Movies Similar to Erzähle deine Geschichte - Die DDR in 30 Begriffen

Pride & Attitude(2025)

The viewpoints of women from a country that no longer exists preserved on low-band U-matic tape. GDR-FRG. Courageous, self-confident and emancipated: female industry workers talk about gaining autonomy.

The Hell of Ueckermünde(1993)

This report was broadcast on ARD in 1993. In 43 minutes, the development of psychiatry "in the third year after reunification" is shown using two institutions in the new federal states as examples. A touchstone for all of psychiatry and disability care to this day. The film shows a shocking way in which disabled people are treated. The commentary uses the perspective of those affected. 50 years after euthanasia in Germany, this documentary reminds us of this once again.

Der Reichstag(2017)

Docudrama telling the story of a building with a breath taking career that began in the empire, flourished in the Weimar Republic, perished in the Nazi dictatorship, and was rebuilt after its partial destruction.

Auf der Oder(1970)

Documentary reports on the annual icing of the Oder in the 160-kilometer border area between the GDR and the People's Republic of Poland. Icebreakers from both countries with experienced skippers join forces to make the international waterway between Frankfurt and Szczecin navigable again. Everyone works hard as a team and even a broken-down ship cannot stop them from achieving their goal. A look back at the winter of 1947 with its flooding shows what the freezing of the river and the subsequent thaw can do if the ice floes are not drained into the Baltic Sea via Lake Dammsch in good time. The skippers from both countries have known each other for years and trust each other; the camaraderie that has developed on the Oder unites the people, they control the river in winter for the common benefit of all.

From Us To Me / Vom Wir zum Ich(1988)

This first co-production between the GDR and Great Britain is intended to contribute to an understanding of the situation and attitudes of millions of working people in opposing social orders. Using the example of shipyard workers, fishermen, the brigade and family of a trade union active cook and unemployed person of various ages and professions in Newcastle on the one hand and a brigade of crane operators of the Warnowwerft and fishermen of the Warnemünde cooperative on the other hand, insights into the way of life and attitudes of people of our time are to be conveyed.

Am Todesstreifen: DDR-Grenzer erzählen(2020)

In Syrien auf Montage(1971)

The film is a reportage showing the help of workers from the GDR in the industrial reconstruction of Syria. We witness the friendly relationship between workers from both countries, who are jointly involved in the construction of the cotton spinning mill in Homs. In impressive pictures the exoticism of the environment and the mentality of the Syrian hosts is shown. At the same time it becomes clear that the workers from the GDR become 'ambassadors of the GDR' through their collegial behaviour and good work.

Wir Ostdeutsche - 30 Jahre im vereinten Land(2020)

Explration of today’s East German identity, shaped by history, hopes, and upheaval. Through multimedia storytelling, it explores lives between the Elbe and Oder, intergenerational socialization, and self-perception three decades after reunification. Are the new Länder lost to nostalgia and extremism or still salvageable?

Money for Bread(1994)

Women from Turkey and Mecklenburg are working together side-by-side at a fish-processing factory in Lübeck. As they work, they share stories about their lives, including their sorrows, griefs, hopes, and dreams, while expressing their longing for home and feelings of being lost in a foreign place.

Reunification in the Ice: The Story of the Last GDR Antarctic Explorers(2020)

In 1989, thirteen GDR scientists and technicians set off from East Berlin to the Georg Forster research station in the Antarctic. During their expedition the Berlin Wall fell on November 9th. Cut off from the images that go around the world, the men can only experience the historical events passively. When they returned in the spring of 1991, their homeland was a foreign country. The documentary reconstructs the thoughts and feelings of the East German researchers on the basis of eyewitness accounts, diary excerpts, letters, film material, grandiose landscape shots from the location of the action and unique photos to make the consequences of the events tens of thousands of kilometers away on the small GDR expedition in the middle of the eternal ice tangible.

Sieg im Osten(1993)

The army of the GDR, called NVA had not survived the reunification of Germany, it was completely absorbed by the Bundeswehr and scrapped subsequently. But what apparently went on so smoothly as a peaceful unification of hostile brothers quietly left deep scars in the East German landscape.

Fotoshooting DDR - Bilder zwischen Propaganda und Alltag(2024)

Life in the GDR was not only documented on behalf of the state, but also by photographic artists and journalists. The documentary goes on a journey through time with some of them and shows little-known aspects of the GDR from its foundation to the fall of the Wall. Photographers in the GDR had a surprising amount of freedom; there was no explicit censorship of images. This allowed them to make visible what the state wanted to hide. This documentary presents two photographers who observed life in the GDR and whose work has been rediscovered in recent years.

Im Glanze dieses Glückes(1990)

Documentary on the German reunification

Der größte Geldtransport der Geschichte - Wie die D-Mark in den Osten kam(2020)

Early summer 1990: West German money transporters carrying billions of Deutschmarks roll towards the former GDR. From the inner-German border, the People's Police and the heavily armed National People's Army take over guarding the transports. Over 25 billion Deutschmarks are transferred from West to East within a few weeks. On July 1, 1990, the German-German monetary union takes place. The citizens of the former GDR were to hold the D-Mark in their hands from this point onwards, but a huge amount of work had to be done before this could happen. 441 million banknotes had to be printed and 102 million coins minted. This is because the organizers of the Bundesbank barely had time to prepare for the largest money transport in history. Many contemporary witnesses describe their experiences in the documentary, which gives an insight into the exciting months before monetary union, the consequences of which still have an impact today.

What We Remember(1984)

Nine very private encounters with different people of the post-war generation and their memories of childhood and youth. Among others, the guitarist and singer Peter "Caesar" Gläser and the actress Christine Harbort. Roland Steiner asked his contemporaries about - "What we remember ...". All interviewees are as old as the state they live in. Nine CVs from the GDR are described. They have different professions, from skilled worker and scientist, nurse and saleswoman, actress or rock musician, even a minstrel is included. They remember what shaped them: Family, school, birthdays and hot summers, the happy moments and their own failures.

Die sieben Geheimnisse der NVA(2018)

1–2-tip für immer - Disko in der DDR(2020)

Time Loops - A Conversation with Christa Wolf(1991)

Journalist Daniela Dahn interviews the East-German author Christa Wolf during the German reunification: reflections on history, changing politics, life and work.

Ost/​West – Relikte einer Grenze(2019)

Vor Zurück Zur Seite Ran(2023)