Winter Ade Winter Ade
Part of the Series: Reel Women in East German Film
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 and backgrounds. In this documentary masterpiece, women reveal their personal and professional frustrations, hopes and aspirations--and, in doing so, paint a portrait of a changing society. The landscape and architecture of East Germany, filmed in B&W on 35mm by Thomas Plenert, form the background to the stories.
This groundbreaking documentary caused a sensation when it was premiered at the 1988 Leipzig International Documentary Film Festival. It undermined the official image of women in the GDR and challenged the East German claim to have achieved gender equality. At the same time, postulating a new independence, women talked about their lives more openly than had ever been filmed before. Ironically, the director was in the US touring with the film on the night when the Berlin Wall fell ... exactly one year after its premiere.
I don't know a more intelligent, moving documentary about how women's lives are shaped by patriarchy. - Amy Taubin, Village Voice
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Comments (2)
Agreed: an Unprecedented collection of DEFA films. A gem of a collection a view into a time and society the memory of which is fading away in the bright lights of western capitalism.
A very interesting series, Reel Women in East German film, but perhaps more than that the most expansive collection I've run across on the DDR and its films. I lived in West Berlin in the 1980s and I live in NYC now, but I am astonished at the range and quality of the DDR film collection. ...Read more
A very interesting series, Reel Women in East German film, but perhaps more than that the most expansive collection I've run across on the DDR and its films. I lived in West Berlin in the 1980s and I live in NYC now, but I am astonished at the range and quality of the DDR film collection. And is offered up by Queens Library for free. (Wow!). Many films are worthy but I must plug [Winter Ade], a documentary on women in East Germany made only a year or so before the Wall came down. A real gem this film.
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