Kurt Maetzig, born in Berlin on January 25th 1911; in 1935 founder of the animation film studio “Radius”; in 1937 banned from work; in 1946 head of the East German weekly news reel “The Eyewitness” (Der Augenzeuge); on May 17th, 1946 cofounder of the board of the DEFA; feature film debut in 1947; 1954 founding dean of the Film and Television Academy Potsdam-Babelsberg; 1959 first East German science fiction film “The Silent Star” (Der schweigende Stern); 1965 ban of the film “The Rabbit Am I” (Das Kaninchen bin ich); until 1975 work as a director; in 1987 publication of his biography “Filmarbeit”. – PROGRESS film distribution