The ideological foundation of socialist East Germany was vehemently attacked in Konrad Wolf’s 1980 film Solo Sunny—about the triumph of the individual over the collective—but, surprisingly, a scandal about it never materialized because of the film’s sudden popularity abroad. When the jury of West Berlin’s international film festival, Berlinale, nominated the DEFA submission for best picture and awarded the Silver Bear (the prize for the best actress) to Renate Krößner for her role as Sunny, it was no longer possible to have the film disappear from East German movie screens. It became a cult film almost right away, and more than a million people watched it in sold-out shows during its run of 19 weeks nonstop at the Kino International in East Berlin. The film hit a nerve with audiences who, like Sunny, were looking to break out of their daily routines and assert their personal space in a society that favored conformity over individual freedom. To them, Sunny became the on-screen realization of their dreams and a role model.