TEACHING GUIDESfor selected DEFA films |
2026 Programming AwardDeadline: April 1, 2026 |
12th Biennial Summer Film Instituteat UMass Amherst | June 22-28, 2025 |
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Our Teaching Guide #6 for Blond Tango is out and available for free download. The new teaching guide was developed by Carla Steinbrecher (University of St Andrews, Universität Bonn). |
The DEFA Film Library launched a Programming Award in celebration of its 30th anniversary in 2023. This award of up to $1,000 will be offered annually. |
The 2025 Summer Film Institute will take place June 22-28, 2025 co-directed by Maria Stehle (Univ. of Tennessee) and Stephan Ehrig (Univ. of Glasgow). |
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Wedding Night in the Rain

In this first musical from the DEFA Studios, Gabi, a young hairdresser from the Baltic coast, desperately wants to be East Germany’s first female jockey. One day, she packs her bags and drives to Berlin-...
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The Tale of the Golden Shuttle

Peter and Anne live in a struggling Upper Lusation weavers' village and would get married if they weren't so poor. Anne's father tells them that things used to be different when the village had a magic golden weaving shuttle...