Christa Wolf

After the death of their father, 18-year-old Helene Raupe (“coccoon”) and her younger sister Asta come under the guardianship of the youth welfare office in East Berlin. Helene fails miserably as a fishmonger, fashion assistant and bus conductor, all jobs ordained for her by the authorities. The young woman really only “emerges” in her fantasies, where she can escape from her dull, normal life.

On January 27, 2010, Okpako visited the (East) German author Christa Wolf to discuss a film project based on Wolf's novel Medea: A Modern Retelling. Over tea, with the sound of planes landing at nearby Schönefeld airport, they talk about how she came to tell the story of Medea the immigrant, treated with suspicion in her host country, and are joined by the voices of Medea, Jason, Agameda, Glaucke and the passing of the East German era. This film premiered at the Berlinale in 2014.

After a breakdown, Rita returns to her childhood village in 1961. As she recovers, she remembers the past two years: her love for the chemist Manfred, ten years her senior; how his enthusiasm about his new chemical process turned to bitter disappointment in the face of official rejection; how he escaped to West Berlin a few weeks before the Wall was built and hoped that she would follow him …

A depiction of class conflicts in Germany between 1918 and 1945. The Spartacist Erwin is shot by officers in 1918, and his pregant working-class bride Marie begins a new relationship with social democrat Geschke. Erwin's son Hans grows up to be a communist like his father, leading to bitter hatred between him and his Nazi step-brother, while Geschke becomes increasingly resigned to the political situation in Germany. The three aristocratic officers who shot Erwin many years ago meet again during the Kapp Putsch, but their support for the Third Reich eventually leads each to their deaths.

In medieval Germany, poor and witty Till Eulenspiegel fools and cheats citizens, churchmen, and landlords. Although in most cases he uses his wit for personal well-being, he often helps the poor and weak. Eventually, he gains an influential but also dangerous position as royal fool at the court of the emperor.

Johanna is a dedicated female scientist in a near-future world. Her research team develops a drug called "Petersein masculinum 199," capable of transforming a woman into a man. Driven by scientific curiosity and an unrequited love for her cold project leader, Professor Peters, Johanna volunteers as the first human test subject.The chemical process succeeds, and she becomes a man named Johann Anders. However, the physical triumph quickly turns into a psychological crisis. As Johann, she experiences the world from a male perspective and is shocked by what she finds. The men around her live in a world of emotional detachment, power struggles, and casual sexism.When Johann sees how the Professor emotionally mistreats his own daughter, the illusion shatters. Horrified by the lack of empathy required to thrive in this patriarchal society, Johann ends the experiment on day 29. She chooses to change back into a woman, rejecting the toxic male world.