»Wege übers Land« or the Invention of the GDR

The focus of the second »Cottbus Film Talks« is the five-part DFF television film »Wege übers Land« (1968). Starring Ursula Karusseit in the lead role, the film tells the story of the young maid Gertrud Habersaat’s life during the war and the post-war period, whilst also painting a picture of the early GDR. The cast also includes Manfred Krug and Armin Mueller-Stahl.

Following the successful first Cottbus Film Talks with director Peter Kahane (»Die Architekten«) and author Florentine Anders (»Die Allee«) in cooperation with the Institute for Building History and Art History at the BTU, this time the cultural sociologist Prof. Dr Jörn Ahrens will introduce the film evening with a lecture, examining the film as a reflection of the war years and the emergence of the GDR. 

Following the screening of Part 2, Jörn Ahrens will discuss the film and its significance in contemporary history together with art historian Sylvia Claus and media scholar Christer Petersen. The discussion will focus on questions of memory, social change and the cinematic portrayal of a society in the making. The discussion will provide a forum for diverse academic perspectives and an exchange with the audience. The evening will conclude with a screening of Part 3 of »Wege übers Land«.

This year’s second edition of the »Cottbus Film Talks« is organised by the Chair of Applied Media Sciences in collaboration with the History of Art chair at the BTU. The film series examines historical film and television productions and combines film screenings with academic discussion.

Programme – Monday, 26 October 2026

Note regarding the event: Attendance is free of charge 
for students and staff of the BTU. As the number of places available is very limited, please submit a ticket request in good time to Katrin Vietz at vietz(at)b-tu.de.

Venue: Weltspiegel Cottbus, Rudolf-Breitscheid-Str. 78, 03046 Cottbus