DEFA Film Library
The DEFA Film Library at the University of Massachusetts Amherst is the only research center and archive outside of Germany devoted to a broad spectrum of filmmaking from and related to the former German Democratic Republic (GDR, East Germany). Researchers are welcome to the archive by pre-arranging their visit.
| Company type | Nonprofit organization |
|---|---|
| Founded | Amherst, Massachusetts, U.S. (September 23, 1993) |
| Founder | Barton Byg |
| Headquarters | , U.S. |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Website | www |
The DEFA Film Library’s mission is twofold: to make East German films available and better known outside of Germany, and to broaden the understanding of filmmaking in the GDR and Eastern and Central Europe through critical interdisciplinary and transnational scholarship. In order to achieve this mission, the nonprofit organization mounts a multi-tiered effort. Through preservation, research initiatives, production, and cultural programming, the DEFA Film Library:
- houses an extensive archive and collection of 35- and 16-mm prints, DCPs, DVDs, film files, books, periodicals, documents and images;
- creates high-quality English-subtitled East German films in various formats, often with educational bonus features that are distributed on DVD or via streaming in North America and in English-speaking countries, as well as worldwide through the international network of Goethe-Institutes;
- offers key programs for teachers and for public and scholarly outreach including touring film series, biennial summer film institutes and the visiting artist program.
- awards an annual Graduate Student Essay Prize (since 2021) and the DEFA Film Library Programming Award (since 2023).
Students from UMass Amherst and the Five Colleges are involved in all aspects of the DEFA Film Library. Through working on productions, public programming, sales and distribution, and teaching and outreach activities, they gain valuable non-academic experiences in translation, subtitling and research, as well as library, conference and arts management.
In February 2019, the DEFA Film Library Endowment was established to support and enhance the mission and activities of the DEFA Film Library at UMass Amherst.