So klang die DEFA - Filmmusik aus Babelsberg (2018)

Becoming Black

In the 1960s, a white couple living in East Germany tells their dark-skinned child that her skin color is merely a coincidence. As a teenager, she accidentally discovers the truth. Years before, a group of African men came to study in a village nearby. Sigrid, an East German woman, fell in love with Lucien from Togo and became pregnant. But she was already married to Armin. The child is Togolese-East German filmmaker Ines Johnson-Spain. In interviews with Armin and others from her childhood years, she tracks the astonishing strategies of denial her parents, striving for normality, developed following her birth. What sounds like fieldwork about social dislocation becomes an autobiographical essay film and a reflection on themes such as identity, social norms and family ties, viewed from a very personal perspective.

Drei Frauen

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In Syrien auf Montage

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.

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.

Fotoshooting DDR - Bilder zwischen Propaganda und Alltag

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Go Trabi Go forever

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Bowlingtreff

The “Bowlingtreff” is a bowling alley situated right in the centre of Leipzig opened in July 1987. At that time the quality of life in Leipzig and the whole GDR got worse. Houses collapsed because of poor conditions, public life and amusement was on a very low level. The “Bowlingtreff” was not merely an urban entertainment centre but a revolution in those days. Built with the help of hundreds of volunteers without permission of the state authorities in Berlin the building expresses a free and international architecture known as postmodernism. It is an architecture that was never seen before in Leipzig. Marble and parquet on the floor, a glass roof and beautiful pink pillars. The atmosphere was western as time witnesses remember it.

Kommen Rührgeräte in den Himmel?

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Sugar Sand

End of the 1970s in East Germany: Fred and Jonas are close friends. The 10-year-olds live near at the German-German frontier. After the mother from Jonas has made an exit application, the boys have to recognize that they are soon separated from each other. But they want to dig a tunnel to Australia to meet there themselves again. When Jonas should leave the country with his mother this night changes everything.

3 1/2 Hours

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.

Atomic Blonde

An undercover MI6 agent is sent to Berlin during the Cold War to investigate the murder of a fellow agent and recover a missing list of double agents.

Ach du meine Liebe

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Nobody Can Stop the Revolution

Combining collage animation and live action, this short depicts the achievements of the Chilean people under the Allende government and the subsequent reversal of this progress following the military coup. The collages were created by East German media artist Lutz Dammbeck; the Chilean artists Juan Forch and Vivienne Barry did the animation.

Tomorrow We Are Free

Iran 1979. The Islamic Revolution is shaking up the country. Dissident Omid, who lived for several years in the German Democratic Republic with his wife, chemical engineer Beate and their mutual daughter, hears the call from his homeland and returns to Teheran with high hopes and best intentions, bringing along his family.

Mord am Montag

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Kranke Geschäfte

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A Stasi Comedy

East Berlin, early 1980s: Ludger is hired by the Stasi to spy on the oppositional arts scene in Prenzlauer Berg. But when he falls in love with the mysterious Nathalie, he has to choose between a life as a celebrated underground poet and his career as a Stasi agent. A choice that will turn back on him 30 years later.

Next Year at Lake Balaton

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…

Chile Lives

This short, animated piece of agitprop fiercely expresses the hopes of the Chilean people.

The Girl in the Lift

Frank, a tenth grade student, falls in love with his classmate Regine. His father is a well-connected plant manager in the GDR; Regine's mother is a single parent with four children. Regine wants to become a kindergarten teacher, but her grades are poor and she is not allowed to apply for technical college. Frank champions her and seeks an open discussion about these rigid regulations. But his criticism is nipped in the bud.

Chile

This short animation collage uncovers the financial backing of the Chilean Junta bosses by the US. Screened at the 1976 Oberhausen Int. Film Festival.

Paris, secrets d'espions

Eavesdropping, infiltration, compromise or political assassination, the French capital has been the scene of actions carried out by Russian, Chinese, American, Israeli or Turkish spies since the end of the 19th century. With two airports, seven major train stations, numerous cemeteries and churches, a record number of metro stations, 157 embassies and the headquarters of UNESCO at 7 Place de Fontenoy, Paris is an ideal playground for secret agents from around the world. Let's take a look at the major cases, the methods and the lairs of the spies.

Robin Bank

The story of Enric Duran, a Catalan activist who, during the economic crisis of 2008, stole —by borrowing loans that he never paid back— half a million euros from banks, donated them to social projects and announced it to the media to denounce the practices of the banking system.

A Disturbance in the Force: How the Star Wars Holiday Special Happened

In 1978, CBS aired the “Star Wars Holiday Special” the week before Thanksgiving to an audience of 13 million people. Considered one of the worst shows in television history, it aired only once. George Lucas tried to bury it and an infamous camp legend was born. This documentary unravels the mysteries behind the most bizarre Star Wars spin-offs of all time.

Cher & the Loneliest Elephant

"The World's Loneliest Elephant" Kaavan will finally experience freedom, thanks to his biggest champion, the one & only Cher. We'll follow Cher, Free The Wild, Four Paws International, and Kaavan on every step of the trip.

Everest Unmasked

Record of the first ascent of Everest made without the use of oxygen equipment, made in May 1978 by Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler. Could it be done? Would their blood vessels burst? Would they suffer brain damage leading to madness? Nobody was sure. Messner: 'I would never come here for trying Everest with oxygen. That is not a challenge for me.' A fascinating piece of history, well filmed by Leo Dickinson and Eric Jones (above the South Col Messner used a cine camera to continue the filming), featuring Messner and Habeler's thoughts. The film follows the usual sequence from Namche to Base Camp, through the Icefall, to Camps I, II and III. It also shows historical footage of the pioneering Mallory and Shipton expeditions.

The Men Behind the Mayhem: The Special Effects of James Bond

Documentary looking at the special effects from the bond movies and the men who created them. Narrated by Marie Clairu.

I Killed John Lennon

On the 25th anniversary of John Lennon's murder, the first public hearing of newly-released taped interviews with his killer by the respected journalist Jack Jones.

Mr. X

The image of a mysterious, solitary filmmaker - a cineaste maudit - who flees from both the media and the public, is unrelentingly bound to the figure of Leos Carax, in France. Elsewhere, the real focus is on his films and he is considered to be an icon of world cinema. Mr.X dives into the poetic and visionary world of an artist who was already a cult figure from his very first film. Punctuated by interviews and unseen footage, this documentary is most of all a fine-tuned exploration of the poetic and visionary world of Leos Carax, alias "Mr.X".

Michael Moore in TrumpLand

Oscar-winner Michael Moore dives right into hostile territory with his daring and hilarious one-man show, deep in the heart of TrumpLand in the weeks before the 2016 election.

Las banderas del amanecer

carefully reconstructs the events in Bolivia between 1979 and 1982. Dark years. Speaking of Alberto Natush's coup d'etat, the massacre of Todos Santos, the murders of Luis Espinal and Marcelo Quiroga Santa Cruz, the worker, peasant and student mobilizations, García Meza Tejada's coup d'etat and the return to the democratic process.

My Notes from the Underground

The document consists of recordings collected in the years 1982-1987 by an informal group that included Jacek Petrycki, Bohdan Kosiński and Marcel Łoziński. The film reveals the backstage of the activities of the anti-communist underground, shows the everyday life of hiding oppositionists and the Polish reality of the 1980s.

Move Me Brightly - Celebrating Jerry Garcia's 70th Birthday

"Move Me Brightly" is a film based around a musical gathering at Bob Weir's TRI Studios in San Rafael, California to mark what would have been Jerry Garcia's 70th birthday on 3rd August, 2012. The revolving line-up of performers included fellow Grateful Dead members along with many guest artists who joined together to celebrate Jerry Garcia's life and work. Grateful Dead bandmates and other musicians who played with or were inspired by him. It is fitting tribute to one of rock music's most creative and imaginative composers and performers. Features contributions from fellow Grateful Dead members Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Bill Kreutzmann, Mickey Hart and Donna Jean Godchaux along with Garcia family members and guests including Carlos Santana, Furthur's Joe Russo & Jeff Chimenti, Phish's Mike Gordon, Black Crowes' Adam MacDougall, Vampire Weekend's Chris Tomson, Yellowbirds' Sam Cohen & Josh Kaufman and many more.

Defying the Nazis: The Sharps' War

Join an American couple’s courageous mission in 1939 to help refugees escape Nazi-occupied Europe. Over the course of two years, the pair will risk their lives so that hundreds can live in freedom.

The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness

Follows the behind-the-scenes work of Studio Ghibli, focusing on the notable figures Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, and Toshio Suzuki.

Eternal Spring

In March 2002, a state TV signal in China gets hacked by members of the banned spiritual group Falun Gong. Their goal is to counter the government narrative about their practice. In the aftermath, police raids sweep Changchun City, and comic book illustrator Daxiong (Justice League, Star Wars), a Falun Gong practitioner, is forced to flee. He arrives in North America, blaming the hijacking for worsening an already violent repression. But his views are challenged when he meets the lone surviving participant to have escaped China, now living in Seoul, South Korea.

TMZ Presents: Hollywood is High

From ayahuasca retreats to ketamine therapy, celebrities and scientists alike explore the healing powers and potential pitfalls of modern-day drugs.

Fulci Flashbacks: Reflections on Italy's Premiere Paura Protagonist

This documentary is featured on Arrow Video's 2011 DVD & Blu-ray releases for The Beyond (1981).

André Téchiné: A Passion for Cinema

A walk through the career of French filmmaker André Téchiné, from his own point of view and that of those who worked with him: Catherine Deneuve, Daniel Auteuil, Emmanuelle Béart, Juliette Binoche and Sandrine Kiberlain, among others.

Nomad: In the Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin

When Bruce Chatwin was dying of AIDS, his friend Werner Herzog made a final visit. As a parting gift, Chatwin gave him his rucksack. Thirty years later, Herzog sets out on his own journey, inspired by Chatwin’s passion for the nomadic life, uncovering stories of lost tribes, wanderers and dreamers.