Christiane Mückenberger

On May 17, 1946, Deutsche-Film AG (DEFA) was founded in Potsdam-Babelsberg. Until 1990, DEFA produced nearly 700 feature films, 750 animation films, 2250 short and documentary films and synchronized about 8,000 films from abroad.

A documentary about German director Konrad Wolf (1925–1982).

At the end of the 1980s, a film team is about to visit Lukas Wolf, Friedrich Wolf's eldest son, who lives in the state of New York, USA. They carry with them a letter from his half-brother Markus Wolf the Stasi chief from GDR. The brothers have not seen each other since 1933; on the other hand, Lukas met his other half-brother Konrad Wolf once in New York City, where they got along very well, after many years of separation. Johanna and Lukas come from Friedrich Wolf's first marriage with Käthe Gumpold, Markus and Konrad, from the second wife Else Dreibholz.

Founded in 1954 as the “Deutsche Hochschule für Filmkunst”, today's “Hochschule für Film und Fernsehen” is celebrating its 50th anniversary. The documentary traces the history of the university. Graduates of the school have their say and excerpts of student films from five decades are presented.

The compilation film looks back on four decades of East German film production to mark the 40th anniversary of DEFA. Beginning with the founding event of DEFA on May 17, 1946, it continues with film clips from many test recordings of the first feature films after licensing. Well-known directors, screenwriters, actors and musicians accompany the historical newsreel and feature film excerpts and thus bear witness to the reconstruction work in the early post-war years. A documentary that reflects the diversity of DEFA productions in the film and newsreel sector.