Potsdam/Jena, 14.03.2026 – In May 1946, the founding of Deutsche Film-AG (DEFA) laid the foundation for state-controlled film production in the former Soviet occupation zone. Cinema became a central instrument for reorienting a society marked by the consequences of the Second World War.
- Event: Founding of Deutsche Film-AG (DEFA)
- Date: May 17, 1946
- Location: Film studios in Potsdam-Babelsberg
- First Production: „Die Mörder sind unter uns“ (1946)
- Historical Significance: First state-owned film company in post-war Germany with the goal of social and political reorientation.
Film as an Instrument of Social Reconstruction
May 1946 marked a decisive cultural-political step in eastern Germany. The Soviet military administration and the emerging political structures recognized the power of moving images early on. Film was considered the most effective medium for evoking emotions, telling stories, and politically realigning the population after the end of the National Socialist dictatorship. With the official founding of DEFA in the tradition-steeped studios in Babelsberg, the foundation of the later GDR cinema landscape was established.
Anti-Fascism as a Central Interpretative Framework
From the beginning, DEFA was given a clear educational mandate: the cinematic confrontation with the recent past. Anti-fascism became the dominant motif of the early post-war years. Themes such as resistance, personal guilt, and moral new beginnings were the focus of the productions. These were intended to make the break with National Socialism visible and create the ideological basis for a new social order.
As early as the founding year of 1946, Wolfgang Staudte’s work „Die Mörder sind unter uns“ was created as one of the first German post-war films ever. The plot, set in destroyed Berlin, linked the fate of a doctor with the pressing question of responsibility for war crimes.
Background: Political Control and Pop-Cultural Heritage in Thüringen
Although film production took place centrally in Babelsberg, DEFA significantly shaped cultural everyday life throughout the GDR – including in Jena. Cinemas such as the former „Capitol“ in Jena city center showed the produced feature films, documentaries, and the fairy tale films that remain popular to this day for decades. In the process, themes and scripts were always under strict political observation by the SED leadership. Film was not only intended to entertain but to actively shape the socialist vision of society. By the time of reunification, DEFA had produced around 700 feature films that have lastingly influenced the collective memory of several generations.
Source:
May 1946: Celluloid as a Weapon – The Founding of DEFA – Cool’is in the East
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