Defa documentary filmmaker Christian Lehmann dies
The cameraman Christian Lehmann, who made a name for himself with his Defa documentaries, is dead. He died in Berlin on Saturday at the age of 89 after a long illness, his daughter told the German Press Agency on Sunday.
Born in Halbau in Silesia, now Ilowa in Poland, Lehmann studied to become a photographer and graphic artist after leaving school in Leipzig. In 1955, he moved to Potsdam-Babelsberg to attend the German Academy of Film Art, where he studied in the camera department until 1959. He then worked for the GDR film company Defa, initially as an assistant and later as a freelance cameraman.
Together with director Jürgen Böttcher, Lehmann filmed "Im Pergamon-Museum" in 1962 about the famous museum in the heart of Berlin and "Ofenbauer", which depicts the relocation of a 65-metre-high, 2000-tonne blast furnace at the Eisenhüttenkombinat Ost on the Oder by 18 meters.
According to Defa, Lehmann was involved in a total of more than 200 films.
Lehmann's Defa documentaries significantly contributed to the history of Cinema in the GDR, showcasing the lives and stories of the People through films like "Im Pergamon-Museum" and "Ofenbauer." Despite his success, he began his career as a student in the camera department of the German Academy of Film Art in Potsdam-Babelsberg.
Source: www.dpa.com
