotron - High Tech made in GDR

In a world divided by the Iron Curtain, East Germany sought to carve its niche in the technological race. Enter "Robotron" - a name that seamlessly blended "robot" and "electronics." This wasn't just a brand; it was an ambitious answer to the West's technological advancements, a testament to the GDR’s drive to match, if not surpass, Western innovation. Drawing inspiration from the corporate giants of the West, the GDR‘s government merged various businesses to form this tech behemoth. With 16 major hubs in Central Germany alone, it was clear: "Robotron" was to be the DDR's technological crown jewel. But what was the Socialist Unity Party (SED), the GDR's ruling party, envisioning with this grand venture? How did "Robotron" navigate the challenges of operating within a socialist planned economy, while striving for global excellence? And as it grew to dominate East Germany's tech landscape, why did it always seem to be one step behind the leading global tech powers?

2013-01-01 | de

Pride & Attitude

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.

2025-10-09 | de

Ost/​West – Relikte einer Grenze

2019-11-07 | de

JUNI 53

2024-07-16 | de

Sieg im Osten

The army of the GDR, called NVA had not survived the reunification of Germany, it was completely absorbed by the Bundeswehr and scrapped subsequently. But what apparently went on so smoothly as a peaceful unification of hostile brothers quietly left deep scars in the East German landscape.

1993-10-05 | de

Meiner ist bei den Soldaten

East German short film

1975-01-01 | de

Hotel Astoria

At Hotel Astoria, the former hotspot of Leipzig, guests were served champagne and turtle soup while the Stasi listened in. Animated memories from times gone by.

2020-10-28 | de

Berlin – Bauplatz der Jugend

Documents the work of youth work action on construction sites in East Berlin.

1982-01-01 | de

Interkosmos

Short film about astronauts in the GDR

1980-01-01 | de

Republic of Zambia

Erich Honecker visits the Republic of Zambia

1979-01-01 | de

Berlin Hauptbahnhof

Documents the remodeling of the Ostbahnhof in Berlin Friedrichshain into the central station of the GDR.

1988-01-01 | de

Der schwarze Kasten

Interview with Jochen Girke, a retired East German Stasi agent, filmed March, 1990 to June, 1991. Questions explore his study of psychology for use as a filmmaker and trainer of interrogators and informers. Segments include conversations with his parents, teacher, former girlfriend and wife.

1992-06-11 | de

Beyond the Blue Border

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.

2024-10-03 | de

Der Held vom Bahnhof Friedrichstraße

All his life, Michael Hartung, owner of a hopelessly debt-ridden video store, has bet on the wrong horse. When an ambitious journalist confronts him with the results of his research, everything changes for the charmingly melancholy Micha. Many years ago, as an employee of the Reichsbahn, he is said to have organized the largest mass escape in the GDR. Stasi files prove the case. He was apparently even imprisoned and then deported to an open-cast lignite mine. Seduced by a lavish salary, Micha confirms the story, although only fragments of it are true.

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Everything's a Lie

Erich Kasulke and Rudolf Portmann are comedian stars of the former GDR. When the Wall falls, so does their success. Portmann becomes a successful businessman, while Kasulke tries to continue working on the comedy circuit - without success. When his wife also cheats on him, he decides to start a new life in Berlin. There he quickly meets his old friend Portmann, who has built up a huge company. He offers him a job. But Erich puts the entire company in danger...

1992-04-09 | de

Auf der Suche nach dem Glück

Our own 20-minute film documentary accompanied the public relations work of the HIB ("Homosexual Interest Group Berlin") from 1977 onwards, for example at a GDR-wide lesbian meeting in East Berlin in 1978. In the HIB there was a cameraman with his Super8 camera, a recently graduated television director, a script team, an actor, someone to carry the camera tripod and the will to capture our work on film (Peter Rausch). From 1973 to 1979, the "Homosexual Interest Group Berlin" (HIB) operated in the capital of the GDR. Its core objective was to create a counseling and communication center for queer GDR citizens (the term "queer" was not yet a term of the new emancipation movement at the time, but it did form the basis of the HIB's work). Film clips in Super 8 format soon became part of the HIB's presentation. At the time, Bodo Amelang had compiled further clips as independent small film contributions in a "kaleidoscope".

2004-01-01 | de

Miyamoto and the Machine: The Story of KenKen

Ten years ago, Tetsuya Miyamoto had a dream to change the world through puzzles. In his classroom in Yokohama, KenKen was born. Enter a world where puzzles matter. From Tokyo to New York, from the classroom to the puzzle page to the tournament floor, Miyamoto and the Machine takes you into the brain of the inventor and the players, all while the machines of business and technology crash into artistry and humanity. Miyamoto believes each handcrafted puzzle tells a story, and if you look hard enough between the rows, columns, and cages of KenKen, you can find the story of the sensei who started a global phenomenon.

2020-12-20 | en

Battlefield Behemoths: A History of the Tank – The World Wars.

Filmed just over a century after the first tank battle in 1918, this documentary series explores how the vehicles forever changed warfare.

2018-12-29 | de

Searching for Nika

Returning to Kyiv to search for his missing dog during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, director Stas Kapralov documents his journey as he joins forces with volunteers and becomes part of a movement to rescue animals caught in the crossfire of war.

2023-08-26 | uk