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