Our documentary for ARTE launches them once again: the dream ships of socialism. For almost 30 years, the GDR leadership spared neither expense nor effort to turn its vision of luxury for the working class into reality. But the real-life cruise project fails due to the contradiction between desire and reality, just like the GDR as a whole. A political lesson from the Cold War era – and a forgotten chapter from the history of travel.

WRITER & DIRECTOR: Alexander Hogh     CAMERA & SOUND: Mitja von Eisenhart     EDITOR: Rafal Bujoczek     NARRATOR: Timo Weisschnur     COMMISIONING EDITOR: Linde Dehner (ARTE)