DEFA Film Library Grants its First Programming Award

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The DEFA Film Library’s inaugural Programming Award was recently presented to Claudia Sandberg of the University of Melbourne for her project event series, “Chile in East German Cinema,” honoring the victims and survivors of the 1973 coup in Chile.

Launched as part of its 30th anniversary celebration, the DEFA Film Library Programming Award encourages the expansion of learning about East German cinema among broader and more diverse audiences, including at high schools, museums and community-based organizations. Awards of up to $1,000 will be offered for the next three years for projects that support programming that positions East German cinema in an international context and fosters interdisciplinary and intersectional conversations.

Sandberg’s project included screenings of newly restored and subtitled films from the DEFA Film Library holdings with film introductions and Q&A, panel discussions and master classes. The events took place at the Universidad Adolfo Ibanez and Universidad Santiago de Chile, the Goethe-Institute Santiago and the Cineteca National de Chile from Nov. 6-10.

“We are very excited to offer this new Programming Award, and we hope it will encourage especially young curators, teachers at all levels, and scholars to find innovative ways to engage with diverse communities about topics in East German filmmaking and how it connects with both global cinema and some of the most pressing topics of our time,” says Victoria Rizo Lenshyn, DEFA Film Library associate director.

More information about the DEFA Film Library Programming Award is available on the DEFA website.