To external appearances, the international festival committee is the official organiser of the Leipzig film week. Special arrangements are even permitted by the GDR government for the promotion of international thinking. However, as of this year the governing SED party is keeping a careful eye on the organisation, for example, of "Argumentation guidelines for public discussion with the adversary" - all those from "imperialist" countries, such as the guests from the FRG and the western press. [Heidi Martini, in: Ralf Schenk]
A party group of representatives from the departments of culture, agitation and propaganda as well as foreign policy is formed by the Central Committee of the SED, including the Head Director of VVB Film and the directors of the studios involved. In the face of personnel fluctuation and the growing influence of television the group positions itself as "the true political and ideological leadership of the festival" [from Protokoll der 1. Sitzung der Parteigruppe für die Internationale Dokumentar- und Kurzfilmwoche vom 20.10.1961., in: Andreas Kötzing]. Official organiser is the international festival committee, although the programme also has to be presented to the Central Committee, the composition of the jury and specification of focus and themes are subjected to influence.
The festival serves the SED as a symbol of cosmopolitanism and increasing international acknowledgment, with a parallel goal the underpinning of the independence of the state and the presentation of a counterweight to the major West German festivals. The functionaries favour a moderate festival policy. For example, they disapprove of the acclaim granted in Leipzig to Cuban post-revolutionary and radically left-wing films such as "Aleas Generalversammlung" by Tomás Gutiérrez
This year sees the formation of the Honorary Presidium of the festival, including Joris Ivens, Stanley Forman, Roman Karmen, Andrew and Annelie Thorndike and Alberto Cavalcanti. The motto of this year's festival - "Films of the world - for the peace of the world" - is retained until 1989. The retrospective is held under the same banner; eight films are screened, by Joris Ivens, Roman Karmen, Karl Gass, Joop Huisken, Alberto Cavalcanti and John Grierson.
Grand Prix
LUDI GOLUBOVO OGNJNA (MENSCHEN DER BLAUEN FLAMME, USSR, Roman Grigorjev)
NARODZINY STATKU (GEBURT EINES SCHIFFES, Poland, Jan Lomnicki)
Main prizes
AKTION J (GDR, Walter Heynowski)
LET MY PEOPLE GO (GIB MEIN VOLK FREI, GB, John Krish)
ENFANTS DU COURANT D´AIR (KINDER DER ZUGLUFT, France, Eduard Luntz)