DEFA Films Find New Resonance in Glasgow: Teaching East German Cinema to Post-Millennial Britons

A German author, born after the fall of the Berlin Wall, discovered DEFA films only during university studies and now teaches them in Glasgow, where they are met with enthusiasm for their openness and societal relevance. One film that particularly resonates with his German studies students is Hermann Zschoche's DEFA youth film 'Sieben Sommersprossen' (1978), which complicates expectations and prejudices that post-millennial Britons might have about the GDR, often derived solely from 'Goodbye Lenin' and 'The Lives of Others'. The film, commissioned by the SED and shown during Jugendweihe, aimed to introduce sexually mature 14-year-olds to youth sexual legislation, but it also blends the popular US summer camp film genre with Shakespearean allusions, criticizes conservative views of state leaders, and addresses class and gender issues. The author's teaching experience in Glasgow highlights a growing international interest in DEFA films, which are appreciated for their candidness and contemporary social commentary.