It took forty years for East Germany’s state-run studios, DEFA, to produce a feature film about homosexuality: “Coming Out.” The film’s story seems in some ways radically ordinary: a young teacher, Philipp, is gay but cannot accept the truth about his sexuality. He starts a relationship with a fellow teacher, Tanja, but falls in love with a young…[Read more]

This critical essay provides context and background information on the production and reception of the East German film “Coming Out” (1989). This film was monumental for multiple reasons, including that it was the first and last East German feature film to focus on homosexuality. The essay also discusses “The Other Love” (1988), the short…[Read more]

A teaching guide to accompany the East German film “Coming Out” (1989, directed by Heiner Carow).

This guide was developed to help graduate students develop proposals and prospectuses. It was originally designed with Ph.D. dissertation proposals in mind but could be adapted for M.A. proposals.