DEFA-Studio für Trickfilme

This short animation collage uncovers the financial backing of the Chilean Junta bosses by the US. Screened at the 1976 Oberhausen Int. Film Festival.

The Mapuche tribe asks their Gods for help in difficult situations, including illness and drought. When the Spanish conquerers on their horses invade their country, the indigenous people think that they are aliens. The Spaniards capture and enslave many of the Mapuche tribe. Lautaro, a young captured native, realizes that these aliens are human beings without any divine power. He learns to use their weapons and organizes a resistance movement against the intruders.

Puppet animated film based on a fairytale by the Brothers Grimm.

The sun is drunk! She has emptied every beer barrel! Instead of going down, she has forgotten about time and is messing up the whole city. Will they have to cancel the lantern festival for the kids? Little Max, Tüte, the director of the observatory and the head of the fire brigade all try to catch the sun so they can take her to bed. Hopefully they can save the party for the kids.

Peter lives happily with his cat until one day a mouse appears. Peter tries to teach the animal how to catch mice. But it is playful and interested in everything but lessons.

A fisherman once caught a talking golden fish. He gave him his freedom and was allowed to make a wish in return. He asked for a boat, but this was not enough for his wife, who demanded a house. Driven by his wife's greed, the fisherman demanded more and more until he had lost all the wealth he had gained.

This short, animated piece of agitprop fiercely expresses the hopes of the Chilean people.

A joint production by animators of the USSR and the GDR based on children's drawings from the time of the Revolution and drawings by children of the 1970s.

A farmer and his wife had a girl in addition to their seven sons. An evil old woman turned the boys into ravens because she had not been invited to the christening. When the girl turned seven, she learned of the sad fate of her brothers and set out to redeem them. Her journey to the end of the world, to the sun, moon and stars, was adventurous and full of danger. But the girl persevered, found her brothers in the glass mountain, was able to rescue them and return with them to her parents' house.

Cartoon based on letters and drawings of children of Soviet Union and German Democratic Republic.

A poor woodcutter lived in the forest with his daughters Katrin and Else. Else was quarrelsome and lazy, Katrin was hard-working and good to people and animals. That is why the bear, the hare, the squirrel and the raven wanted to lead her to the forest house so that she could rescue the prince, who had been enchanted into an ancient man. Unfortunately, through unfortunate circumstances, the quarrelsome Else ended up in the forest house. Because she was lazy and unkind to the man and his animals, she was unable to redeem him and was punished. Only when the animals managed to escort Katrin into the forest house could everything be brought to a good end.

Two men sit on an island watching the sunset. When a storm gathers, they decide to build a boat. While one man is mindful of the coming danger and urges speed, the other wastes his time on decorative details. Dammbeck’s last film made in the GDR before he left for West Germany is based on a Chinese fable, with music by internationally known jazz musician Günter “Baby” Sommer.

A cowardly king becomes dependent on an evil prince who desires the king's daughter as his wife. As the princess does not want to marry, she is banished to a barren valley as a cattle maid. The king flees and the prince now rules the land with his robber journeymen. On his wanderings, journeyman Hans comes to the lonely valley and defeats the king's daughter's guards. On his further journey, he encounters destruction and devastation. He frees a miller and learns from him that the land can be redeemed from the cruel prince if a fearless person spends one night in the castle.

Faustus wants to invent a fire that is stronger than all previous flames. Then death approaches him. In order to prolong his life, he makes a pact with Mephistopheles. When he has found the fire, he burns the contract and is ready to die. Death shows him life in the form of Margaret, with whom Faust falls in love. In order to regain his youth, he sells the flame to Mephisto. Faust enjoys the idyll of love while the Black Knight, Mephisto's servant, subdues the land with fire. When Faust refuses to enter the service of evil, his wife, child and home are destroyed by the flame. Faust makes another pact with Mephisto and invents a fire that blows up knights and devils. This time, Death orders him to discover the fire of life.

A young architect, under the guidance of an old teacher, builds a beautiful building. Wanting to try his hand at a big business, he leaves the master teacher and accepts the invitation of a rich ruler. Fate returns the experienced hero to his origins.

Olli, the main character in the movie, got a very bad grade and is terribly annoyed. She runs away from home and, together with a dog and a horse, finds a (mad? nutty?) scientist in a windmill. They experience the strangest adventures in this windmill and find other interesting characters, a lot of excitement and peril. While you may well interpret something as the "socialist value system" into this movie, it is more meant to be a children's movie, showing the kids that there are more exciting things out there than the ones that your parents and teachers show you, and that you will only find out most of those things on your own, if you show enough curiosity.

The journeyman tailor Kasper has a hard time. His mistress is constantly keeping him busy with chores. When the brownies show up in town and take over all the craftsmen's work, Kasper can no longer get any sewing done. That's fine with the master. He now often meets up with his colleagues to sing a quartet, but Kasper finally becomes the master's pet. When this nosy and bossy person ambushes the brownies with peas, the good Kasper tries to protect the little gnomes from harm. He is unsuccessful, and the brownies leave the town for good, badly demolished. Now they have to do the work themselves again. The masters are very sad, but the choir singing helps them get over the worst. Kasper is happy, he can pick up the needle again and become a capable journeyman tailor.

When the old miller dies, he leaves the mill to the eldest son, the donkey to the second eldest and a tomcat to the youngest. The tomcat wants to repay his master's friendship and help him. He has his boots made, gains access to the royal castle and catches the partridges the king wants. He impersonates the miller's boy Hans as "Count of the Mill", tricks him into wearing elegant clothes and brings him together with the king and the princess. He succeeds in overcoming the evil sorcerer and winning a magnificent castle for Hans. Hans finally becomes king and his cat first minister.

On a lonely island, where Odysseus has to serve the nymph Calypso, he remembers his great adventures: the glorious victory over Troy; the curse of the sea god Poseidon, whose son he overpowered; the wrestling with Circe, the Lotophagi, the Sirens with their enticing death song and the battle with the bloodthirsty Scylla. Penelope, his wife, meanwhile fights against intrusive suitors who want to kill Odysseus. Athena sends him his son as a savior, who defeats Proteus, Poseidon's vassal. Odysseus is able to free himself from Calypso. Disguised as a beggar, he returns home, punishes the suitors who are after his money and is reunited with Penelope.

Kunz, the poor day laborer who is richly blessed with children, discovers the secret of the cave in the Simeliberg while collecting wood. Robbers keep their looted treasures there. Kunz takes some of it from time to time so that he can put a little more on the table for his family. Kunz's rich, stingy and suspicious neighbor discovers the secret of the treasure cave. His greed blinds him so much that he runs into his misfortune.