Banned DEFA films 1965–1990–2015

December 2015 marked the 50th anniversary of the most extensive film ban in German cinematic history. At its 11^th plenary session in 1965, the Central Committee of the East German Communist Party banned twelve new DEFA films. The decision effectively halted DEFA’s entire annual film production at various stages in 1965 and 1966. The DEFA Foundation has examined this extraordinary “across-the-board” film ban and presented these films which were kept from the public for so long. The twelve banned films have been released as a film series and offered to cinemas and institutions for public screenings. These have been accompanied by discussions with experts, contemporary witnesses, actors and filmmakers. For these events, the DEFA Foundation has cooperated with partner institutions like the Zeughauskino, the German Historical Museum and the film museums in Munich and Vienna. In addition to the restoration of the film “Sommerwege” and digitalisation of several banned DEFA films, which were still in analogue format, the organisers have produced a publication and present the films in the German Digital Library.

Artistic director: Ralf Schenk

Films: Das Kaninchen bin ich (R: Kurt Maetzig), Denk bloß nicht, ich heule (R: Frank Vogel), Berlin um die Ecke (R: Gerhard Klein), Fräulein Schmetterling (R: Kurt Barthel), Hände hoch oder ich schieße (R: Hans-Joachim Kasprzik), Jahrgang 45 (R: Jürgen Böttcher), Spur der Steine (R: Frank Beyer), Der verlorene Engel (R: Ralf Kirsten), Wenn du groß bist, lieber Adam (R: Egon Günther) and others

Zeughauskino Berlin at the Deutsches Historisches Museum; Filmmuseum Munich, Austrian Filmmuseum in Vienna, LEOKINO/Cinematograph in Innsbruck; STADTKINO BASEL; Bozner Film Festival, Bozen