DEFA Animated Films without Comments - PROGRESS Film-Verleih

DEFA Animated Films without Comments 

Stomach and Soul 

(Bauch und Seele) 

Bolero 

(Bolero) 

DEFA 1988, cartoon 

Director, screenplay Klaus Georgi 

Photography Helmut Krahnert 

Music Manfred Mammitzsch 

Color - 4 min. 

A speech. But everyone is just waiting for the buffet. 

The hunger grows and the battle begins… 


Director, screenplay Sieglinde Hamacher 


Music Hans-Friedrich Ihme 


Every night the white rooster is on the lookout and 

guards his wife who is expecting her lover. When the 

colourful Spanish rooster draws near, there is no 

holding back for her. Again and again the two manage to outsmart the jealous husband 

until he dies of grief. But from now on the hen waits in vain. 

Einmart 

(Einmart) 

DEFA 1980, cartoon, cutout animation 

Director, screenplay Lutz Dammbeck 

Photography Hans Schöne 

Music Thomas Hertel 


In a hemisphere of brains and intestines, strange 

figures are vegetating. One of the mutants manages 

to fly and tries to escape this nightmare… 

1

Loneliness 

(Einsamkeit) 


Director, screenplay Otto Sacher 


Music Dieter Kempe 


A man is sitting, sad and alone in his home. It is 

Christmas and he would so much have liked to 

celebrate with someone. He sets fire to his Christmas 

tree, so that the fire brigade is forced to come. And then they all sit around his table and 

they drink and make merry. 

An animated film for adults. 

Either Or 

(Ent- oder weder) 

DEFA 1964, silhouette film 

Director, screenplay Bruno J. Böttge 

Photography Bruno J. Böttge 

Music Walter Göpfert 


A man comes across a yellow dog. While playing with 

it, the man himself turns yellow. A blue dog doesn’t 

like this. He lures the – now yellow – man to himself 

and plays with him. Now the man turns as blue as the 

dog, angering the yellow dog. The man doesn’t want 

to hurt the feelings of any of them, but it’s no use to him. How should he decide to keep 

the dogs from biting him? A short film by Bruno J. Böttge, the master of the silhouette 

film. 

Exotic Creature 

(Der Exot) 

DEFA 1989, cutout animation 

Director, screenplay Raimund Backwinkel 

Photography Lutz Kleber 



A man reads an article in the newspaper that is about 

a distant country and its one-eyed people. In the 

hope of making a lot of money he wants to capture a one-eyed man and present him to 

an audience. After a long cruise he finally arrives at the country of the one-eyed people. 

But his journey turns out quite different: The man is being captured in a cage that is 

being pushed by a lot of one-eyed people and they are curious to see the two-eyed 

exotic people. 

A short cutout animation for children and adults that is based upon the Japanese fairytale 

"Unexpected Happiness". 

2

Drawings 

(Gezeichnetes) 



Photography Hans Schöne 


The three short episodes of animated film focus on 

different human weaknesses. The first part shows 

how a woman triggers an alarm at the fire 

department by simply asking for a light for her 

cigarette. The second episode proves that it is easier to simply circumvent a puddle than 

to cross it with a lot of effort. In the third part a huge mass of drummers gathers – and 

the result is just a pathetic “bum”. 

Humour without words by Otto Sacher. 

Hello 

(Hallo) 

DEFA 1984, cutout animation, cartoon 

Director, screenplay Hans Moser, Thomas Rosié 

Photography Hans Moser, Thomas Rosié 

Sprecher Hans Eberhard Ernst 


The noise of a big city, the hustle and bustle of a new 

residential area. A man flees from this noise - to his 

weekend cottage, to the forest, to the mountains, to 

the seaside. Noise everywhere. In the desert - at last 

it is quiet! Loneliness! - Fear! - "Hello?" calls the man. 


Mister Daff Goes To The Museum 

(Herr Daff geht ins Museum - Folge 1) 



Photography Werner Baensch 

Music Eberhard Weise 


In the museum Mister Daff looks at the pictures of 

women not from an artistic point of view but from an 

erotic. When he thinks he war caught by other 

visitors, he is ashamed. But it turns out that those visitors were thieves caught red 

handed. Daff is the hero of the museum. 

Seven Stories about Mister Daff, a loveable contemporary. His comical entanglements 

reflect the smaller and greater problems of everyday life, and always the way to 

overcome these problems. 

An animated film for adults from the Mister Daff series. 

3

Mister Daff Shoots A Film 

(Herr Daff macht eine Filmaufnahme - Folge 2) 



Photography Ursula Grünberg 

Music Manfred Pieper 


Seven Stories about Mister Daff, a loveable 

contemporary. His comical entanglements reflect the 

smaller and greater problems of everyday life, and 

always the way to overcome these problems. A bus-driver is suddenly very polite, 

because he thinks he is being filmed, while only just a few minutes ago he had left his 

passengers standing in the rain. 

An animated film for adults from the Mister Daff series. 

Island Joke 

(Inselwitz) 


Director, screenplay Lutz Stützner 

Photography Steffen Nielitz 

Music Eberhard Weise 


At least the three are still alive after the shipwreck. 

Freezing and with chattering teeth they reach an 

island. A mermaid gives them a piece of cloth. The 

three make a flag and salute it – freezing and with chattering teeth. 

Kafka's Dream 

(Kafkas Traum) 






Kafka sees how a waitress pinches a bit from the 

plate she has to serve the next moment. Disgustedly 

he complains about it. The girl is sentenced to 

stoning. Kafka did not mean to set off this sentence, 

but the stones are thrown with even more diligence at 

the waitress. Kafka, powerless against the events, kills himself. The girl is sent back to 

serve plates. 

Progress Film paid the short film but could not show it before the fall of the wall. 

4

Consequence 

(Konsequenz) 


Director Klaus Georgi 

Screenplay Hedda Gehm, Klaus Georgi 


Music Friedbert Wissmann 


A film about a film that shows the environmental 

damage of the earth. The whole world coughs – trees, 

animals, humans and finally the earth itself as well. 

Enthused by the film the viewers leave the cinema and rush – without consequence – to 

their high-speed cars. A coughing man closes the cinema. 

Opposites 

(Kontraste) 



Photography Brigitte Schönberner 



A drop of water falls to the floor and bursts. A whole 

world that is animated by organic figures and 

imaginary landscapes originates from the drop. A thin 

man and a big woman are a couple and they wander 

the world of drops. Again and again the two meet 

other figures. All are interacting. They cluster, they go apart or swallow each other. The 

most powerful incorporates others. From one moment to the other passionate hugs 

change into violent fights. In the world of drops beauty coexist to ugliness and love to 

hate. 

"Opposites" is a short, symbolic animated film for adults and it is drawn with a ballpen 

and coloured pencils. The film is about the meaning of life, human relations and sexual 

desire. The provocative motifs caused a prohibition and the destruction of the negative 

image. Thanks to a working copy that was in the director's ownership the film that is an 

adaption of the fairytale "A drop of water" by Hans Christian Andersen has been restored 

in 1990. 

5

The Circle 

(Der Kreis) 

DEFA 1989, multi-technique animation 

Director Klaus Georgi 

Screenplay Hedda Gehm, Klaus Georgi 

Photography Steffen Nielitz, Brigitte Schönberner 



A gigantic factory emits black smoke from an infinite 

number of chimneys and it descends its environment 

into factory fumes. Therefore the people in the city have to wear protective masks. Even 

the children play outside with masks. Lovers cannot kiss each other, hasty businessmen 

have to work with the live-saving face protection.The machines in the factory are working 

nonstop. All of them produce protective masks. 

A short animated film for adults. 

The Solution 

(Die Lösung) 

Monument 

(Monument) 






A flock of birds on a telephone wire: all but the 

smallest follow the leader’s orders, who thinks of a 

solution. 


Director, screenplay Klaus Georgi, Lutz Stützner 



Made for eternity. A stone figure pointing into the 

distance. The people understand the way the statue 

leading. After a telephone call, the statue is pointing 

into another direction. 

6

NON plus 

(NON plus) 


Director, screenplay Karl-Heinz Müssig 

Photography Jörg Herrmann 

Music Hein Kaiser 


People are running up and down the railroad tracks - 

they are the train. They follow the signals and the 

switch points exactly. They are completely at one with 

each other. Then suddenly, the railroad tracks end. Chaos breaks out among the people, 

turning them against each other. 

The Breakdown 

(Die Panne) 

The Voyage 

(Die Reise) 






Heavy traffic on the highway. No one pays attention 

to the man standing by the road. Finally the smallest 

Trabant stops and helps… 


Director Sieglinde Hamacher 

Screenplay Hedda Gehm 




A man with huge luggage comes running up the stairs 

to a platform. When he gets there, he hears an 

announcement and runs to the next platform. This is repeated several times until he 

finally sits down on a bench exhaustedly and feeds pigeons. He waits patiently. 

Everything but a train passes his bench. At first, a ship goes by and then a vehicle that 

makes the tracks disappear completely. In the meantime, the pigeons searched his 

luggage for food and picked it to pieces. When you hear a train approaching from afar, 

the man had already changed his mind. He is taken into the air by the pigeons and 

carried away. 

A satirical animated film for adults. 

7

Rescue 

(Rettung - Serie Eselei 5) 




Music Matthias Kleemann 


Man and donkey ride through surreal landscape. 

Suddenly they hear a cry for help, follow it and rescue 

a man from a crevice. Unexpectedly, the deed is 

rewarded with gold for the man and sugar for the 

donkey. The incident happens again but the rescued man is without means. The man and 

the donkey are outraged. When they hear the third cry for help, they check beforehand if 

their deed will be rewarded. Suddenly the man falls into a crevice and expects help from 

his donkey. But the animal learned from his master and forsakes him because he has no 

sugar. The topic of corrupt behaviour is portrayed exaggeratedly. 

From the series “Donkey Folly”. Further titles: “Man And Donkey”, “Investment”, and 

“Caution”. 

Seven Rights Of The Viewer 

(Sieben Rechte des Zuschauers) 

The Winner 

(Der Sieger) 


Director Marion Rasche, Peter Mißbach 

Screenplay Marion Rasche 




This film presents seven different possibilities as to 

how a viewer can react to a film in the cinema. The 

creator of the film must endure all, but does not allow 

himself to be discouraged. 


Director, screenplay Lutz Stützner 


Music Jörg Naßler 

Color – 4 min. 

A torero enters the arena and an enthusiastic 

audience welcomes him. In the first moment he 

glances at a beautiful woman who sits in the stands. 

Enthusiastically he smiles at her before the bull is 

being released. In a passionate fight the torero is 

leading masterfully. He darts an amorous glance at the adored woman who throws a rose 

to the torero. Encouraged by this the man gets involved in a very risky fight. Being 

blinded by passion he looks up to his love interest. At the same moment the bull kills the 

torero. Later the woman meets the bull in her bedchamber. Behind her bed is a wall 

covered with trophies that are the heads of the defeated toreros. 

Spanish music gives the rhythm to this short, artistic animated film. 

8

The Sirens 

(Sirenen) 






The sirens sit on the cliff, luring the seamen of all 

times into their disaster with their songs. But they 

can't do anything to the speeders of modern water 

ways, with their ludly howling engines. Why not? True, they're still sitting on the cliffs, 

but caked with oil, and all they can do today - is croak. 


SITIS 

(Sitis) 


Director, screenplay Rainer Schade 


Music Simone Danaylowa 


In the middle of an inhospitable nowhere a child is 

born out of a rolling ball. The baby is on its way to 

explore the world and comes to a wall with a closed 

gate. Only after a few years the child is able to reach for the golden lion door opener. 

Time passes by and the wish for being able to open the door increases. But no matter 

how hard the man tries to reach the knob he does not succeed. He remains a prisoner. It 

is only at the death of the man that the wall opens flooded with light and for the first 

time he meets an opponent. 

As an unsuccessful attempt to break through a wall it is an artistic animated film that 

functions as a parable for adults. 

Sunday 

(Sonntag) 




Music Bernhard Güttler 


Approach to the earth: Instead of the blue planet a 

sulphur-yellow desert ball is visible. A special day: A 

very long queue goes to an intergalactic house that is 

formed like a ball. At the entrance everyone, no matter if big or small, common man or a 

clergyman has to endure massive security checks. While going through gleaming bright 

light they arrive at the center of devotion: A small, fine tree. 

9

Play With Clay - part 1 

(Spiel mit Lehm - Folge 1) 

DEFA 1980, plasticine animation 

Director, screenplay Walter Später 

Photography Wolfgang Bergner 

Music Addy Kurth 


A man and a woman are formed from a lump of clay. 

At first they have difficulties finding each other but 

when the contact is turbulently established, it results 

in a screaming baby. 

In the games the material clay tells us what we can do with this substance. One 

shouldn't take these little acts of creation too seriously; it's fun and fantasy, and it 

always ends where it begann - in a lump of clay. 








A house is formed from a lump of clay. Out of the 

house emerge come a man, a woman and a child. 

When the house transforms into an elephant, the 

three struggle because they all want to ride it. After 

they all settled down on it, an even bigger animal appears and devours them all. 








In the games the material clay tells us what we can 

do with this substance. Clay is formed into the old, 

well-known triangle constellation of sexes, and of 

course the laughing third ist the winner among the claymen. 






Music Karl-Ernst Sasse 


In the games the material clay tells us what we can 

do with this substance. There's one too many in bed 

to be happy - it's a mouse, or might it even be a 

crocodile? 

10








A cello man is formed from a lump of clay who plays 

the strings on himself. Another man tries to interrupt 

him and manages to do so. But the cello player wins. 



always ends where it began - in a lump of clay. 








The clay man lacks a partner. He forms a female 

figure from a torso and falls in love with her. But she 

remains distant. He forms a second woman and now 

the first one is jealous. She chases the other away. 











The magician and the witch disagree. In order to 

annoy him, the witch conjures a beautiful boy from a 

cat. The magician takes revenge and turns a raven 

into a young maid. While the two struggle, the young ones looked at each other and take 

off together. 




11

Stars And Flowers 

(Stern und Blume) 



Photography Peter Pohler 

Music Conny Odd 


A small man desperately wants to own a beautiful 

star. But it is out of reach for him. The beautiful 

flower standing next to him does not catch his 

attention at all. Quite the contrary, a man standing very high, who could reach the star 

easily: he longs for small flower. In his endeavours the small man accidentally destroys 

the flower, in turn, the tall man scares the star away by a chance. That makes both men, 

small and tall, cry. 

Working title: Drawings II 

A short animated film without words by Otto Sacher. 

Alternatives 

(Varianten) 






A pile of rubble between two houses. How do the 

quarrelling inhabitants remove it? First of all by 

throwing it at each other, until the pile is gone. Secondly by going to court, where it is 

removed and submitted as evidence. Thirdly by peacefully sharing it - and then tipping it 

over the fence of the other party, at the back of the house. 


12

DEFA- Animated films without comments for children 

The Flying Grandfather 

(Der fliegende Großvater) 

– with Rainer and his grandfather. 

The Flight To The Penguins 

(Die Flucht zu den Pinguinen) 


Director, screenplay Lothar Barke 


Music Conny Odd, Addy Kurth 


A grandfather like Rainer’s would be nice! He fulfils 

every wish. Rainer wants to have a huge kite. And the 

grandfather builds one for him. But oh dear, will it be 

all right? When they let it fly, the kite takes to the air 

DEFA 1984, multi-technique animation 

Director, screenplay Günter Rätz 

Photography Frank Mücke 



Old, harsh Winter enjoys cold, storms, and frost 

flowers. He really lets himself play about, but the sun 

is stronger, regardless of how hard he might try to 

defend himself. Grudgingly, he withdraws to the 

north. There he soon forgets his anger, because the penguins turn out to be wonderful 

playmates. 

Heinrich The Deer 

(Hirsch Heinrich) 

DEFA 1964, cutout animation 



Music Fred Dittrich 


The new inhabitant of the zoo - Henry the Deer - 

comes from a far away land. He soon has many 

children as friends. In the winter, however, he waits 

and waits for his friends in vain. Finally, he sets out to 

go and find them. In the meantime, the children have arranged a big Christmas surprise. 

But where is Henry the Deer? 

13

The Little Hedgehog And The Piglet 

(Igelchen und das Ferkel) 


Director, screenplay Christl Wiemer 


Music Michael Fuchs 


The hedgehog and the piglet fight about an apple. A 

second apple settles the dispute. The hedgehog 

decides to bake a pie and invites the piglet to join the meal. It brings its whole family 

and the hedgehog left it empty handed. As a compensation, each guest offers him an 

apple… 

In The Honey House 

(Im Honighaus) 

DEFA 1985, puppet film 


Photography Wolfgang Schiebel 



The busy bees collect honey all summer long. The 

little bee wants to help as well but in the evening she 

forgets to leave the flower before it closes in the evening. When she returns to the hive 

the next morning, nobody is angry, on the contrary, she is praised that she acted to 

courageously. She learned her lesson well and it will never happen to her again. 

14

Mouse And Elephant - Part 1 Music 

(Maus und Elefant - Folge 1 Music) 


Director Peter Pohler 

Screenplay Peter Pohler, Alexander Reimann 




The two adorable clay figures Mouse and Elephant are 

friends. When the Elephant rings the Mouse’s bell it means playtime! The difference in 

their sizes spoils the fun. The smart Elephant has an idea. 

Mouse and Elephant make a musical contest at the grand piano. At first only their 

differences and dissonances are apparent but then they find a method to play beautiful 

music together. 

Mouse And Elephant - Part 2 Ball Games 

(Maus und Elefant - Folge 2 Ballspiel) 


Director Peter Pohler 

Screenplay Peter Pohler, Alexander Reimann 




The two adorable clay figures Mouse and Elephant are 

friends. When the Elephant rings the Mouse’s bell it 

means playtime! The difference in their sizes spoils the fun. The smart Elephant has an 

idea. 

This time they play a football match but the opponents are too unequal. In the end, the 

Elephant finds a way that both friends enjoy the game. 

Mouse And Elephant - Part 3 Car 

(Maus und Elefant - Folge 3 Auto) 


Screenplay, Photography and Director Siegfried Jung 



Als Maus und Elefant ein schönes, altes Auto 

entdecken, wollen sie damit fahren, aber es gelingt 

den beiden nicht. Der Elefant ist zu groß und die Maus 

zu klein. So verschaffen sich die beiden wenigstens die Illusion einer Autofahrt. 

Mouse And Elephant - Part 4 Mountaineering 

(Maus und Elefant - Folge 4 Bergsteigen) 


Screenplay, Photography and Director Peter Pohler 



Maus und Elefant wollen einen Berg besteigen. Aber 

ihre Möglichkeiten sind nun einmal grundverschieden. 

Trotzdem findet der Elefant schließlich eine 

Möglichkeit, damit sich beide ins Gipfelbuch eintragen können. 

15

Peter And The Wolf 

(Peter und der Wolf) 



Photography Rolf Hofmann 

Music Addy Kurth, Günter 

Josek, Eberhard Richter 


The musical fairy tale tells the story how Peter, with the help of the little bird, outwits the 

hungry wolf, which is brought in a victory parade to the zoo in the end. 

Based on the original version of Sergej Prokofjev. 

The White Crane 

(Weißer Kranich) 


Director, screenplay Oliver Georgi 


Music Bernd Wefelmeyer 


A farmer finds an injured crane and helps it. At home 

he tries to weave a new kind of cloth because the trader does not want his coarse linen 

anymore. He does not succeed. A stranger comes to his hut, stays with him as his wife 

and weaves a very precious fabric behind closed doors. With this cloth, the farmer earns 

a lot of money. He locks the woman up and forces her to keep on working. Through a 

crack in the door he sees that the stranger is the crane he saved and that it is plucking 

its own feathers to weave the valuable fabric. After her work is done, the woman leaves 

the farmer because he preferred riches to love and beauty. 

The Tiny Mouse 

(Die winzig kleine Maus) 






One morning the little mouse crawls out of her hole 

and decides to take a look around. She jumps over rough and smooth, looks at grasses 

and flowers, gets over holes and hills, witnesses a thunderstorm and survives an 

adventurous ride on the water and eventually returns tiredly to her home. She proudly 

believes that she saw the whole wide world. 

PROGRESS Film-Verleih GmbH • Immanuelkirchstraße 14b • D-10405 Berlin 

Sales and Licensing/ International Distribution: Christel Jansen, Miriam Mai, 

c.jansen@progress-film.de, m.mai@progress-film.de, +49/30/24 003 202 

Footage Service: Kerstin Lommatzsch, Dieter Stolz, Tel. +49/30/24 003 304, 303, 

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Press: Barbara Löblein, Tel. +49/30/24 003 473, b.loeblein@progress-film.de 

16

DEFA Animated Films without Comments - PROGRESS Film-Verleih

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