DEFA Films Celebrate 35 Years of German Unification

Four documentary films from the DEFA Film Library holdings are part of the worldwide streaming program "35 Years of German Reunification: Perspectives on a Time of Upheaval," which was just released by the Central Office of the Goethe Institutes to mark the Oct. 3 anniversary of German unification.

The documentaries portray the profound transformations set in motion in and after 1990 - while the fall of the Berlin Wall ushered in a new era of freedom and possibility for many, unification also led to unexpected social hardship and disillusionment for others.

The program includes director Gerd Kroske's "Sweep It Up" trilogy from 1990-2006, which offers a rare, longitudinal look at post-unification life through the eyes of three street cleaners in Leipzig. The trilogy follows its protagonists through shifting landscapes of hope, disappointment and resilience, revealing the often-overlooked human toll of political change. Kroske is was a guest to the UMass campus in spring 2023, when he was invited to participate in the unveiling of the Berlin Wall segment painted by famed French artist Thierry Noir, an event organized by the Chancellor's Office in collaboration with the DEFA Film Library and others.

A starkly different angle is presented in 1990's "Locked-Up Time," which the DEFA Film Library subtitled and released in 2024. In 1984, filmmaker Sibylle Schönemann was imprisoned by the Stasi after applying to emigrate from the GDR. Bought out by West Germany a year later, she returns to East Germany after the fall of the Berlin Wall to confront those who had imprisoned her. The result is a haunting and courageous exploration of state repression, memory and accountability.

"We are excited to continue our longstanding collaboration with the Central Office of the Goethe-Institutes, which started in 2014 with this program and our joint efforts to promote the international celebration of this important anniversary. We are grateful for this ongoing global partnership," says Hiltrud Schulz, production and outreach manager of the DEFA Film Library.

Members of the UMass community can access these films via the university's kanopy subscription, or they can contact the DEFA Film Library team at [email protected].