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DEFA Film Library

DEFA Film Library >

136
Videos

The DEFA Film Library's (East) German Film Collection

Coming Out 109 mins Although he has a girlfriend who is expecting his child, Philipp, a young teacher in Berlin, meets Matthias and falls in love. After years of…
Coming Out Coming Out
Sabine Kleist, Age 7 - Sabine Kleist, 7 Jahre 70 mins Since her parents died in a car accident, Sabine has lived in an orphanage. When Edith--her beloved caretaker and the only adult she trusts--leaves to…
Sabine Kleist, Age 7 - Sabine Kleist, 7 Jahre Sabine Kleist, Age 7 - Sabine Kleist, 7 Jahre
The Murderers are Among Us - Die Mörder sind unter uns 82 mins In 1945, after three years in a concentration camp, the artist Susanne Wallner (Hildegard Knef) returns to a Berlin in ruins. Shot in the rubble…
The Murderers are Among Us - Die Mörder sind unter uns The Murderers are Among Us - Die Mörder sind unter uns
Held for Questioning - Der Aufenthalt 98 mins Based on Hermann Kant's autobiographical novel, the acclaimed film HELD FOR QUESTIONING raises existential questions about crime and punishment, as well as obedience and responsibility.…
Held for Questioning - Der Aufenthalt Held for Questioning - Der Aufenthalt
Marriage in the Shadows - Ehe im Schatten 2 videos The first German feature film to explicitly address the persecution of Jews in Nazi Germany, Marriage in the Shadows called on Germans to accept collective…
Marriage in the Shadows - Ehe im Schatten Marriage in the Shadows - Ehe im Schatten
All My Girls - Alle meine Mädchen 83 mins Despite his lack of enthusiasm, film student Ralf is assigned to make a documentary about a team of six women workers at a light bulb…
All My Girls - Alle meine Mädchen All My Girls - Alle meine Mädchen
And Your Love Too - und deine Liebe auch 89 mins On August 13th, 1961--the night the Berlin Wall goes up--three people must make a decision that will change their lives forever... Upon learning of the…
And Your Love Too - und deine Liebe auch And Your Love Too - und deine Liebe auch

DEFA Classics

Coming Out 109 mins Although he has a girlfriend who is expecting his child, Philipp, a young teacher in Berlin, meets Matthias and falls in love. After years of…
Coming Out Coming Out
The Architects - Die Architekten 3 videos Filmed as the GDR crumbled, this somber, finely drawn portrait of life in East Berlin depicts a young architect whose life and goals are strangled…
The Architects - Die Architekten The Architects - Die Architekten
The Silent Star - Der schweigende Stern 3 videos The first science-fiction film brought out in East Germany, THE SILENT STAR is based on Stanislaw Lem's mysterious novel, The Astronauts (1951). In it, an…
The Silent Star - Der schweigende Stern The Silent Star - Der schweigende Stern
Winter Ade - Winter Ade 113 mins Shortly before GDR's collapse, Helke Misselwitz traveled by train from one end of the country to the other interviewing East German women of different ages…
Winter Ade - Winter Ade Winter Ade - Winter Ade
Wozzeck - Wozzeck 95 mins While an anatomy seminar prepares to examine the cadaver of Franz Wozzeck in the name of scientific progress, medical student Buchner excoriates humanity for having…
Wozzeck - Wozzeck Wozzeck - Wozzeck
The Wall - Die Mauer 97 mins A poetic and enigmatic documentary by painter and filmmaker Jurgen Bottcher, who relies on sight and sound to contemplate the Berlin Wall's historic and symbolic…
The Wall - Die Mauer The Wall - Die Mauer
The Story of Little Mook - Die Geschichte vom Kleinen Muck 97 mins Germany's most beloved and successful children's film classic takes you into the magical settings of the Arabian Nights. Wolfgang Staudte's lavish production and special effects…
The Story of Little Mook - Die Geschichte vom Kleinen Muck The Story of Little Mook - Die Geschichte vom Kleinen Muck

DEFA Directors: 1st Generation

Marriage in the Shadows - Ehe im Schatten 2 videos The first German feature film to explicitly address the persecution of Jews in Nazi Germany, Marriage in the Shadows called on Germans to accept collective…
Marriage in the Shadows - Ehe im Schatten Marriage in the Shadows - Ehe im Schatten
The Kaiser's Lackey - Der Untertan 2 videos This historical satire, based on Heinrich Mann's world-famous novel, Der Untertan, is ranked by film critics among the 100 Most Significant German Films of all…
The Kaiser's Lackey - Der Untertan The Kaiser's Lackey - Der Untertan
The Rabbit is Me - Das Kaninchen bin ich 4 videos The Rabbit Is Me was intended to encourage discussion of the democratization of East German society. A sardonic portrayal of the GDR's judicial system, the…
The Rabbit is Me - Das Kaninchen bin ich The Rabbit is Me - Das Kaninchen bin ich
Destinies of Women - Frauenschicksale 100 mins Berlin 1952, seven years after WWII. Four women are looking for a good man and happiness in the divided city. Their destinies are loosely connected…
Destinies of Women - Frauenschicksale Destinies of Women - Frauenschicksale
The Story of Little Mook - Die Geschichte vom Kleinen Muck 97 mins Germany's most beloved and successful children's film classic takes you into the magical settings of the Arabian Nights. Wolfgang Staudte's lavish production and special effects…
The Story of Little Mook - Die Geschichte vom Kleinen Muck The Story of Little Mook - Die Geschichte vom Kleinen Muck
Rotation 5 videos The story of an apolitical working-class family that nevertheless gets drawn into collusion with Nazi policies. Rotation was awarded the Golden Leopard at the 1954…
Rotation Rotation
Somewhere in Berlin - Irgendwo in Berlin 81 mins After WWII, Berlin lies in ruins. For Gustav, Willi and their friends the rubble provides an adventurous, dangerous playground. For Gustav it also helps pass…
Somewhere in Berlin - Irgendwo in Berlin Somewhere in Berlin - Irgendwo in Berlin

DEFA Directors: 2nd Generation

Coming Out 109 mins Although he has a girlfriend who is expecting his child, Philipp, a young teacher in Berlin, meets Matthias and falls in love. After years of…
Coming Out Coming Out
And Your Love Too - und deine Liebe auch 89 mins On August 13th, 1961--the night the Berlin Wall goes up--three people must make a decision that will change their lives forever... Upon learning of the…
And Your Love Too - und deine Liebe auch And Your Love Too - und deine Liebe auch
Berlin - Schönhauser Corner - Berlin - Ecke Schönhauser 80 mins They are East Berlin teenagers. They want to be free - to dance to rock'n'roll, trade forbidden western goods and get away from the constraints…
Berlin - Schönhauser Corner - Berlin - Ecke Schönhauser Berlin - Schönhauser Corner - Berlin - Ecke Schönhauser
A Berlin Romance - Eine Berliner Romanze 78 mins Mid-1950s Berlin, before the building of the Wall. Uschi, a salesgirl and aspiring fashion model from the East, is attracted to Hans, from the West.…
A Berlin Romance - Eine Berliner Romanze A Berlin Romance - Eine Berliner Romanze
Divided Heaven - Der geteilte Himmel 110 mins After a breakdown, Rita returns to her childhood village in 1961. As she recovers, she remembers the past two years: her love for the chemist…
Divided Heaven - Der geteilte Himmel Divided Heaven - Der geteilte Himmel
I Was Nineteen - Ich war neunzehn 3 videos Gregor is a young soldier entering Germany with the victorious Soviet troops at the end of WWII. But he is also the child of left-wing…
I Was Nineteen - Ich war neunzehn I Was Nineteen - Ich war neunzehn
The Legend of Paul and Paula - Die Legende von Paul und Paula 102 mins Author Ulrich Plenzdorf and director Heiner Carow winningly portray everyday life in East Berlin in a passionate, but star-crossed love story. Featuring the music of…
The Legend of Paul and Paula - Die Legende von Paul und Paula The Legend of Paul and Paula - Die Legende von Paul und Paula

Literary Adaptions

Held for Questioning - Der Aufenthalt 98 mins Based on Hermann Kant's autobiographical novel, the acclaimed film HELD FOR QUESTIONING raises existential questions about crime and punishment, as well as obedience and responsibility.…
Held for Questioning - Der Aufenthalt Held for Questioning - Der Aufenthalt
Marriage in the Shadows - Ehe im Schatten 2 videos The first German feature film to explicitly address the persecution of Jews in Nazi Germany, Marriage in the Shadows called on Germans to accept collective…
Marriage in the Shadows - Ehe im Schatten Marriage in the Shadows - Ehe im Schatten
The Kaiser's Lackey - Der Untertan 2 videos This historical satire, based on Heinrich Mann's world-famous novel, Der Untertan, is ranked by film critics among the 100 Most Significant German Films of all…
The Kaiser's Lackey - Der Untertan The Kaiser's Lackey - Der Untertan
Divided Heaven - Der geteilte Himmel 110 mins After a breakdown, Rita returns to her childhood village in 1961. As she recovers, she remembers the past two years: her love for the chemist…
Divided Heaven - Der geteilte Himmel Divided Heaven - Der geteilte Himmel
The Adventures of Werner Holt - Die Abenteuer des Werner Holt 159 mins Two 17-year-olds, Werner Holt and Gilbert Wolzow, are pulled out of school and into Hitler's army. Gilbert becomes a fanatical soldier; but at the front,…
The Adventures of Werner Holt - Die Abenteuer des Werner Holt The Adventures of Werner Holt - Die Abenteuer des Werner Holt
The Woman and the Stranger - Die Frau und der Fremde 2 videos Karl and Richard, two German soldiers captured by the Russians in World War I, become very close friends--so close that Richard shares intimate stories about…
The Woman and the Stranger - Die Frau und der Fremde The Woman and the Stranger - Die Frau und der Fremde
The Story of Little Mook - Die Geschichte vom Kleinen Muck 97 mins Germany's most beloved and successful children's film classic takes you into the magical settings of the Arabian Nights. Wolfgang Staudte's lavish production and special effects…
The Story of Little Mook - Die Geschichte vom Kleinen Muck The Story of Little Mook - Die Geschichte vom Kleinen Muck

Art & Artists

Marriage in the Shadows - Ehe im Schatten 2 videos The first German feature film to explicitly address the persecution of Jews in Nazi Germany, Marriage in the Shadows called on Germans to accept collective…
Marriage in the Shadows - Ehe im Schatten Marriage in the Shadows - Ehe im Schatten
The Architects - Die Architekten 3 videos Filmed as the GDR crumbled, this somber, finely drawn portrait of life in East Berlin depicts a young architect whose life and goals are strangled…
The Architects - Die Architekten The Architects - Die Architekten
Käthe Kollwitz: Images of a Life - Käthe Kollwitz - Bilder eines Lebens 94 mins Kathe Kollwitz is 47-years-old, already a well-known artist in Germany and abroad. Peter, her youngest son, volunteers to join the German army in WWI and…
Käthe Kollwitz: Images of a Life - Käthe Kollwitz - Bilder eines Lebens Käthe Kollwitz: Images of a Life - Käthe Kollwitz - Bilder eines Lebens
Solo Sunny 2 videos This smash hit, which captures the East German "70's style" in its gritty-glitzy visuals and its catchy soundtrack, is ranked by film critics among the…
Solo Sunny Solo Sunny
The Flying Dutchman - Der fliegende Holländer 3 videos In order to escape her narrow and restrictive life, Senta, the daughter of a rich shipowner, seeks refuge in her fantasies and dreams. In this…
The Flying Dutchman - Der fliegende Holländer The Flying Dutchman - Der fliegende Holländer
Goya - Goya oder der arge Weg der Erkenntnis 3 videos As a painter in the court of King Carlos IV of Spain, Goya has attained wealth and reputation. He believes in king and church, but…
Goya - Goya oder der arge Weg der Erkenntnis Goya - Goya oder der arge Weg der Erkenntnis
Latest from the Da-Da-R - Letztes aus der DaDaeR 2 videos In a loose set of cabaret pieces, Steffen Mensching and Hans-Eckardt Wenzel - highly acclaimed East German poets, songwriters and clowns - satirize East German…
Latest from the Da-Da-R - Letztes aus der DaDaeR Latest from the Da-Da-R - Letztes aus der DaDaeR

The 1980's Collection

Coming Out 109 mins Although he has a girlfriend who is expecting his child, Philipp, a young teacher in Berlin, meets Matthias and falls in love. After years of…
Coming Out Coming Out
All My Girls - Alle meine Mädchen 83 mins Despite his lack of enthusiasm, film student Ralf is assigned to make a documentary about a team of six women workers at a light bulb…
All My Girls - Alle meine Mädchen All My Girls - Alle meine Mädchen
The Architects - Die Architekten 3 videos Filmed as the GDR crumbled, this somber, finely drawn portrait of life in East Berlin depicts a young architect whose life and goals are strangled…
The Architects - Die Architekten The Architects - Die Architekten
Käthe Kollwitz: Images of a Life - Käthe Kollwitz - Bilder eines Lebens 94 mins Kathe Kollwitz is 47-years-old, already a well-known artist in Germany and abroad. Peter, her youngest son, volunteers to join the German army in WWI and…
Käthe Kollwitz: Images of a Life - Käthe Kollwitz - Bilder eines Lebens Käthe Kollwitz: Images of a Life - Käthe Kollwitz - Bilder eines Lebens
The Woman and the Stranger - Die Frau und der Fremde 2 videos Karl and Richard, two German soldiers captured by the Russians in World War I, become very close friends--so close that Richard shares intimate stories about…
The Woman and the Stranger - Die Frau und der Fremde The Woman and the Stranger - Die Frau und der Fremde
The Bicycle - Das Fahrrad 2 videos Susanne is a young, single mother who lives a somewhat alternative, unstructured lifestyle. After quitting her job, she finds herself in trouble financially and attempts…
The Bicycle - Das Fahrrad The Bicycle - Das Fahrrad
Leipzig in the Fall - Leipzig im Herbst 2 videos The most comprehensive documentation of events surrounding the 1989 Monday demonstrations in Leipzig, the centerpiece of the citizens' movement that led to the fall of…
Leipzig in the Fall - Leipzig im Herbst Leipzig in the Fall - Leipzig im Herbst

The 1970's Collection

The Legend of Paul and Paula - Die Legende von Paul und Paula 102 mins Author Ulrich Plenzdorf and director Heiner Carow winningly portray everyday life in East Berlin in a passionate, but star-crossed love story. Featuring the music of…
The Legend of Paul and Paula - Die Legende von Paul und Paula The Legend of Paul and Paula - Die Legende von Paul und Paula
Solo Sunny 2 videos This smash hit, which captures the East German "70's style" in its gritty-glitzy visuals and its catchy soundtrack, is ranked by film critics among the…
Solo Sunny Solo Sunny
The Devil's Three Golden Hairs - Wer reisst denn gleich vor'm Teufel aus 89 mins In this classic German fairy tale by the brothers Grimm, Jacob must get the Devil's three golden hairs in order to save his own life…
The Devil's Three Golden Hairs - Wer reisst denn gleich vor'm Teufel aus The Devil's Three Golden Hairs - Wer reisst denn gleich vor'm Teufel aus
In Spite of Everything! - Trotz alledem 120 mins October 1918: Liebknecht is released from prison and Berlin workers celebrate his release. Although WWI is almost over, the German Kaiserreich in vain sends its…
In Spite of Everything! - Trotz alledem In Spite of Everything! - Trotz alledem
Too Young for Love - Für die Liebe noch zu mager 83 mins Susanne is 18 years old. Everybody appreciates her work in the textile company; but nobody, including Lutz, whom she is in love with, takes note…
Too Young for Love - Für die Liebe noch zu mager Too Young for Love - Für die Liebe noch zu mager
Apaches - Apachen 91 mins Based on original documents from the Mexican-American War (1846-1848), this film tells the story of the young warrior Ulzana, who is out to avenge the…
Apaches - Apachen Apaches - Apachen
Her Third - Der Dritte 3 videos After having two children with two different men, a newly single and liberated Margit discovers herself. Her entertaining amorous pursuit of a colleague is a…
Her Third - Der Dritte Her Third - Der Dritte
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136 Videos in DEFA Film Library

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Languages
German
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Year of production
2010-2018
2000-2009
1990-1999
1980-1989
1970-1979
1960-1969
1950-1959
1940-1949
1930-1939
Duration time
< 10 minutes
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Videos
Page 1
Coming Out
Coming Out
DEFA Film Library
Although he has a girlfriend who is expecting his child, Philipp, a young teacher in Berlin, meets Matthias and falls in love. After years of repressing his homosexuality, he must finally accept himself for who he truly is. The first…
Sabine Kleist, Age 7 - Sabine Kleist, 7 Jahre
Sabine Kleist, Age 7 - Sabine Kleist, 7 Jahre
DEFA Film Library
Since her parents died in a car accident, Sabine has lived in an orphanage. When Edith--her beloved caretaker and the only adult she trusts--leaves to have a baby, Sabine runs away. Like Alice in Wonderland, the spunky little girl wanders…
The Murderers are Among Us - Die Mörder sind unter uns
The Murderers are Among Us - Die Mörder sind unter uns
Part of the Series: Reel Women in East German Film
DEFA Film Library
In 1945, after three years in a concentration camp, the artist Susanne Wallner (Hildegard Knef) returns to a Berlin in ruins. Shot in the rubble of Berlin just a year after WWII, The Murderers Are among Us was the first…
Held for Questioning - Der Aufenthalt
Held for Questioning - Der Aufenthalt
DEFA Film Library
Based on Hermann Kant's autobiographical novel, the acclaimed film HELD FOR QUESTIONING raises existential questions about crime and punishment, as well as obedience and responsibility. In the fall of 1945, a few months after the end of WWII, 19-year-old German…
Marriage in the Shadows - Ehe im Schatten
Marriage in the Shadows - Ehe im Schatten
DEFA Film Library
The first German feature film to explicitly address the persecution of Jews in Nazi Germany, Marriage in the Shadows called on Germans to accept collective responsibility for the crimes of the Third Reich. Stylistically, the production--in which many former Ufa…
2 videos
All My Girls - Alle meine Mädchen
All My Girls - Alle meine Mädchen
Part of the Series: Reel Women in East German Film
DEFA Film Library
Despite his lack of enthusiasm, film student Ralf is assigned to make a documentary about a team of six women workers at a light bulb factory in Berlin. At first, the team seems to work and get along together without…
And Your Love Too - und deine Liebe auch
And Your Love Too - und deine Liebe auch
Part of the Series: Reel Women in East German Film
DEFA Film Library
On August 13th, 1961--the night the Berlin Wall goes up--three people must make a decision that will change their lives forever... Upon learning of the building of the Wall, the director and scriptwriter changed the story they were working on…
The Kaiser's Lackey - Der Untertan
The Kaiser's Lackey - Der Untertan
DEFA Film Library
This historical satire, based on Heinrich Mann's world-famous novel, Der Untertan , is ranked by film critics among the 100 Most Significant German Films of all time. In Mann's biting critique of conservative Wilhelmine Germany, written during WWI, Diederich Hessling…
2 videos
The Architects - Die Architekten
The Architects - Die Architekten
DEFA Film Library
Filmed as the GDR crumbled, this somber, finely drawn portrait of life in East Berlin depicts a young architect whose life and goals are strangled by communist dogma represented by the older generation. THE ARCHITECTS was one of the first…
3 videos
Berlin - Schönhauser Corner - Berlin - Ecke Schönhauser
Berlin - Schönhauser Corner - Berlin - Ecke Schönhauser
DEFA Film Library
They are East Berlin teenagers. They want to be free - to dance to rock'n'roll, trade forbidden western goods and get away from the constraints of their parents and the state. This classic 1950's teen cult film became a box-office…
Seven Freckles - Sieben Sommersprossen
Seven Freckles - Sieben Sommersprossen
DEFA Film Library
Caroline and Robert knew each other from when they were children. Years later, they meet again at summer camp and fall in love. But being alone together is made difficult by the rigorous daily routine at the camp. In addition,…
Five Days, Five Nights - Fünf Tage, Fünf Nächte
Five Days, Five Nights - Fünf Tage, Fünf Nächte
DEFA Film Library
May 8, 1945: WWII is over. Dresden is in ruins. But where are the 2200 paintings by artists such as Rembrandt, Raphael, Rubens, Giorgione, Vermeer van Delft from the Old Masters Picture Gallery? Red Army Captain Leonov and his soldiers…
Elective Affinities - Die Wahlverwandtschaften
Elective Affinities - Die Wahlverwandtschaften
DEFA Film Library
During the Napoleonic Wars, Baron Eduard and his wife Charlotte live an reclusive and idyllic life together in an old castle. Driven to boredom by isolation, Eduard invites his friend Captain Otto to come stay, and Charlotte decides to bring…
A Berlin Romance - Eine Berliner Romanze
A Berlin Romance - Eine Berliner Romanze
DEFA Film Library
Mid-1950s Berlin, before the building of the Wall. Uschi, a salesgirl and aspiring fashion model from the East, is attracted to Hans, from the West. But she also loves the bright shop windows in his part of the city. The…
Snow White - Schneewittchen
Snow White - Schneewittchen
DEFA Film Library
Once upon a time, there was a beautiful and haughty queen who had a magic mirror. She would ask it, "Mirror, Mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?" And as long as the mirror answered, "You,…
Divided Heaven - Der geteilte Himmel
Divided Heaven - Der geteilte Himmel
Part of the Series: Reel Women in East German Film
DEFA Film Library
After a breakdown, Rita returns to her childhood village in 1961. As she recovers, she remembers the past two years: her love for the chemist Manfred, ten years her senior; how his enthusiasm about his new chemical process turned to…
Käthe Kollwitz: Images of a Life - Käthe Kollwitz - Bilder eines Lebens
Käthe Kollwitz: Images of a Life - Käthe Kollwitz - Bilder eines Lebens
Part of the Series: Reel Women in East German Film
DEFA Film Library
Kathe Kollwitz is 47-years-old, already a well-known artist in Germany and abroad. Peter, her youngest son, volunteers to join the German army in WWI and dies two weeks later. This painful tragedy changes Kollwitz' life and art forever. Always politically…
Rumpelstiltskin - Das Zaubermännchen
Rumpelstiltskin - Das Zaubermännchen
DEFA Film Library
A boastful miller pretends that his daughter Marie can spin straw into gold, and so she is locked into a room full of straw and ordered to spin it into gold by the next morning. A little man appears and…
The Actress - Die Schauspielerin
The Actress - Die Schauspielerin
DEFA Film Library
Maria, a rising theater star in Nazi Germany, is in love with Mark, a Jewish actor. She accepts her dream job at a theater in Munich, while Mark is banned from performing--except at the Jewish Kulturbund Theatre in Berlin. Maria…
Time of the Storks - Zeit der Störche
Time of the Storks - Zeit der Störche
DEFA Film Library
Susanne and Wolfgang have a harmonious relationship. But when Susanne meets Christian, she is attracted to his restless energy, and they fall for each other. Although she decides to end the affair after spending an intense week together, the experience…