Maria Besendahl

For some time now, the residents of the placid little village of Sonnenthal talk only about one topic: Football! The ambitious mayor wants to promote the Sonnenthal team to the district league at any price because this success would also boost his own popularity. But he did not expect the resistance of the new head of school, Barbara, who is heavily annoyed by the one-sided focus. To bring Sonnenthal′s men and the mayor in particular to their senses, Barbara sets up a women′s football team that soon turns out to be a serious competition for the men′s team.

Dr. Gerd Thiessen, an experienced veterinarian, takes up a new job at a publicly owned manor. His research colleagues are less than thrilled about his ideas and modification proposals. Thus, the pretty and confident veterinarian Sabine Ladenbach becomes his only ally and soon they fall in love with each other. When Thiessen’s wife Eva notices that her husband is growing away from her, she starts to fight for him. Eventually, Thiessen realizes that Eva is the woman of his life, both privately and professionally. At the same time, he figures out that he needs the support of his team to achieve success in his field.

The captain of a ship of the merchant navy is always on the move because of his job – and has a different girlfriend in every harbour. But his friends think that he should change his way of life. Thus, they take the lovely reporter Eva on board for a trip to Leningrad. But at first, Eva′s presence causes a lot of upheaval on board.

The Rabbit Is Me was made in 1965 to encourage discussion of the democratization of East German society. In it, a young student has an affair with a judge who once sentenced her brother for political reasons; she eventually confronts him with his opportunism and hypocrisy. It is a sardonic portrayal of the German Democratic Republic's judicial system and its social implications. The film was banned by officials as an anti-socialist, pessimistic and revisionist attack on the state. It henceforth lent its name to all the banned films of 1965, which became known as the "Rabbit Films." After its release in 1990, The Rabbit Is Me earned critical praise as one of the most important and courageous works ever made in East Germany. It was screened at The Museum of Modern Art in 2005 as part of the film series Rebels with a Cause: The Cinema of East Germany.

Film by Jindrich Polák.

The little island of Laenneken is a place where time seems to stands still. Traditional customs and age-old power relations are still in place and are unaffected by modern-day influences. Not even the foundation of a fishery cooperative has diminished the power of the two richest fishermen, Pröpping and Grabe. Both men have been bitter rivals for ages. Nevertheless, Grabe’s son Henning and Pröpping’s daughter Bärbel prepare to break with the traditions that restrict their lives, as they are had over heels in love with each other and want to marry.

After the second World War, Dresden has a lot of reconstructing to do. To get the cigarette factory he once worked for running again, Kalle has to travel to Wittenberg - the only place where carbide can be found. Once there, Kalle find himself in the unfortunate situation of having to hitchhike his way back to Dresden, transporting seven heavy barrels of carbide. However, his inventiveness and optimistic attitude help transform the grueling task into an adventurous, entertaining, and funny journey.

GDR border guard Gunter Rist is a young man from humble homes. During a swimming competition he meets Penny, a professor’s daughter from a good family, and they fall in love. However, their different social backgrounds get in the way of their happiness: Penny’s friends make it obvious that they are not willing to accept Gunter in their group. Although Penny takes Gunter’s side, she doubts if love can overcome all obstacles. In this state, she falls for the advances of her ex-boyfriend Bob and joins him on vacation. In the meantime, Gunter has an accident and is hospitalized. In the hospital, he meets the nurse Li who seems to be perfect for him.

In this German drama, Brock, a railroad inspector, witnesses a robbery at a train depot. He recognizes the thief, but turning the man in would mean acknowledging he knows him, thus revealing his own complicity with the Nazi war machine. When Brock’s daughter and her boyfriend begin to question him about the incident, will the secret he’s kept for nearly 20 years finally be exposed?

On August 13th, 1961 - the night that the Berlin Wall goes up - three people must make a decision that will change their lives forever.

German teacher Miss Platzke starts working in a graduating class. Since she is young and inexperienced, the students soon consider her incapable of doing her job. Their disrespectful and harsh behavior makes Miss Platzke even more insecure, and she reacts with rigidity: On the last day before winter break she orders them to write an unannounced essay, thereby provoking a spontaneous strike.

Leading chemist Hans Schramm is betrothed to Hanna, but falls in love with her younger sister Franka. The two attempt to repress their feelings, but eventually begin an affair. When Hans is extorted by a group of West German agents, who demand to know about his secret work, he is gripped by panic and decides the only way out is to flee to the West …

Film by Helmut Schneider.

Claudia is a self-confident girl who spends time in a Young Pioneer camp and wants to prove that she can keep up with the boys in a scouting wide game.

A young soldier discovers three chests of copper, silver and gold and an old tinder-box in the hollow of an old oak tree. He is now rich. But he squanders the money until it is all gone. All he has left is the old tinder-box. He uses it to light a small pipe and three large dogs come to his rescue. Based on the fairy-tale by Hans Christian Anderson.

A film about the historical uprising of the seamen in Kiel: During the Russian October Revolution of 1917, German and Russian soldiers start to solidarize with each other. By disarming the officers, machinist Henne Lonke and stoker Jens Kasten prevent the attack on a Russian freighter. When German admiralty gives out orders for operation "Nibelungen", which would lead the German fleet into a suicidal attack against England and quell the revolutionary spirit, seamen and soldiers from different political backgrounds unite in protest.

A brave prince must seek the fabled singing, ringing tree in order to win the heart of a beautiful princess.

17-year-old Traudel flees the orphanage she has to live in, in order to venture to Berlin.

A story about a group of children in German town of Bahrenburg who are trying to build themselves a swimming pool.

Lifelong hard work for the count makes the servant Anton a cripple. Everybody calls him Crooked Anton. When, after the end of the war, the land of the count gets divided amongst the farmers, Anton receives a piece and hopes to be able to work freely. But an old debt and intrigue keep Anton and his family from finding peace. The farmers of the village begin to discover their own power when Annegret, Anton's daughter, leaves. Is a new beginning possible for Anton? This film paints an impressive panorama of the development of a minor village in Mecklenburg from the end of the war to the uprising of 17 June 1953.

On a barren and stormy island, fishing families eke out a meager existence on what they can catch during summer, and what washes ashore during winter. But little has been washing ashore of late, and their situation worsens. Elders recall how twenty years ago, when the lighthouse keeper’s beacon went dark, a cargo ship broke apart on the cliffs. It proved a bountiful accident for the fishermen. Today people on the island view the conscientious lighthouse keepers with evil hungry eyes...

The story of a resistance fighter in the Nazi era: Communist Hans Löning was arrested in 1933, imprisoned in a concentration camp and tortured. The Gestapo plans to smash the resistance group around Löning. Despite the imminent threat to his life, Löning, together with his wife, organized the passive resistance of the Hamburg workers against the Hitler regime. In 1944, Löning was again taken and killed.

Several children find out what's the matter with a wreck offshore, which puts them into jeopardy.

Schorsch and Franz are two rascals who are full of mischief and constantly tease both their teachers and their fellow pupils. Vera, the new classmate, decides to put her foot down and bring an end to the poor situation. With skill, patience and the help of the other pioneers she finds out about the troublemaker’s love for miniature trains and tries to direct their redundant energy onto the right track. However, Vera and her pioneers have to overcome some resistance before Schorsch and Franz finally change their behavior and become better classmates.

A young married couple - both of them actors - work in the divided city of Berlin. Agnes, the young woman, is on location in East Berlin, and Jochen, her husband, works at the Westend Theater in West Berlin. This young marriage is in danger of breaking up as they vehemently defend their diametrically opposed views. The way they see politics, art and the world differs extremely.

Berlin in 1878: Corinna Schmidt, who was brought up in a petit-bourgeois, academic family, is romantically interested in Leopold Treibel, the son of the lordly councillor of commerce Jenny Treibel – although Corinna is also deeply in love with her cousin Marcel. Leopold is also falling for cute Corinna, and Jenny Treibel tries to prevent their friendship by all means, but changes her opinion when their secret engagement becomes public. To avoid a scandal, she urges them to marry quickly. But Corinna soon withdraws from this complicated situation and again turns to her cousin, who is banished from the country for his social democratic beliefs.

This is the directorial debut of Artur Pohl and tells the story of war refugees as they try to settle in a small town in Germany.

The successful shipowner Georg Behrendsen and his wife Irene are coming from South America to Germany for business. While negotiating in the home of senator Kersten, the senator's son Wilhelm (Werner Fuetterer) is taking care of Irene Behrendsen. The two fall in love with each other and decide to marry after Irene's divorce from her husband. But the old senator forces his son to decide whether to marry Irene or to become head of the shipping company. Not to break the family tradition, Wilhelm decides against the marriage. Irene, full of hatred against the senator, goes back to her husband. 25 years later. The senator is still head of the shipping company, because Wilhelm was killed in the war. He concentrates his love now on his daughter Victoria and he can't refuse any wish of her. Some day she tells him that she has been falling in love with a young german guy from overseas called Peter Behrendsen, not knowing that he is the son of the women who hates the senator the most.

Singing sailor Hannes, who now entertains the crowd at St. Pauli's Hippodrome after years at sea, promises his dying brother that he will take care of his ex-girlfriend Gisa. Taking Gisa to Hamburg to live with him, Hannes quickly falls in love with her, but soon has to face Gisa's affection for another man, Willem.