Three films from the GDR to rediscover

Do you fancy a movie night with classics? The former film company of the GDR was founded exactly 80 years ago - Defa was founded on May 17, 1946. Which three films should you definitely watch? "That's a very difficult question," says Stefanie Eckert, Director of the Defa Foundation. She could list many. Here are her suggestions:

Fiction film: "Sterne" by Konrad Wolf

The 1959 film is set in Bulgaria during the Second World War. A sensitively told love story, it is one of the first films by a German director to address the Holocaust. "It's a beautiful story, but it's also full of sadness," says Eckert. The film can be viewed on the streaming portal Filmfriend.

Documentary: "Winter adé" by Helke Misselwitz

The film from 1988 is about women in the GDR. Director Misselwitz visits women from the south to the north of the country who talk about their longings, their lives and their work. "You gain an insight into the lives of women in the GDR. Very beautifully and calmly told, also poetic." The Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung is showing the film.

Trickfilm: "Die Leuchtturminsel" by Günter Rätz

"This is a very enchanting children's film," says Eckert. The 40-minute film from the 1970s is incredibly amusing, quirky and funny. Children would still enjoy it today. It tells the story of the lighthouse keeper Jonathan, a lazy tomcat, a nagging billy goat and the dog Mondschein. The film is available on the YouTube channel Defa-Filmwelt.