SECTION: Women's roles in socialism and beyond

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Under socialism, the issue of equality was considered resolved. Women in the GDR, Soviet Union and other Eastern Bloc countries were encouraged to get an education and go to work. And this is where film came into play. The role model of an industrious female worker shone on screens and canvases. But what was behind it? And how has the image of women changed over time? This series explores the diverse kaleidoscope of women's roles after 1945 and their evolution to the present day. From the depths of GDR propaganda to the Czechoslovak New Wave to contemporary drama and playful animation, it's all here.

Curated by Jana Riemann.

The film series "Women's Roles in Socialism and Beyond" is sponsored by the Federal Foundation for the Reappraisal of the SED Dictatorship.

Alle meine Mädchen

Iris Gusner
DDR / 1979 / 83 min

A student of film directing arrives at the Berlin NARVA factory in order to shoot a documentary about an exemplary women's work brigade. Suddenly, he finds himself confronted by the whirlwind of conflicts and friendships present within the group, ...

A LONELY WOMAN

KOBIETA SAMOTNA

Agnieszka Holland
PL / 1981 / 92 min

Work hard as she might, Irena's salary doesn’t suffice and she anyway wouldn’t have the time to queue for hours for groceries. She wants to live a normal life, but what is normality when life is a constant struggle for survival? With its harsh ...

Blindfold

IZ ZAVYAZANYMY OCHYMA

Taras Dron
UA / 2020 / 100 min

Yulia is a successful athlete, a mixed martial arts fighter. Her life suddenly changes when she learns that her boyfriend has died in the war in eastern Ukraine. The public expects her to wear the mourning veil and, from this moment forth, play the ...

BUTTERFLY VISION

BACHENNYA METELYKA

Maksym Nakonechnyi
HR/SE/CZ/UA / 2022 / 107 min

Ukrainian soldier Lilia finally returns home after being held captive in eastern Ukraine. Physically at least. Since beneath the surface she has not yet put the time spent in captivity behind her. An image of a woman in critical circumstances, one ...

FRAUENSCHICKSALE

Slatan Dudow
DDR / 1952 / 103 min

Four women - four destinies. From East and West, from the nobility and the working class. They have one thing in common however: the search for happiness and love. All four encounter a man who attempts to deceive them, all four have a date with ...

IN BLOOM

GRZELI NATELI DGEEBI

Nana Ekvtimishvili / Simon Groß
GE/DE/FR / 2013 / 103 min

Georgia in 1992: The country is in a state of upheaval and so are its political and social norms. Eka and Natia are forced to grow up during a time when the ground continuously shakes under their feet. A painfully beautiful portrait of a generation ...

MY LOVE AFFAIR WITH MARRIAGE

Signe Baumane
US / 2022 / 108 min

Zelma grows up in the Soviet Union. She tries to conform to the norms of society: to marry a man and to be a good wife, since dedication is a woman's destiny, isn't it? A musical animated film that, taking a neuroscientific perspective, explains the ...

SOMETHING DIFFERENT

O NĚČEM JINÉM

Věra Chytilová
CS / 1963 / 81 min

Two women - two different worlds. A housewife who is both overwhelmed with and also tired of her homely existence, child and indifferent husband. A top athlete who ceaselessly trains for a competition. Out of this montage of two women's lives ...

DEEP WATER

HLYBOKA VODA

Anna Dudko
UA / 2021 / 6 min

A mermaid secretly watches a man taking a shower. This animated film illustrates female desire and sexuality in a humorous and tender way.

AKTFOTOGRAFIE

Helke Misselwitz
DDR / 1983 / 11 min

A nude photographer talks about the representation and perception of women's bodies - a discussion that is still highly topical today. What was it like in 1983 and what has changed since then?

Love, Dad

MILÝ TATI

Diana Cam Van Nguyen
CZ / 2021 / 13 min

A young woman tries to get in touch with her father. She could never quite forgive him for leaving the family. Would he have stayed if she had been a boy and not a girl?

35 FOTOS - FAMILIENALBUM EINER JUNGEN FRAU

Helke Misselwitz
DDR / 1985 / 6 min

A woman reflects on her life as she shows us her family album. Is she satisfied with her life choices or would she want to change something?

MY UNCLE TUDOR

NANU TUDOR

Olga Lucovnicova
BE/PT/HU / 2020 / 20 min

The director travels to the place where she grew up. Since childhood, she has been tormented by a certain question, which she can finally ask her uncle Tudor.

TANGO TRAUM

Helke Misselwitz
DDR / 1980 / 18 min

A cinematic essay about a woman who takes a trip to Argentina within her own four walls. How does that work? Helke Misselwitz, the old master of cinematography, shows us.