In April 2024 the publication ‘Sorbische Filmlandschaften. Serbske filmowe krajiny’ was published by our project member Andy Räder in collaboration with the author and filmmaker Grit Lemke. The book was produced in cooperation with the Sorbian Institute and the DEFA Foundation and highlights the film work of the Sorbs/Wends, an indigenous and nationally recognised minority living in Lusatia.
Sorbian men and women have been appearing in front of and behind the camera for as long as films have been made. Sorbian filmmaking reached its peak in the GDR, particularly in the DEFA production group ‘Sorbian Film’ (Serbska filmowa skupina). However, it has remained almost invisible in German film history. This monograph, with contributions from Sorbian and German authors, fills this gap. They provide an overview of Sorbian filmmaking from the German Empire to the present day. The focus is on the cinema and television productions of the DEFA studios and the Babelsberg Film Academy between 1946 and 1992. In addition, the most important Sorbian filmmakers in the GDR are introduced and their significance for Sorbian and German film is discussed. Individual contributions also examine questions of identity formation and film, film adaptations of literature, stereotypes in film and connections to local cinema. A conversation with former members of the production group offers rare insights into a hitherto unknown production practice and the way in which the only officially recognised ethnic minority in the GDR was treated. On two accompanying DVDs, important works – both in German and Sorbian – are made available to the public for the first time.
Sample readings
Table of Contents (PDF)
Introduction (PDF)
