Berlin was, and still is, a film metropolis. The city has produced films of outstanding quality and continues to serve as both an inspiration and setting for films. Berlin's film history also reflects German cinema as a whole: many timeless German classics have emerged from the city's major studios.

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Film in Berlin can be traced back to 1 November 1895, when Max Skladanowsky showed "living photographs" in the Wintergarten Varieté for the first time. Berlin subsequently grew to become the capital of German film.
In the 1910s at his studio in Weissensee (5-7 Franz Josef-Strasse), Joe May, a pioneer of early cinema, produced detective and adventure films, as well as epics such as Veritas Vincit (1918/19), the eight-part Mistress of the World (1919) and The Indian Tomb (1921). Of all May's work, one Berlin film which particularly stands out is Asphalt (1928/29). An exact replica of Berlin's famous street, the Kurfürstendamm, was created for this UFA production. Unfortunately the glass structures of the May studios have not been preserved.

The history of filmmaking in Berlin is inextricably linked to that of Universum-Film AG (UFA) which, located just outside Berlin, was Germany's biggest production company. Officially founded at the end of the First World War on 18 December 1917, UFA was created through the amalgamation of several film houses and with propaganda film in mind.
Filming initially took place at what is today the UFA-Fabrik in Tempelhof, moving in 1922 to Neubabelsberg, where the biggest studio of the time was built in 1926.
In 1911, the Neubabelsberg site, at the time just ramshackle factory grounds, was bought by the German Bioscop Film Society. It was here, one year later, that the Society began shooting The Dance of the Dead, starring Asta Nielsen. Under Erich Pommer, appointed director of UFA in 1923, countless outstanding films were made and Babelsberg became an international giant of the film industry.

Filmmakers such as Fritz Lang, Ernst Lubitsch, Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau and Georg Wilhelm Pabst produced timeless classics like Nosferatu (1922), The Last Laugh (1924), Metropolis (1927), Siegfried's Death (1924), M (1931), and Pandora's Box (1929). The brilliance of these artistic works still captivates audiences today. One of the most outstanding Berlin films ever made is undoubtedly Berlin: Symphony of a Great City (1927), featuring a collage of images which document a day in the life of the city.
A central theme of the films produced in the 1920s and early 30s was the city of Berlin itself, which was often cast in a socially critical light. Examples include Berlin Alexanderplatz starring Heinrich George (made in 1931 by Phil Jutzi and remade in 1979/80 by Rainer Maria Fassbinder starring Günter Lamprecht), Whither Germany? (1932) and Mother Krause's Journey to Happiness by Phil Jutzi (1929).

In 1930, Joseph von Sternheim's film, The Blue Angel launched Marlene Dietrich's career. Shortly afterwards she moved to Hollywood, where she would become an international star. The film diva died in 1992 and is buried at the public cemetery in the Berlin suburb of Schöneberg. Her estate is on exhibition at the Film Museum Berlin on Potsdamer Platz.

When the National Socialists seized power in Germany, scores of artists emigrated, many of them to France and America. Most were unable to continue their careers. A few, however, achieved fame in Hollywood, among them Ernst Lubitsch, Billy Wilder and Fritz Lang. Many of the filmmakers who remained in Germany suffered at the hands of the Nazis. Jewish and critical filmmakers and UFA employees were fired, discharged, persecuted, murdered - such as actor Kurt Gerron.
This exodus of actors, screenwriters, directors and others who worked in the film industry had a debilitating effect on German cinema and it would be some time before the industry recovered. After 1933, Berlin mainly produced either propaganda films, a few of which can still be found lurking behind closed doors, or harmless comedies to entertain audiences. The Adventures of Baron Münchhausen, starring Hans Albers, was produced in 1942 to mark UFA's 25th anniversary. Under a pseudonym, banned author Erich Kästner penned the script for this colourful spectacle.

At the end of the Second World War in 1947/8, amidst the rubble of Berlin, Roberto Rossellini filmed Germany Year Zero, a documentary depicting the ruined city. Billy Wilder's A Foreign Affair (1948) gave a humorous portrayal of the Americans' post-war democratization efforts and cast Marlene Dietrich as the femme fatale of the basement dive. The UFA group was broken up after the War and in 1946 DEFA (Deutsche Film AG) took over the Babelsberg site. DEFA-produced films were heavily censored and many were banned, only to be released years later, such as The Trace of Stones starring Manfred Krug.
Working at the Spandau-based CCC (Central Cinema Company) in West Berlin, Atze Brauner made entertainment films as well as more demanding productions often dealing with Germany's Nazi past. In 1961, Billy Wilder's lively comedy 1 2 3 fell victim to the construction of the Berlin Wall, as no one found a divided Germany funny any more. It was only during the 1980s that the film enjoyed a comeback in West Berlin art-house cinemas.
Berlin's glamorous days of film production were over, but outstanding films were still being made, shot in Berlin with the city as their central theme. Wings of Desire by Wim Wenders (1987) was set in various locations in 1980's West Berlin, including the surreal wasteland of Potsdamer Platz. The Legend of Paul and Paula by Heiner Carow (1974) is an enchanting love story set in East Berlin during the 1970s. We Children from Bahnhof Zoo, a film depicting a young girl's experiences with drugs at Berlin's Zoo train station, had a lasting impact on the city's image.

Today Babelsberg produces television shows (Gute Zeiten Schlechte Zeiten - Good Times and Bad) and international co-productions such as Enemy at the Gates by Jean-Jacques Annaud (2001), The Pianist by Roman Polanski (2002) and Around the World in 80 Days (2004). Action-thriller, The Bourne Supremacy (2004), starring Matt Damon and Franka Potente (Run Lola Run), uses Berlin as a backdrop for gripping chase scenes - although some actually serve as a Moscow setting in the film. Other Hollywood blockbusters produced in Babelsberg include Beyond the Sea (2004), Aeon Flux (2005) and Vendetta (2006). The Filmpark Babelsberg also offers a studio tour, where visitors can look around studios and film sets and enjoy entertaining shows.

The most famous film to come out of Berlin in recent years is Run Lola Run (1998), which had Franka Potente racing through the streets of the city. Leander Haussmann's film Sun Alley (1999) provides a humorous yet realistic portrayal of a group of young people on the GDR side of Sonnenallee, a road split in two by the Wall. 2002 saw the production of Berlin Symphony which, following in Ruttman's footsteps, depicts the new Berlin through a montage of images. Goodbye Lenin, a tragicomedy about life at the time of reunification premiered at the 2003 Berlin Film Festival and proved a huge success with audiences.
In 2001, Berlin squatters who had more or less fitted into a post-reunification Berlin wondered What to do in Case of Fire? Filmed on Helmholtzplatz, Andreas Dresen's touching work, Summer in Berlin (2005), is another film to convey the typical Berlin atmosphere. Oscar®-nominated The Lives of Others by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (2006) is also set in East Berlin and was shot at locations including the Volksbühne theatre and the Karl-Marx bookshop.

The production of the film about Stauffenberg Valkyrie with Tom Cruise has ended. The first trailers are already screened at the cinemas. In the studio of Babelsberg Susan Sarandon, John Goodman and Christina Ricci played Speed Racer.
The German director Tom Tykwer filmed the thriller The International with Naomi Watts and Clive Owen.

Numerous German films such as Til Schweigers "Keinohrhasen ", Leander Haußmanns "Warum Männer nicht zuhören und Frauen schlecht einparken", Dennis Gansels " Die Welle", Uli Edels " Der Baader -Meinhof Komplex ", Hermine Huntgeburths "Effi "or Andreas Dresens "Wolke neun"and "whisky with vodka ", Jaco van Dormaels "Mr. Nobody ", "Fleming & Citron "with Mads Mikkelsen were developed 2007 at Babelsberg and Berlin backdrops.

Recently, many TV productions have discovered Berlin's potential as a location. Among them are classics such as Drei Damen vom Grill (Three Women from the Takeaway: 1976-1991) and Praxis Bulöwbogen (Bulöwbogen Surgery: 1987-1996), whose lead actor Günther Pfitzmann was among one of the most popular of the so-called "Berlin Originals". Another popular series was Berlin Berlin, about a young woman who moves to the city from the country. The legal drama Edel & Starck, popular for the incessant, amusing bickering between the two main characters, took place in Berlin. Verliebt in Berlin (Berlin Romance), a successful telenovela has has just ended. Its fictional fashion company, Karima Moda, is actually set in the high-rise GSW building on Berlin's Kochstrasse. Two other telenovelas to be set in Berlin are Schmetterlinge im Bauch (Butterflies in my Stomach) and Verrückt nach Clara (Mad about Clara), though they have been unable to compete with the success of Verliebt in Berlin.

Berlin is becoming an important stop on the premiere circuit, with major stars showcasing their new films here, delighting autograph hunters and fans alike. Stars such as Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, George Clooney and Cate Blanchett are making increasingly regular appearances on the city's red carpets..

The highlight of Berlin's cinematic calendar is of course the Berlinale Film Festival in February. Launched in 1951, it has taken its place today alongside Cannes and Venice on the A-List of international film festivals. Each year the Berlinale, now held at Potsdamer Platz, welcomes major stars, filmmakers and cineastes from around the world. With some 400 films, most of which are World or European premieres, and over 240,000 tickets sold, the Berlinale is the biggest audience festival in the world.
As well as Competition, there are other sections: Forum exhibits avant-garde films, essays and experimental works and Panorama showcases new discoveries and a number of documentaries. Popular children's and youth films are brought together in Generation, while Perspektive Deutsches Kino is becoming an increasingly important section.

The highlight of the winter season was the Berlin International Film Festival or Berlinale. Every year, the Berlinale brings glitter and glamour, major films and a breath of Hollywood to the Spree River.

What makes the Berlinale so special is that, unlike other festivals, it is open to everyone. Here you can catch a glimpse of the stars, discover new films and stumble upon old classics. At the screenings audiences feast on films, bleary eyed and brimming with enthusiasm. Even the queues at the ticket counters are legendary, and a few more myths will be added this year..

For more information about the Berlinale please click on berlinale.de.

Tip: You can watch more informative and entertaining films about Berlin's sights and events on visitBerlin.TV - television via internet

Deutsche Kinemathek - Museum für Film und Fernsehen

Potsdamer Straße 2, im Sony Center, Tiergarten
Permanent exhibition on 1,500 sq. m., divided into 16 rooms. Time travel through the history of German film - Berlin - Hollywood - Deutschland. Presentation of the estates of Marlene Dietrich, Heinz Rühmann, and others. The Televisionmuseum shows the history of the german television-programme with a permanent exhibition and special exhibitions.

Filmmuseum Potsdam

Marstall am Lustgarten (Breite Straße 1A), Potsdam
The museum presents a permanent exhibition about the history of cinema in Germany "Babelsberg - faces of a film city".

Filmpark Babelsberg
Großbeerenstraße, Potsdam

The cinema Adria shows every Sunday in the matinee "Berlin the way it was". The film is one of the most moving and astonishing filmed portraits of the city in the pre-war years

Arsenal
The famous art house cinema presents world cinema, experimental films and classics in original version or with subtitles. One regular programme has the Berlin-oriented Focus on Potsdamer Platz.

More.

Thematic guided tours offers www.filmstadt-berlin.de
Phone: +49-(0)177-321 77 77

The explorer ticket Berlin WelcomeCard offers you unlimited travel on public transport, super discounts of up to 50% on over 130 top highlights. You can choose now between the WelcomeCard for Berlin or for Berlin and Potsdam. The tickets are also valid for 48 or 72 hours.

For cinephils:
The Museum for film and TV at Potsdamer Platz offers 25% off on the standard ticket price.
1 Euro off standard adult ticket price is given in Filmmuseum Potsdam.

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