In 2026, the DEFA Film Library and its partners will celebrate the 80th anniversary of the founding of the DEFA Studios at Babelsberg's Atlthoff Studios in the Soviet Occupied Zone in the eastern part of Germany on May 17, 1946.
Through a series of events, we will explore the historical developments that led to the studio’s creation, highlight key milestones from nearly five decades of film production, and examine the work of the artists who shaped DEFA’s legacy in both production and distribution. We will also showcase lesser-known films that deserve renewed attention and discovery.
We hope you will join us for one or more of these special events.
Event Calendar:
October
- Deaf Crocodile release of Bluray Box “DEFA Anti-fascist Films”
September
- German Studies Association conference: Arts Night: The Unknown DEFA Film, Phoenix, AZ | Panel series “Screening the Ruderal: Resilience and Survival in Adverse Environments” | DEFA80 champagne toast
July/August
- Virtual Animation Festival, ”Marion Rasche: Collaborating with Young Artists” on @defafilmlibraryamherst
May
- GI Santiago, Chile, in collaboration with Casa del Arte Diego Rivera present DEFA 80 años from May 5 to May 26.
- 30+ English SDH subtitles for DEFA feature films and documentaries
- GI Buenos Aires: DEFA’s sci-fi films
- One-week free stream of Outer Space and Every Day: A Short History of DEFA (Germany, 2018, dir. Betina Kuntzsch) on @defafilmlibrarymaherst
- Release of five DEFA films on GoetheonDemand: The Murderers Are among Us | Berlin – Schönhauser Corner… | Born in ‘45 | Jacob the Liar | Coming Out
- GI Stockholm in collaboration with the Swedish Film Institute:Three Films, Three Decades, Three Styles (screenings in 16mm)
April
- Deaf Crocodile release of Bluray Box “DEFA Fairy Tales”
- Virtual gallery, “Film Poster Artist Otto Kummert Turns 90,” in @defafilmlibraryamherst
- Close-Up series, “Before the DEFA Studio Was Founded…,” on @defafilmlibraryamherst