Utopia in Babelsberg - Science Fiction aus der DDR
May 11 2021
•Documentary
DEFA made several science fiction films that are hardly known today. These productions, called "utopian films" in the GDR, show astonishing technical achievements. ...Science fiction at DEFA was never a war of the stars, no alien invasion, but in most cases an establishment of contact with the alien via signals, a recurring plot motif. Communication instead of confrontation. These films provide information about the image of a coming socialist society, about expectations and hopes, and they were counter-images to the officially condemned Western SF art.
Cast
See all
Knut Elstermann
Narrator
Recommendations
See all
Großes Kino made in DDR
In 2016, DEFA celebrates its 70th anniversary: the film embarks on a journey into the exciting film history of the GDR. In a comprehensive kaleidoscope, the importance of DEFA productions is illuminated, the relevance of the films as propaganda productions for the GDR, which socio-political themes were in the foreground, but also which heroes DEFA brought to the screen and celebrated as people from the people.
We Might As Well Be Dead
The high-rise building block near the forest is famous for its carefully curated community. As a dog disappears and her daughter refuses to leave the bathroom, security officer Anna faces an absurd battle against the fear, that slowly spreads among the residents and shakes the utopia with a view.
The Wakeful Sleeper
B., a film-maker and insomniac, decides to rescue his hours of insomnia from the void by filming his quest for sleep. The insomniac asks questions about these different states of consciousness and about the difficulties humans have in synchronising their social rhythms and biological ones.
God is a Lobster
A girl needs her brother to fulfill an odd request, a good trip turns bad, a CEO gets invited to a mysterious party, and it all centers around the iconic red crustacean.