Dir. Heiner Carow, GDR 1989. 109 min., German with English subtitles

Starring: Matthias Freihof, Michael Gwisdek, Dagmar Manuel, and Walfriede Schmitt 

In honor of Pride month, the Wende Museum and the Goethe-Institut Los Angeles present a screening of the 1989 East German film Coming Out, directed by famed East German filmmaker Heiner Carow. 

As a boy, Philipp was strongly attracted to his best friend, but he put that behind him in order to live within the “norm.” He meets a shy girl who falls for him, and soon the couple is sharing an apartment. But Philipp cannot deny his passionate desire for a young man. After years of repressing his sexuality, he finally accepts himself for who he truly is. Hailed as the first and only feature film about gay life ever produced in communist East Germany, Coming Out premiered on the night the Berlin Wall fell, November 9, 1989.

The film was edited by Heiner Carow’s wife, Evelyn, and scored by their son, Stefan Carow, who recently presented an ensemble performance alongside Grammy winner Vicki Ray during the 2018–19 season of Music at the Wende. 

Presented in cooperation with the Goethe-Institut Los Angeles and the DEFA Film Library at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.