DEFA-Studio für Spielfilme

Popelka, a resourceful and independent young girl, is a servant in her stepmother's house and confides in her closest friend the owl. When she comes across three magical acorns, she's granted a single wish for each one of them.

Jochen Hamann met Martina Schwarz during a stay at a health resort lasting several weeks. The two fell in love and continued their affair after the cure. This is, of course, much to the displeasure of Jochen's wife and Martina's husband. Renate Hamann and Michael Schwarz then form an alliance of convenience, so to speak, in order to separate the two again over time. But this is not as easy as initially thought. In the end, however, Jochen is the one who has to decide who he wants to live with in the future. Either with Renate or with Martina.

Based on a fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm: Jakob is a poor farmer′s boy. Because of his timidity that even makes him run away from mice, he is often ridiculed by other people. Even the king is ill-disposed towards him. One day he sends Jakob to the devil to rob him of three golden hairs. This is supposed to be Jakob′s certain death. But naïve Jakob gets going and on his way even promises the oppressed subjects of the king to ask the devil for a way out of their misery.

Psichinski rings Mr. Semmler's doorbell and alerts him to strange noises in the attic. Together they sneak upstairs and discover a full-grown horse, which they report to the police officer. He triggers the alarm. The fire department and several workmen marvel at the event and ponder how it could have gotten there in its full size. The return transport requires structural measures and reconstruction work. After completion, Psischinski's house resembles a "jewel box". Later, the policeman asks Psischinski how he "managed" the matter and learns that he had brought a foal there 1½ years ago in order to draw the attention of the public, especially the tradesmen, at the appropriate time so that work that was difficult to carry out could finally be completed. Shaking his head, the official, who also owns a house, leaves the property with the comment: "You should have a horse!"

This film continues the story of radio operator Ludwig Bartuschek from “The Sailor’s Song”. Near the end of the Weimar Republic, Bartuschek (Erwin Geschonneck) is working as a mechanic in the Sperber airplane plant. Director Dehringer offers him the opportunity to train as an airplane constructor if he is willing to give up his communist beliefs under oath. Bartuschek will not allow himself to be bought and instead joins the underground resistance movement.

Schwalk, the new shaft foreman of a road construction brigade, is a go-getter and used to success - both at work and with women. But this time things don't go so smoothly. Although he initially has an easy time with the brigadier Erika, who falls in love with him, things come to a head at work. His ambition to win a competition causes him to slip up during road construction. Erika is outraged by his selfish behavior and suspects that he is just looking for an erotic adventure with her. She turns her back on him. However, Schalk recognizes his mistakes and does everything he can to make up for the damage - to the building site and to Erika. The road is handed over on schedule.

A morality tale from the time of the Saxon Kingdom. The von Siebenthal volunteer fire department has nothing to do. When their local pub is in a very dilapidated state, but the landlord has no money to renovate it, the fire department tries to help out by setting fire to it themselves, but it doesn't quite work. They look for a new object to set fire to, the supposedly empty prison. But there is only one prisoner, who is heroically rescued by Captain Kaden.

Kurt, an apprentice in a fish combine, is an ambitious loner. He wants to show what a good sailor he is at a regatta, but fails because of his recklessness and the storm. Disappointed, he seeks affection from the girl Anke, but she loves the apprentice Hannes. During a trip together with Captain Laue, who presents himself as a fatherly friend to Kurt, the boys get into an argument. However, when Laue makes an unscheduled call at Bornholm and Kurt discovers that Laue wants to sell the cutter's catch and equipment and flee, he buries his differences with Hannes. Together and with the help of the old fisherman Jens, the boys rescue the cutter.

Berlin 1849: The democrat Adolf Glasbrenner, known as Brennglas, publishes the political satire magazine "Phosphor" on a shoestring budget. He plans to marry his lover, the actress Adele Peroni. But the plan comes to a standstill when Adele is to make a guest appearance at the reactionary Royal Prussian Playhouse. A democratic journalist marrying a court actress? Impossible! Together with his friend Pulecke, Brennglas tries to disrupt Adele's performance with a bachelor party...

Seven-year-old Kati is glad that despite her spastic disability she is allowed to attend a normal school. Her parents made that possible. In her first year there, she is supposed to prove that she can get along at the school and she does her utmost to keep up with her classmates. Her disability, however, is greeted with constant mockery and disrespect. Even her teachers have a hard time treating her equally. When Kati fails math, she has to attend a special school. Katie is devastated but her friends help her to cope with the new situation.

A Jewish chief of surgery in 1933 Germany remains blind to the rising Nazi threat, dismissing political dissent from his son and a patient, until his family faces increasing anti-Semitic persecution.

Karin, who is in her mid-thirties, works as registrar but has been divorced for several years. Together with her 16-year old daughter Nora, she leads a happy and independent life. Then, she finds a new partner in the mathematician Peter, but does not tell her daughter about him. When Peter proposes marriage, Karin always comes up with new excuses why such a step is still too early for her. She mainly fears that Nora would not be able to cope with another marriage of her mother. But when Peter cannot be dissuaded anymore by her excuses and finally wants to marry her, Karin comes up with a bizarre plan.

In the 16th century, as Flanders is invaded by the Spanish, Till the Mischievous uses stratagems to enter the service of Ferdinand Alvare de Toledo, Duke of Alba, and from there organize resistance against the invaders.

The year 1933: Successful actress Maria Rheine is in love with her Jewish colleague Mark Löwenthal. When the Nazis implement the racist Nuremberg Laws, their relationship is severely endangered. Defiant Maria decides to stay together with Mark and ends her promising career: She assumes a Jewish identity and continues to work under the name Manja Löwenthal. She and Mark perform at the Jewish Theatre in Berlin, until they become victims of an intrigue: Their colleague Judith, who has a crush on Mark, denounces them to the secret police.

In this East German film, the third one in The Third is Margit's third lover. After her mother's death, Margit has two affairs which don't work out, and one lesbian friendship which she retains. She is looking for a husband, though, and thinks she has spotted a candidate in her fellow factory worker. As she contemplates marrying him, her story is told in a series of flashbacks.

804, Thuringia. An orphan boy, called Bengel, lives in a monastery and is teased by the nuns because of his ugliness. He nurses a black rider, who is shunned by everyone and is said to have the plague, back to health. The rider tells him about the missing Bogumil, son of the Slavic king Slavomir, who was to marry Reglindis, the daughter of the Margrave of Thuringia, by order of Charlemagne. And he asks Bengel about his origins. Bengel now believes he is Bogumil. He goes to the castle and meets a beautiful girl who also thinks he is beautiful. It is Reglindis, she is blind. The girl senses the boy's inner beauty and is very fond of him. Her father, however, wants to kill him. Bengel narrowly escapes death twice, the Black Rider impressively proves his identity with Bogumil and finally there is a happy ending.

The merchant's daughter Constanze, begs her father to ask a lion for a favor. Her father approaches the lion who agrees to his request with one condition: that he send the first person he meets upon his return home to the lion's den. It is Constanze. Against her father's will she goes to the lion and discovers that he is an enchanged prince and that only a woman's love can release him from the spell.

In 1794 Bützow, widow Hornborstel, a top goose breeder, presses Mayor Hane to marry her. Rebuffed, he bans free‐range geese under a “goose edict.” Enraged, she enlists revolutionary‐minded Magister Albus to rally citizens. They rise for goose freedom, the duke deposes Hane, installs a new mayor, and Albus escapes across the border.

The WWII pivotal battle of Stalingrad is shown through the eyes of the soldiers and officers on both sides of the war.

1929: The little girl Józia has to go a few days without her mother, who is traveling abroad for political reasons. Another story is told to the neighbors after Józia visits her relatives in the country. But 10 days can be an eternity for a small child.