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Matinee Saxon State Archive 2025

The German Democratic Republic – A Land of Books [excerpt]

Lotte Thiel
This film, substantiated by facts and figures, was shot in 1971 to mark the Book Art Fair and intended to demonstrate the significance of reading in the GDR by books, readers, and images.
1971
Filmstill Deutsche Demokratische Republik – Ein Land der Bücher [Ausschnitt]
Filmstill Deutsche Demokratische Republik – Ein Land der Bücher [Ausschnitt]

The German Democratic Republic – A Land of Books [excerpt]

Deutsche Demokratische Republik – Ein Land der Bücher [Ausschnitt]
Lotte Thiel
Matinee Saxon State Archive 2025
Documentary Film
GDR
1971
6 minutes
German
Subtitles: 
None
The well-known illustrator Werner Klemke uses his drawings to teach the youngest bookworms about the value of reading. Taking this as a starting point, Lotte Thiel presents the GDR as a land of books whose capital is Leipzig. Figures and images from the 1971 International Book Art Exhibition underscore the significance accorded to books as a tool for shaping the “socialist personality”.
Thekla Kluttig, Meike Weimann

Credits DOK Leipzig Logo

Director
Lotte Thiel
Script
Fritz Gebhardt
Cinematographer
Willi Kieker
Editor
Waltraud Hartmann
Producer
Karl-Friedrich Karnatz, DEFA-Studio für Kurzfilme
Score
Peter Gotthardt