Film

“Wir sind das Volk” (We are the people) is the most famous chant connected to the Wende, the peaceful revolution in Germany 20 years ago. Rather than being a singular historical event, the Wende describes a process of change, beginning with discussions and escapes, involving government decisions in the former Soviet Union and Hungary which undermined the East German government, and ranging from mass demonstrations to a civil rights movement. It culminated in a peaceful revolution in East Germany, a political and monetary union between East and West Germany, and an idealistic vision of blühende Landschaften (thriving landscapes) for the newly-formed German states.

Wende Flicks showcases six feature and two documentary films made by East German filmmakers from 1988-1994. The feature films are honest, indicting, complex – and even subjective. Most of these films were made by the last generation of East German filmmakers, many of whom had not been allowed to make their own films before, and all of whom trained at DEFA (Deutsche Film Aktiengesellschaft), the state-run film production studio.

All films except for The Mistake and Silent Country will be introduced by research fellows from the German Historical Institute. All films are in German with English subtitles.

Wende Flicks is organized by the DEFA Film Library at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

In cooperation with the German Historical Institute.