Theresia Wider

He could have had women, he could have climbed the ladder of his accountancy career, and he could have stood on the podium next to the highest in the land. If only he had wanted to! But Farssmann, shaken by divorce and unwilling to better himself, wants to remain what he is: an ordinary bookkeeper like you and me. And so the dollar deal with Mr. Osbar from Utah (USA) is not the first time he comes into conflict with the very palpable unreality of a country called the German Democratic Republic.

A village has to be destroyed for coal mining. Henning, a 15 years old boy, who wants to visit his grandfather one more time, realizes that nothing will be the way it used to be.

The merchant's daughter Constanze, begs her father to ask a lion for a favor. Her father approaches the lion who agrees to his request with one condition: that he send the first person he meets upon his return home to the lion's den. It is Constanze. Against her father's will she goes to the lion and discovers that he is an enchanged prince and that only a woman's love can release him from the spell.

Fifteen-year-old Heinz Stielke is a Hitler Youth fanatic who is devastated to learn a hidden truth about his respected father who was a German officer in WWII: He was Jewish. Pushed out of his community after the discovery, young Heinz falls into a tailspin of alienation and anger. He is subsequently thrust into a series of social collisions across the war-torn German fatherland.

Philipp, a closeted teacher, is dating a female colleague to keep up appearances. One night he stumbles into a gay bar and falls for a man. Transformed by this love, he is no longer afraid to face up to who he is.

Edith and Wolfgang have led a fairly harmonious family life for many years, together with their son Danilo. Edith has long since got over Wolfgang's infidelity twelve years ago, which resulted in a daughter. Every now and then he visits 12-year-old Sandra, simply fulfilling his fatherly duties. But suddenly the girl appears at the door.

Carola is a mischievous girl who doesn't care much for school- except for sports and recess, of course. Without her good friend Willi to keep her on the straight and narrow, she would really be in trouble. One day at school, Carola has an idea. She invents what she calls "International Ghosts' Day" and a ghost named "Buh" to go with it. When Buh turns out to be less-than-imaginary the two decide to switch places, with Buh taking on all the schoolwork, and Carola taking the opportunity to play practical jokes on all her friends...

Joe and Benny are two cowboys on tour in the Wild West as a singing duo, usually without a penny in their pockets to spare. Joe is a talented rodeo-rider, which fascinates the little girl Susanne and gives her the wish to have him as a father. Her mother Maria, however, is to marry the evil, rich farmer Dave. Susanne wants to stop the wedding, so she sneaks aboard Joe and Benny's wagon to persuade them to intervene. Dave brands them as kidnappers, forcing them to flee as outlaws to one of the families tyrannized by Dave. Together, they strike back at Dave, at which point Maria sees that he's the wrong man for her.

Professor Gotthold Kittguß leads a secluded life, which is primarily determined by his books. His housekeeper, the widow Müller, takes care of all the practicalities of life. One day, a strange boy appears at his house to deliver a call for help from his 17-year-old godchild Rosemarie, who is the daughter of a deceased pastor friend and lives with the Schliekers, her so-called foster parents, in the small village of Usadel. The Schliekers manage Rosemarie's inheritance, but are anxious to take possession of the farm. They treat Rosemarie like their maid and allow her to live in undignified conditions. After a moment's hesitation, Professor Kittguß sets off for Usadel to help his godchild. But he doesn't receive a warm welcome there and is even locked up in a cellar. Rosemarie frees him and takes him to a secret hiding place in a nearby fisherman's hut.

Kai, a young boy, living in 1923 Berlin tries to convince an American businessman that he can market his chewing gum better than anyone else in town.

No one has any time for Moritz. And at school, things are not exactly the greatest either. Moritz runs away and moves into the inside of an advertising pillar. A speaking cat, a circus girl and a street sweeper become his new friends. Gradually, they help the young boy to realize that running away does not solve anything.

Johann Paul Schroth is a 20-year-old barber's apprentice who breaks out of the barber-surgeon's trade. Schroth wants to realize his dream, which is to put aside the beard knife and use the scalpel in such a way that people are healed and not tortured...

The young officer Count Yorck von Wartenburg - he bears one of the most famous names of the German past - awaits his execution as a participant in the conspiracy of July 20, 1944. Von Wartenburg, together with his comrades, suffers infinitely long days of terrible torture, disrespect and humiliation as a death candidate. In a dream, he experiences his escape and the real continuation of his fight against fascist barbarism, for which he must detach himself from his class and is involved in the anti-Hitler front by communists and the Soviet army.

1934, Germany. The ten-year-old Peter lives in a small town with his parents. His father, an underground Communist, is arrested. In the summer vacation the kids from the neighbourhood fight in two teams, which prevail in turns. One team, led by Ewald, imitates the Nazis, while the other, headed by Fritz, follows his Communist father's example.

In a backwater town, opera director Andrej Wischnewsky is supposed to put on a production of Mozart's "Don Giovanni".

The thirteen year old Janni is depressed, because she's still a little behind in her physical development. This leads to bullying remarks from her classmates. One day, a film crew comes to her school to find a candidate for the role of a Prince in a movie. They choose Janni, who they think is a boy. She takes on the role. At school, she tells her classmates she plays a Princess. When the moment of truth approaches she must find the self-confidence to invite the class to the premiere.

Jochen Hamann met Martina Schwarz during a stay at a health resort lasting several weeks. The two fell in love and continued their affair after the cure. This is, of course, much to the displeasure of Jochen's wife and Martina's husband. Renate Hamann and Michael Schwarz then form an alliance of convenience, so to speak, in order to separate the two again over time. But this is not as easy as initially thought. In the end, however, Jochen is the one who has to decide who he wants to live with in the future. Either with Renate or with Martina.

The young forester Rudolf is released from a mental hospital after suffering from a mental illness. His widowed mother accompanies the taciturn son to a vicarage where he is supposed to recover. There he meets the pastor's daughter Anna, with whom he immediately falls in love, and the two decide to get married. His mother is critical of the marriage and demands that her son conceal his stay in the "lunatic asylum" from his wife. This secret overshadows the young couple's relationship from the very beginning, and the burden of silence finally makes Rudolf want to take his own life. Only at the last minute is Anna able to save him from this stupidity.

On a forest road in the Brandenburg March, village teacher Potsch accidentally encounters the distinguished Professor Menzel, who got stuck there in his car. In the conversation that ensues, Menzel and Pötsch quickly discover that they both are great admirers of the early 19th-century writer Max von Schwedenow who was born in the area.

In three episodes about six people, the film takes on the topics of relationships, difficult social engagements , and love in the German Democratic Republic.

Ralph grows up in pre-war Dresden as the eldest son of a principled and orderly streetcar conductor. With the rise to power of the Nazis, the war, the collapse and the hesitant new beginning, his firmly established middle-class world is also thrown off course. His father is one of the first to be called up to the front. His mother is left alone with the responsibility for Ralph and his younger brother Achim. In the air-raid shelter, during the nights of bombing and later in the daily struggle against misery and hunger, the mother quickly abandons all moral baggage and develops a pragmatic will to survive, for which she admires Ralph. At the same time, the boy is frightened by his mother's desperate claim to happiness because he perceives her affairs as a betrayal of his father, who has gradually faded into a symbol of a happy, carefree childhood.

Christine inherits a sailboat from her father, whom she barely knew. Christine is a divorced single mother and her job at a research insitute leaves her with too much work and too little time to sail. She can't find anyone to buy the boat at full value, so she tries to repair it over the winter in the hopes of being able to get a better price in the spring. Working on the boat become something of an obsession to the detriment of Christine's relationships with her son, boyfriend and collegues. When the boat is finally ready to sell, she isn't sure that she is willing to part with it after all.

After a fierce argument Steffi Zinn′s husband leaves the joint flat and stays away from home over night. The next morning, his wife Steffi has disappeared and is reported as a missing person. Captain Lohm takes over the case and at first looks for signs of a murder, but to no avail. Then, Steffi′s body is found in a lake. After her funeral, a stranger who had attended Steffi′s funeral for a short time is also found dead in a lake, and the connection between the two cases becomes apparent.

The 18-year-old construction worker Schultzendorf, known as Schulle, sets off for Berlin from his home town of Ankershagen. He is taken with the Marzahn construction site. He dreams of making archaeological finds there. He searches every excavator load for treasures, which not only earns him ridicule, but also the anger of his colleagues because he delays the work. They try to change his mind and get him a wife. This fails, but Schulle finds one himself - the slightly older Helga, who needs his help to get away from her divorced husband. Once she has succeeded in doing so, she breaks away from Schulle, whose youthful impetuosity unsettles her.

A funny adventures of a two young boys who are trying to rebuild the ship called "Emma" for their friend - the old captain.

Hans Röckle is a puppeteer, inventor, blacksmith and more. He is challenged by the Devil (in almost a dozen fancy costumes) who offers him even more inventiveness, against his soul should he ever make money with an invention, build something twice, or cease inventing for 7*7 hours.

On the occasion of their daughter's birth, the king and queen give a lavish feast. Among the guests are twelve fairies who endow the infant in the cradle with all good qualities. As the king loathes diligence, he does not invite the thirteenth fairy - the fairy of diligence. A captain lets her slip into the castle and she casts a spell on Sleeping Beauty, wishing death upon her. The twelfth fairy transforms and mitigates the spell. On the day she turns fifteen, the princess is to sink into a hundred-year sleep after pricking her finger on a spindle.

Little Matti and his friends are restoring the old abandoned fire truck .

The story of a young, idealistic doctor and his on-the-job training as a rookie surgeon. Dr. Heiner Sommer moves to a small town in the GDR where he will complete his training under the senior physician, also named Dr. Sommer.

Sabine Wulff is almost 18 when she is released from the juvenile detention center. She doesn't want to return to her unsupportive parents or to her former boyfriend Jimmy, who got her into trouble by persuading her to steal cigarettes. She instead chooses to begin an honest life by getting a job and renting her own room.

At the textile company, everyone appreciates the work of 18-year-old Susanne, but nobody really considers her a woman—including Lutz, with whom she is in love. She sets about to make a change, but it is only when she realizes that she is being taken advantage of that a more self-confident Susanne emerges.

Ironically, at the beginning of the summer holidays, Alwins strict father has grounded him to get him to improve his spelling. Alwin feels like a prisoner and decides to run away heading to his grandparents in the Harz mountains nearly 200 kilometers away. On the road Alwin meets many people and with their help Alwin slowly progresses towards his destination.

Driven by need and a thirst for knowledge, Krabat wanders through the impoverished country and falls under the control of the "black miller". Krabat defends himself against him, but his opponent still has the stronger means of power.

1929: Marie Lehning, a farm worker from Warmsdorf on the Baltic Sea, falls in love with the fisherman's son Mingo. Both complete an apprenticeship in Lübeck. Marie wants to become a seamstress, Mingo a carpenter. After their first night of love, they swear eternal fidelity. But Marie has to return to the village, her mother is ill and her siblings are unprovided for. She starts working as a maid on a farm. Unexpectedly, she meets the young Kurt Meier from Berlin, whom she knows from before.

10-year-old Kathy Montag moves to a big city in Brandenburg. Before that, she lived in the Harz Mountains together with her father Peter. Her mother has died a few years ago. The girl finds her new home very exciting, and since Kathy takes an interest in everything she encounters, she keeps finding herself in peculiar situations such as a brigade party or the shooting of a historical epic movie. Her classmates consider her an oddball and even her father is unhappy about his daughter′s development.

Bienchen is a little girl who is very worried regarding the private life of her older brother.

Uwe is a chemistry student and works as an excavator driver on various construction sites at weekends. One weekend, he meets the nursery nurse Gabi. As it turns out later, they owe their encounter to the daughter of the construction site brigadier Trunzer. But it doesn't stop at this one encounter and the resulting flirtation, as the two fall in love within a very short time. On another weekend, Uwe accompanies Gabi to visit her family. When construction site brigadier Trunzer returns from vacation a few days later, he first asks Uwe where he has been during his absence, to which Uwe replies: "I was in Honolulu - bet?".

Alma Krause is the proud owner of a thoroughbred French bully. Even otherwise, she nurses and harbors several two- and four-legged friends in her apartment - just as one would expect from a veterinarian's widow. Her nephew Heinz, on the other hand, is kind of beaten. Not as for the love of animals, that would fit badly to a nascent vet, but for a small animal practice, as the blessed uncle operated, he seems to have no ambitions. A future as a "Bazillenscheuche" in the cowshed would like to spare him again Aunt Alma. And she takes her appropriate action.

The film tells the story of the smelter brigade of a steel mill whose members are connected by a strong comradeship. Among the workers are, for instance, young Rolf, whom everybody just calls "Lachtaube" and who always comes through for his co-workers, or the likable Hubert, who works as a simple smelter again after being dismissed as the head of the steel mill. Then, there is also the stubborn Manfred, who should have become a brigadier long ago because of his experience and his competence, but this privilege is refused to him because Manfred is not a party member. Ironically, it is Manfred who hears by accident about the plans of the mill to close down the old Martin furnaces – and to lay off the smelters. When the other men learn about the plans they enter the barricades for their jobs and force the plant′s management to face the workers′ demands and criticism.

The 20-year-old Berliner Wilhelm, called Willi, returns from two years as a prisoner of war to the village of Weltzow in the Havel region, where he meets Hans Graber, a former comrade from the front. Hans is now a teacher and finds Willi a job with innkeeper Brunzel. His daughter, Mrs. Leidenfrost, has been a widow for five years, as her husband was killed at the front. Over time, she begins to take a liking to Willi, but Willi is not aware of this. He is interested in the dressmaker Ulla, but skips their first meeting when he learns in the inn that Ulla has an illegitimate child.

When he reaches age 18, Peter is released from the children's home where he grew up, but this does not mean he is truly ready for adult life.

In 1757, the second year of the Seven Years' War, Frederick II the Great stands at the gates of Prague. He has been trying to take the city for weeks, as the enemy commander Duke Charles of Lorraine is inside. Frederick has just defeated him, but the tide could soon turn against the Prussians, as new Austrian troops are approaching. None other than the famous master thief Andreas Christian Käsebier is to sneak into Prague to open the gates from the inside. As a reward, the king promises him freedom. Käsebier accepts the offer because he is tempted to steal an entire city. But by chance, Käsebier learns that the king wants to betray him. After a successful battle, he is put back behind bars for life. This doesn't suit the master thief at all, especially as he has just fallen in love with Katka in Prague.

A story of Victor Jara - one of the most popular singers in Chile.

Early 1921: a man is on his way home. Gleb Chumalov, regimental commander, worker and Hero of the Order of the Red Banner, returns to his home town from the Civil War. The victory over the enemies of the Russian people gives him the conviction that a new, better time will dawn overnight. Gleb looks for his comrades from earlier years, but only finds people who are emaciated by their efforts. The cement works where he used to work has been plundered and abandoned. With great effort, Gleb and his comrades try to get the plant up and running again. The struggle seems to begin anew... It is the time after the victory of the “Great October Socialist Revolution“ and the time of building a new society.

After a wolf had killed a sheep in their village, 12-year old Roland and his friend Hugo keep track of the predator. Roland wants to build a trap to capture the wolf alive. His father, on the other hand, wants to kill the animal with the hunting collective. Thus, father and son become rivals. Whereas his father takes leave from his job to lie in wait for the wolf, Roland ditches school and tinkers with his trap.

A ship from the GDR fishing fleet is on its way home. The work is done, the hold full of fish. Captain Nipmerow could be satisfied with that, but he has a completely different problem to deal with - a matter about which he also owes the shipping company a statement.

The children of Herbert and Hella, two single train conductors, are going to vacation at Baltic Sea. Unfortunately the parents are to busy to go so the oldest sister is in charge.

Susanne and Christian get to know each other during a wonderful week in summer - and fall in love. This, however, leads to conflicts: up to now, Susanne has been living with Wolfgang, a biologist. This shared life was harmonious and based on mutual trust. Wolfgang is not only resolute and in full command of social situations; he has also always been the stabilizing force in the relationship. This is precisely why Susanne now feels drawn to the unsettled, unsteady and frivolous Christian, the complete opposite of the calm, well-balanced Wolfgang. And Christian, working as a shift boss on a natural gas derrick, has become more aware of his personal and social responsibilities as a result of loving Susanne.

Sister Agnes helps in all situations and does not only make friends. She has just fallen out with the new mayor. The consequences leave an entire community upside down.

Christine is a young farm worker in a small village in post-war Germany. Her attempts to improve her situation through further education are hampered by frequent pregnancies arising from ill-fated relationships.

Five-year-old Peter and his older brother Hans drop the Christmas present for their parents in the middle of the road and it gets flattened by a car. Deeply distressed, they go to a Christmas fair and buy a lottery ticket with their remaining money. To their delight, they win a washing machine! Peter is especially excited when Santa Claus shows up and promises to transport the machine for him, but the old man instead vanishes with the boys' gift. Hans is convinced that Peter has been conned and chases after the fleeing Santa. But Peter simply cannot believe that Santa Claus could be anything other than kind and helpful.

Rome at the time of the persecution of Christians: Androclus, a poor tailor, frees a lion in the forest from terrible pain caused by a thorn in his paw. The two meet again by chance when the devout Christian is about to be thrown to wild animals in the arena. The lion spares him with gratitude, but the real danger for Androklus comes from another direction.

Peter is unwilling to learn the multiplication tables at school. He would rather work as an acrobat at the circus, just like his friend Susanne. When the class plans a trip to the circus, Peter is supposed to buy the tickets. Since he miscounts and buys one ticket less than needed, he cannot join his schoolmates. Susanne, however, comes up with an idea and lets him work in the circus arena where he is supposed to check on the arithmetic problems of a numerate donkey. When Peter fails to control the donkey, he feels deeply ashamed and has to assess that math is needed in all parts of life.

To justify their invasion of Poland at the start of WWII, Nazi high command hatches a secret plan: six Polish men from an SS training camp are sent on a special mission to the town of Gleiwitz, to fake a Polish raid on Germany. The ‘provoked’ Germans will thus launch a ‘counterattack’ on Poland.

Dr. Barbara Heim, a heart surgeon, and Gunter Heim, a well-known actor, have been married for seven years. They have a six-year-old daughter. Both partners are totally taken up by their work which is physically and mentally demanding. So there is little time left for family life and the strained relations worsen and finally plunge Barbara into a crisis - shortly before their seventh wedding anniversary. At this very point a child dies in hospital, prompting Barbara to ask herself in desperation if - and for how long she can put up with the double burden of career and family. On top of this, she notices that Gunter is starting to compare her to other women.

Germany in May 1945: the war is over, men are returning home and a new life begins in the villages. After 12 years in a concentration camp, the "Red Shoemaker" also returns to his home village. His wife is dead and others live in his house: Gebhardt, an employee on the farm of the large farmer Winter, and his family. The "Red Shoemaker" comes to stay with Hübner and his daughter Agnes. Over the past terrible years, he had repeatedly felt the hatred within him and wanted to take revenge on those who had sent him to the concentration camp. But now he wants to look to the future and takes on the position of mayor here in the village. He works to ensure that the village is supplied with food and tries to ensure that the fascist ideology disappears from people's minds. In doing so, he also makes enemies.

The young medical student Klaus Bach has married the love of his life, Irene, and lives with her and their eternally screaming offspring in a small one-room apartment in his parents' house. So things are tight and everyone's nerves are on edge. What's more, the parents' well-intentioned advice is seriously disrupting the young couple's marital bliss.

In the late summer of 1958, party secretary Ernst Wollni is sent from Berlin to the village of Schwarzwalde to help set up an agricultural cooperative. In the village he meets his childhood friend Fritz Grimmberger again. Their friendship is put to the test as Grimmberger opposes collectivization. Nevertheless, Wollni manages to motivate the villagers and get the LPG going. Grimmberger, however, ruins himself by going it alone. When his daughter Helga also wants to leave him and study in the city, he realizes his mistake. Grimmberger and Wollni reconcile at the village festival.

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.

At the end of the 1950s, the production of optics in the German Democratic Republic has reached top quality and instigates interest in the West. When national demand rises strongly and at the same time the export to South America heavily decreases, the Volkspolizei - the GDR police force - starts to look into the case. Two seemingly unrelated cases are the starting point for the investigation by second lieutenant Schellenberg of the department for optics racketeering: An old woman who was arrested in the Berlin city railway for trying to smuggle a pair of binoculars to West Berlin, and a dead person in an area of allotments who was involved in obscure dealings with optical devices.