Coming Out is a 1989 feature film made by the East German film monopoly, DEFA. Directed by Heiner Carow and starring Matthias Freihof, Dagmar Manzel and Dirk Kummer, the film deals with the process of the protagonist's "coming out" and admitting to himself and others that he is a gay man. The film was shot entirely on location in East Berlin and includes scenes shot with amateurs in some of the city's gay bars and clubs. Premiering at the Kino International in Berlin on the very night that the Berlin Wall collapsed, November 9, 1989, Coming Out was the first and last East German feature film that dealt centrally with the lives of gay men. Coming Out won two awards, including the "Silver Bear", at the Berlinale in 1990 for its frank treatment of the issue of homosexuality .

The story revolves around a young high-school teacher, Philipp Klahrmann, who during his first day at work collides with a fellow teacher, Tanja, in one of the school's corridors. As Phillip insists on making sure the Tanja is okay, there is an obvious connection between the two that is much more than a simple friendly co-worker relationship. As a result of the brief accident in the hallway, Philipp ensures Tanja is okay and later on takes Tanja out for a drink. A romance quickly develops between the two. That same night, back at Tanja's apartment, the two engage in a frank discussion. Tanja reveals that they attended the same university and that she had a crush, as did most of her female classmates, on Philipp who was at that time "going steady" with another classmate. Eventually, the two partake in their first physical display of affection, and after sleeping together Philipp bluntly asks if Tanja would want him as her husband.