"DEFA without borders: mobility and space": International symposium at the University of Erfurt

One highlight will be the public screening of the newly restored classic "The Sorrows of Young Werther" (1976) on 26 March at 7 pm in lecture hall 2 of the University's Communication and Information Centre (KIZ, C21). Afterwards, Dr Ulrike Lorenz (President of the Klassikstiftung Weimar) and Stefanie Eckert (Director of the DEFA Foundation) will discuss the work.

"We want to broaden the view of GDR cinema and bring it into dialogue with current discourses on mobility and aesthetics," explains organiser Professor Michael Grisko. The conference will be accompanied by the exhibition "Drehort Thüringen", which illustrates the regional roots of the film company in Thuringia.

The commitment to the DEFA film heritage does not go unnoticed beyond the state borders, as Stefanie Eckert from the Berlin DEFA Foundation confirms: "Thuringia proves time and again how lively the DEFA heritage is established here. The ongoing interest – from the continuous cinema bookings and new publications to the dedicated research and teaching at the University of Erfurt – is an invaluable signal for us. We would like to thank all local partners for their commitment not only to preserving film history, but also to constantly placing it in new, contemporary contexts."

The event is being organised under the patronage of the Federal Government Commissioner for Eastern Germany, Elisabeth Kaiser. Participation is free of charge. However, registration is requested at e-mail: DEFA-Erfurt-2026@gmx.de .

Press contact:
Professor Michael Grisko
phone.: 0176-41648734