The fact that the former East Germany had its own films, stars, TV programmes, and Westerns (known locally as Indianerfilme) is easily overlooked in the face of the prevailing images of a cold and grey communist state where you could forget visiting uncle Helmut if he lived on the wrong side of the Berlin Wall. But a rich visual culture did exist in the GDR; on 5 February Germany's Ministry of Culture launched a foundation to manage the rights to more than 7,000 films produced by the East German DEFA studios (set up in 1946). Doing business on the shop floor for the foundation are Berlin-based distrib Progress and its daughter company ICESTORM, attending the European Film Market for the second time.

Director of international distribution and acquisitions, Robert Andrew Brooks jr, has noted a strong response to the DEFA stock and the 110+ titles currently on offer (from a full DEFA library of more than 10,000 East German titles, all of which are gradually being restored). "In the last six months we have been asked for practically every title," he says.

East Germans in particular have shown an interest in the library. "We have received a lot of thankyous," notes German Fanther, head of special projects and DVD. "It's like giving people back their popular culture."

For westerners, the novelty lies partly in finding out more about a society that has now slipped into the past. "People want to see something about this 'black hole', the DEFA," says Fanther. "They are surprised to find there was a film culture in Germany before 1968."

Working through the vast set of reels contained in the library, Fanther has come across some "real gems" and surprises - including what ICESTORM touts as the first skinhead film, Die Glatzkopfbande from 1963.

Banned eight weeks after its original release for attracting too much of a cult following, the pic follows a group of skinheads biking to the Baltic coast. "Before the ban there just weren't enough copies to satisfy demand," notes Fanther. "Cinemas left windows open with people standing in the cold just to hear what was going on."

The library also holds internationally acclaimed films like The Cold Heart, which, says Fanther, "went down so well they attempted three versions in West Germany alone."

The Son of the Great Bear is one of a series of Westerns produced by DEFA that succeeded on both sides of the Atlantic. Brooks notes these pics are very true to life: "They weren't going to make the US look good."

ICESTORM has been quick to capitalise on the world-wide acceptance of DEFA's classic fairytales, such as The Story of Little Muck, all noted for their colour, editing and technique.

While a large number of DEFA films failed to nourish box office appetites - they were often rendered bland by a stifling regime that simply banned any films it didn't like - a few were box office dynamite. The Son of Great Bear made 10 million admissions in East Germany alone, and Alarm of Circus, released in 1954, notched up 7.5 million admissions. Liza Foreman