Many decades of historic research ignored the role of women in the uprising of June 17th 1953. Starting in the 1950s historic views on the protest against the communist East-German regime centered on male strike leaders and factory workers taking to the streets for protest. 

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However, lots of modern research reveals another look at the historic events in East-Germany in June 1953. Since the discovery of the film pictures by Albert Ammer, Jutta-Regina Lau (the film assistant on June 17th) started in the early 2000 years to point-out the importance of women in the uprising. The film pictures of her and the cameraman Ammer clearly show women in action on the streets and in jail. Interestingly, Jutta-Regina Ammer never talked about her role as film assistant. She indeed had an active role in documenting what happened on June 17th 1953.

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Jutta-Regina Lau died few years ago and now her son continues the legacy of the film crew from June 17th 1953. Alexander K. Ammer reports on his decade long research into the film pictures from Ammer and Lau and the evolving events infront and behind the film camera. 

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The film pictures from downtown Halle (S.) clearly and without a doubt display "an uprising of women" on June 17th 1953. The film pictures shot with Jutta-Regina Lau's direct assistance show many, very young women and elderly females who take an active role in the street protests. 

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A unique sensation present the historical singular freeing of more than 240 female prisoners from an East-German (GDR) prison. Ammer and Lau film the peaceful escape of all female inmates from prison located in "Kleine Steinstrasse" on June 17th 1953. Due to excessive communist propaganda after the incident, starting on June 18th 1953, this historic sensation has never received sufficient historic attention. Nevertheless, the film pictures document incredible moments of disbelief and joy as all female prisoners are able to flee into freedom. Just moments later Soviet military officers and armed Soviet soldiers block the entrance gate of the emptied prison. Ammer and Lau's film pictures are simply just sensational. Alexander K. Ammer recollects how those events deeply moved his mother - even decades later as the pictures also found its way into freedom, as those were kept secret for more than 60 years in the infamous "Stasi-files" of the former communist German state.  

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ARD History "Aufstand der Frauen" ("Uprising of women") rediscovers our history!

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Here link to the 45-minute documentary on ARD Mediathek (in German):

ARD History: Aufstand der Frauen – Frauenschicksale rund um den 17. Juni | ARD Mediathek