The first science-fiction film made in East Germany – and released in the midst of the US / USSR Space Race – The Silent Star is based on Stanislaw Lem’s 1951 novel, The Astronauts.
It follows an international space expedition who undertake a journey to Venus in order to decipher a message which travelled from the planet and fell to Earth at the beginning of the 20th century. Whilst on their journey, the crew learn that the message was in fact a historic declaration of war on mankind.