„Stolz und Eigensinn“ is a powerful documentary about female workers in large industrial plants in the former GDR who have retained the independence, pride and determination they fought so hard to achieve to this day. Immediately after the fall of the Berlin Wall – at a time of mass redundancies, economic upheaval and a profound loss of status – they recount their daily working lives, their lived utopias and the matter-of-factness with which they held their own in so-called male-dominated professions. 

The historical footage, recorded on U-matic tapes and preserved from the archives of the Leipzig pirate radio station KANAL X and the Civil Rights Movement Archive, not only reveals the social upheavals of the post-reunification era, but also the strength and self-confidence of these women. It documents their experiences of devaluation and discrimination – and, at the same time, their satisfaction at making their mark in typically male-dominated professions. In this way, we bear witness to emancipation and independence in a society where work was regarded as a core value. 

More than 30 years later, director Gerd Kroske has unearthed this cinematic treasure and tracked down the women who starred in the film back then. In an experimental split-screen arrangement, past and present come face to face: the women look at their younger selves, comment, question and react spontaneously. The result is a series of vivid, multi-layered portraits that interweave personal memories with historical reflection. 

The film explores key questions from a media perspective: What was once gained? What has been lost? And what remains of this generation’s dreams and achievements? “Stolz und Eigensinn“ fills a gap in our collective memory and pays tribute to women whose life’s work has long been overlooked. (Reinhold Gaubitsch) 

“Stolz & Eigensinn is a film that not only defies established clichés about the East, but simply redefines the concept of freedom.” (Angelika Nguyen, JACOBIN) 

“Stolz und Eigensinn takes a look behind the scenes of the world of work, which, after 1990, was also subject to a backlash against gender politics in the new Germany. This forgotten chapter of history would not only be well received at screenings in West German trade union circles; it would also make an impression on viewers at 8.15 pm on ARD or ZDF.” (Matthias Dell; Tagespiegel) 

“This documentary is not a sentimental historical record, but a meticulously crafted exploration of memory, gender and work across different social systems. Yet the film is so understated and so skilfully directed that it allows the very existence of these women to take centre stage, in all their pride and determination.” (Ulrike Lykke Langer, MDR) 

Austrian Premiere 

Zusätzliche Sondervorführung bei freiem Eintritt 
in Anwesenheit von ÖGB- Bundesfrauensekretärin Dorottya Kickinger 
am Montag, 8. Juni 2026, 18.00 Uhr  

Ort: Veranstaltungszentrum Catamaran 
Veranstaltungssaal Wilhelmine Moik 
Johann-Böhm-Platz 1, 1020 Wien 

Anmeldung bitte HIER.