Mitgift - Ostdeutschland im Wandel

Ostseeparadies Rügen(de)

The white chalk cliffs of Rügen are among the most impressive natural monuments on earth, which the painter Casper David Friedrich immortalized for posterity as early as the 19th century. Germany's largest island with its seaside resorts from the Gründerzeit, its smaller side islands and peninsulas that give it its shape, its lagoon-like Bodden waters, the dense beech forests, the yellow rapeseed fields and the meadows, the shady tree avenues and the white sandy beaches is not only a magnet for tourists, but also a unique natural paradise in the middle of the Baltic Sea, a habitat for the rare white-tailed eagle, fallow deer, raccoon dogs and badgers as well as a resting place for huge swarms of migratory birds such as geese and cranes that can be heard trumpeting from afar. In this nature documentary, the unique landscapes and the diversity of the animal world of Rügen are captured with beautiful pictures during the changing of the seasons.

Der Schwarze Kanal oder Armes Deutschland(de)

Documentary about the life and career of Karl-Eduard von Schnitzler, presenter and creator of the infamous GDR propaganda programme 'Der Schwarze Kanal' ('The Black Channel').

Die Sekretäre(de)

The film talks about the rise and fall of the two most influential protagonists in GDR-politics. In succession, over long stretches even together, Ulbricht and Honecker determined the course of the GDR, of course without ever getting out of being a satellite state to the big brother in Moscow. The film looks for the caesura and crucial points in the power game between Ulbricht and Honecker.

Drei Stunden Güstrow(de)

December 1981: Helmut Schmidt, chancellor of the FRG, visits the chairman of the state council of the GDR, Erich Honecker. The experiences with the visit of Willy Brandt in Erfurt in 1970 have warned the state leadership: Euphoria for a federal chancellor is out of the question this time. For December 13th, the protocol plans a visit to Güstrow. The Christmas market, the Barlach memorial, and the cathedral of Güstrow are on the agenda. The enormous machinery of the ministry of state security is set into motion in order to ensure the “safety of the guest”. Erich Mielke: “Never before, such a high effort was necessary as here in Güstrow.” People are temporarily arrested, inhabitants placed under house arrest, Stasi employees dressed up as “visitors of the Christmas market”. And like that, the media was supposed to get presented with a favourable image of the GDR. A reconstruction of three hours of state visit to Güstrow.

DDR 1990 - Reise durch ein verschwindendes Land(de)

Meine Reise in die DDR - 25 Jahre später(de)

About a journalist and his cameraman visiting East Germany, former GDR, 25 years later again after their journey which took place in January 1990, just between the Fall of the Wall and the reunification with West Germany, comparing the old pictures with the present of 2015 and meeting former interview partners a second time. An impressive work of time documentary showing seemingly surreal scenes about the changings of cities, industrial locations and lifes in different political and economical systems.

1-2-tip für immer - Disko in der DDR(de)

Rügen - Weiße Felsen, grüne Wälder(de)

Rügen is the largest island of Germany. Located off the Baltic Sea coast of Western Pomerania, two thirds of its area is protected. The green beech forests of the Jasmund National Park are considered an original virgin forest that is unique in Europe and are part of the UNESCO World Heritage. The white chalk cliffs, which can be seen from afar, are the island's distinctive symbol and were immortalized in the paintings of Caspar David Friedrich more than 200 years ago. On the small island of Vilm, which belongs to Rügen, there is another core area of nature conservation with a 500-year-old, untouched beech forest. Within sight of this refuge, organic farmers are trying to bring more diversity back to the fields. Small-scale agriculture with a great diversity of species has emerged between hedges, tree islands and biotopes. The documentary shows Rügen's natural treasures and introduces different people who have found their home here and are fighting to preserve nature.

Rammstein in Amerika(de)

The concert film celebrates the band’s legendary show in New York’s Madison Square Garden – Rammstein’s return to the US after a ten-year absence. In HD and 5.1 surround sound. For the documentary, Rammstein provided extensive, previously unreleased footage and photos from the band archive. In numerous interviews from various periods in the band’s history, the band members speak about their experiences across the Atlantic.

Wolves Return(de)

Wolves divide and fascinate us. 150 years after they were driven to extinction in Central Europe, they are returning slowly but inexorably. Are they dangerous to humans? Is it possible to coexist? Using Switzerland as a point of departure, where wolves have returned in the very recent past, this documentary sheds light on the wolf situation in Austria, eastern Germany, Poland, Bulgaria, and even Minnesota, where freely roaming packs of wolves are more common sight.

Here We Come(en)

The story of hip hip behind the iron curtain.

Lost in DDR - Stefan Danzigers Trip nach 1989(de)

No More Mr. Nice Guy(de)

The brothers Kipp and Most set off to inherit their grandmother's estate. Along the way, they meet Viktor, a deserted Russian soldier who kidnaps them, and Nadine, who joins them voluntarily. On their way to their inheritance, the protagonists get into some seemingly hopeless situations.

Grill Point(de)

Christian is a presenter at a small radio station. His wife Katrin directs traffic in a car park. Both are friends with Uwe, who runs a fast food kiosk, and Ellen, who works in a perfume shop. Their four lives are stuck in a rut. Until the day Chris and Ellen sleep together and upset the balance of the two couples...

Zeit der Fische(de)

Eastern Cross(de)

15-year-old Elfie literally and metaphorically inhabits a no-man’s-land between the two Germanies shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall. The film deploys a neorealist aesthetic to reinforce the difficulties confronting the girl, and by inference, Germany.

Jerichow(de)

In a small town in Northern Germany, a penniless German veteran is offered a job as a deliveryman by an alcoholic Turkish entrepreneur, through which the former meets the latter's wife.

Driving Me Crazy(en)

An eccentric East German inventor and defector travels to Los Angeles, California to sell a prototype revolutionary new car that runs on vegetables and produces no pollution, but he runs into one madcap situation after another to find a buyer and financier for mass production.

Schulz & Schulz(de)

East Germany before reunification: Wolfgang Schulz watches Western television and discovers his long-lost twin brother Walter on the show "Aktuelles Sportstudio." They quickly get in touch, and the two decide to switch roles for a few days. Since both work in advertising, they think it will be a temporary bit of fun. But everyday life turns out to be different. Shortly afterwards, the Berlin Wall falls and the brothers found a company together. Now their different mentalities really come to the fore, and "Schulz & Schulz" have to realize that even in the general spirit of optimism, it is not so easy to run a company together. It doesn't take long before the two find themselves in the red.

Company Business(en)

An aging agent is called back by "the Company" to run a hostage trade of a Soviet spy for an American agent.