Arguably the most important DEFA (former GDR film studios) film of the 1960s, Trace of Stones was censored and shelved by East German officials for 25 years following its release. Director Frank Beyer suffered professionally as a result and was forced to leave DEFA Studios and work in television for the time being. Beyer was originally set to direct the TV mini-series adaptation of Anniversaries in the late 1990s, but was replaced in pre-production by Margarethe von Trotta due to creative differences with the producers.