Although the East German government introduced ambiguous environmental laws as of its founding in 1949, its ideals could not be fulfilled in tandem with the country’s economic growth plans and budget restrictions. Over the next decades, environmental problems increased to such an extent that the government classified all kinds of environmental data as “confidential” in 1972 and “secret” in 1982. At the end of the 1970s, the first grassroots environmental groups were founded, and the growing ecological movement became critical in drawing public attention to increasingly disastrous environmental problems. The activities of these groups were closely watched, infiltrated or stopped by the Stasi. In 1986, the Chernobyl nuclear disaster and the founding of the East Berlin Umweltbibliothek were turning points in the increasingly political environmental movement, which became a crucial player during the peaceful revolution of 1989. 

Peter Rocha’s trilogy—The Pain of Lusatia (1990), Life on the Stream - W Blotach (1989) and High Forest Fairy Tale (1987)—on environmental destruction in the Lusatia area caused by brown coal mining and power plants is one of the most notable East German documentary projects. 

Rocha visited the Lusatia region from 1987 to 1990, documenting the degradation of the Spreewald region—a unique network of rivers and canals (designated UNESCO biosphere reserve since 1991)—and culture of Sorbian people, the only ethnic minority living in the former East Germany. Rocha’s filmic protest of the destruction of Sorbian culture, villages and landscapes as a result of advancing mining was met with little approval from East German officials.

High Forest Fairy Tale (1987): A fairy tale by Sorbian writer Jurij Brězan turns into a parable about the destruction of nature by man.

Life on the Stream - W Blotach (1989): The tale of four generations of a Sorbian family, who have experienced all sorts of the negative effects, including water and air pollution, of industrialization.

The Pain of Lusatia (1989-90): Stories of people, who were confronted with the destruction of their beautiful landscape caused by a failed energy policy of the GDR. Singer/songwriter and miner Gerd Gundermann, Sorbian writer Jurij Koch and others talk about their ways of protest.

As coal mining, flooding of regions and resettling of villages have continued in Lusatia after unification, so too have the protests by environmental activists against the continuous destruction of nature. Although re-cultivation programs have started, a complete stop of lignite mining is not planned before 2038. Peter Rocha’s filmic plea to accept our responsibility as custodians of the environment is as topical and important as ever!

The DEFA Studios produced many environmental films that followed the official party line. However, the growing public environmental awareness was also reflected in some films. Several documentaries, animation and feature films touched on environmental issues and questioned the officially promoted environmental situation. These films, especially the animation films, are sharp and satirical discussion of taboo topics, including forest damage and air and water pollution. Other films deal critically with problems caused by brown coal mining, including the resettling of villages. But these film projects were a red flag for the studio officials, and scripts and rough cuts went through extensive and complicated approvals.