DEFA: Fairy Tales, Indians and Faraway Planets

Genre films from the GDR

Genre cinema was also produced in the GDR, with not only a number of fairy tale films being made, but also westerns, Indian, science fiction and agent films, as well as musicals and comedies. By turning to genre films, those in charge at DEFA often wanted to regain the audience's lost favour, whereby the East German view of genre certainly led to meaningful peculiarities and transformations. Perhaps this was one of the reasons for the fundamental scepticism with which the film directors of the GDR approached genres such as musical or science fiction films. A central question in this context is: "Did the DEFA genre film even achieve something entirely original that was only possible in this place at its time?" This is one of the questions posed by the book Das Genrekino der DEFA (1946–90) und seine Regisseure" (ed. by Stefanie Mathilde Frank and Ralf Schenk), published in 2021, which, on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of DEFA, offers diverse and new perspectives on 40 years of DEFA film history.

Perhaps this was one of the reasons for the fundamental scepticism with which the film directors of the GDR approached genres such as musical or science fiction films. A central question in this context is: "Did the DEFA genre film even achieve something entirely original that was only possible in this place at its time?" This is one of the questions posed by the book Das Genrekino der DEFA (1946–90) und seine Regisseure" (ed. by Stefanie Mathilde Frank and Ralf Schenk), published in 2021, which, on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of DEFA, offers diverse and new perspectives on 40 years of DEFA film history.

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