East to West: Coming Out and Holding On

In Heiner Carow’s Teddy Award-winning tale of an East German teacher, Philipp (Matthias Freihof) begins to question his sexuality after a reunion with a childhood friend, which brings back long-suppressed desires. 

By day, a model citizen with a loving girlfriend (Dagmar Manzel), an encounter with a handsome young man (Dirk Kummer) draws Philipp further and further into Berlin’s queer subcultures.

Coming Out was the result of a decades-long fight by activists for the East German state to provide equality for queer people in all its activities, including through the DEFA, the state-run agency responsible for producing films. With its premiere taking place on the evening the Berlin Wall fell, the film is a unique window into gay life in East Berlin before it was transformed by reunification.

Coming Out will be preceded by a pre-recorded intro from Siavash Minoukadeh and a short film:

Holding On

Dir. Kai McNamee, West Midlands filmmaker

A couple so in love, they can't be parted. Literally!

UK (2024) / 20’

We're pleased to present these films as part of our East to West season: LGBTQUIA+ history through cinema – from the former Eastern Bloc and the UK, spanning the recent past to the modern day.

With thanks to Cinema Rediscovered. Coming Out is presented as part of their season, Queer Cinema From the Eastern Bloc.

Cinema Rediscovered on Tour is a Watershed project in collaboration with Park Circus and StudioCanal. With support from BFI awarding funds from The National Lottery.