Personen, Großstadt, blinde Flecken. (German)

People, Large Cities, Blind Spots. (English)

The Staatliche Filmdokumentation [State Film Documentation, or SFD] existed at the Filmarchiv [Film Archive] of the GDR between 1970 and 1986, where it produced documentary films classified as not for public dissemination but as an historical source for future generations. Its goal was a systematic and comprehensive self documentation of the socialist state of the GDR for future reference. As part of the SED's politics of history, the SFD possessed certain freedoms: It was partially able to bypass censorship in the creation of its films and thereby provides a record on topics forbidden to the state media. The preserved film documents of the SFD are almost unknown to date. As the result of a research project at the Institute for Contemporary History, this unique source collection will be presented on an archival basis for the first time: 1) the extensive SFD documentation on personalities, which especially covered the mid-rank leadership elite of the GDR, 2) topical documentation, especially focussed on the social history of Berlin, as well as 3) films, which were supposed to create documentation on aspects of the GDR which currently were subject to censorship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rund 300 Filme für den 'Giftschrank' hat die von 1970 bis 1986 bestehende 'Staatliche Filmdokumentation' am Filmarchiv der DDR produziert. Ihre Aufgabe war es, dokumentarische Zeugnisse für die Verwertung in einer unbestimmten Zukunft zu erstellen. Dabei ging es unter anderem auch ganz bewusst um Tabuthemen des SED-Staates. Anne Barnert präsentiert eine archivarisch fundierte Übersicht über die Produktion der SFD und die Überlieferungsgeschichte ihrer Filme. Sie bilden eine Quellengruppe ganz eigener Art besonders zur biografischen und zur Sozialgeschichte der DDR, die noch ihrer Auswertung harrt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Vierteljahrshefte für Zeitgeschichte is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)