whisper & SHOUT

In 1988, the East German state film studio DEFA produced the first—and only—documentary report on the country’s rock and punk scene. whisper & SHOUT sold over a million tickets upon release, largely to young people eager to see their favorite bands on screen and to find out what made it past the censors. Their enthusiasm was natural; director Dieter Schumann’s team had hit the road across the GDR not only to film live performances, but also to interview teenage fans about their place in the subculture, their prospects for the future, and the targets of their rebellion.  

Shot on 35mm and featuring luminary bands like Feeling B (some of whose members went on to found Rammstein), Silly, Chicorée, and Die Zöllner, whisper & SHOUT is both a generational portrait of music and protest behind the Wall and a unique historical artifact of the East German media’s relationship to its country’s underground.   

Streaming as part of Alle gegen Alles: Punk@50. By 1976, the once underground punk movement had exploded across the world, bringing with it a bold new style, an anti-establishment ethos, and a powerful do-it-yourself means of political and personal expression. Fifty years later, this collection of films celebrates punk rebellion in Germany and its enduring role as an antidote to modern conformity. Watch for free through December 31.

Image © DEFA-Stiftung/Tina Bara