MDR to broadcast classic DEFA Western ‘Die Söhne der großen Bärin’

The MDR television network will broadcast the classic DEFA Western ‘Die Söhne der großen Bärin’ (The Sons of the Great Bear) on Saturday, September 26, 2026, at 21:45.

Released in 1966, the film marked the career breakthrough for Gojko Mitic, who portrays Chief Tokei-ihto. The story is set in the 1870s and follows a Lakota chief attempting to lead his people away from white settlers toward Canada after gold is discovered on their land.

Based on the novel by Liselotte Welskopf-Henrich, the film was intended as an East German response to the Karl May Westerns, aiming to portray Indigenous peoples as central characters with their own history and struggles. At the time of its release, the film was a massive success, drawing nearly nine million viewers to cinemas in the GDR.