Berlin is a major center in the European and
German film industry.[1] It is home to more than 1000 film and television production companies and 270 movie theaters. Three hundred national and international co-productions are filmed in the region every year.
Babelsberg Studios and the production company
UFA are located outside Berlin in
Potsdam.
The Last Laugh (Der Letzte Mann), 1924 – the aging doorman at a Berlin hotel is demoted to washroom attendant but gets the last laugh, by
F.W. Murnau.
1925
Slums of Berlin (Die Verrufenen), 1925 – an engineer in Berlin is released from prison, but his father throws him out, his fiancée left him and there is no chance to find work. Directed by
Gerhard Lamprecht.
People to Each Other (Menschen untereinander), 1926 – in a typical Berlin town house the residents manifold lives from different social backgrounds are shown. Directed by
Gerhard Lamprecht.
Refuge (Zuflucht), 1928 – a lonely and tired man comes home after several years abroad, lives with a market-woman in Berlin and starts working for the
Berlin U-Bahn. Directed by
Carl Froelich.
1929
Asphalt, 1929 – the Berlin underworld touches a policeman's life,
film noir classic by
Joe May.
The Man in Search of His Murderer (Der Mann, der seinen Mörder sucht), 1931 – a man in Berlin plunged in debt makes a suicide attempt and has to hire a murderer to kill him within twelve hours. But in the same night he falls in love with a girl who wants to stop the appointed killer. Directed by
Robert Siodmak.
Tugboat M 17 (Schleppzug M 17), 1933 – the skipper of a tugboat on the river
Havel falls for a female thief in Berlin and leaves his family for her. Directed by
Heinrich George and
Werner Hochbaum.
The Divine Jetta (Die göttliche Jette), 1937 – a typical Berlin revue singer gets celebrated at the Königsstädtisches Theater when a young Earl wants to marry her and take her to his home in Tyrol. Directed by
Erich Waschneck.
His Best Friend (Sein bester Freund), 1937 – a policeman in Berlin finds a
German Shepherd, buys it from its owner and trains it to become a
police dog. During one operation though, their collaboration gets challenged. Directed by
Harry Piel.
1938
The Four Companions (Die vier Gesellen), 1938 – after graduation, four female art students in Berlin attempt to set up their own
advertising agency. They swear an oath to concentrate on business, but then each of them finds secretly a husband to marry. Directed by
Carl Froelich.
A Night in May (Eine Nacht im Mai), 1938 – a young woman in Berlin had to turn in her
driver's license and gets involved in an accident when she drives anyway. A young man convinces her to flee with him onto a bus tour to
Wannsee. Directed by
Georg Jacoby.
The Roundabouts of Handsome Karl (Die Umwege des schönen Karl), 1938 – a young waiter comes to Berlin in 1930 to serve at the best wine restaurant, and he tries unsuccessfully to get into
high society. Directed by
Carl Froelich.
The Stars Shine (Es leuchten die Sterne), 1938 – musical revue about a young secretary who leaves the country and travels to Berlin to seek work as an actress. Directed by
Hans H. Zerlett.
Urlaub auf Ehrenwort, 1938 – four soldiers have a brief furlough in Berlin late in 1918, on their promise to return to their troop train in time.
Propaganda film by
Karl Ritter
Wunschkonzert, 1940 – during the
1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin a young girl and a
Luftwaffe Fliegerleutnant meet and fall in love. They want to marry, but he receives orders to go to the
Condor Legion. Three years later they meet again during
World War II via the popular radio music show Wunschkonzert für die Wehrmacht. Directed by
Eduard von Borsody.
1941
Friedemann Bach, 1941 –
Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, eldest son of
Johann Sebastian Bach, is shown as a gifted son trying to escape his father's shadow. After Friedemann was rejected as a musician in several cities, he lives a miserable life in Berlin where he died in 1784. Directed by
Traugott Müller.
Berlin Correspondent, 1942 – an American radio correspondent is hunted for sending coded messages out on the airwaves from Berlin. Directed by
Eugene Forde.
The Great Love (Die große Liebe), 1942 – a
WehrmachtOberleutnant is stationed in North Africa as a fighter pilot. While in Berlin to deliver a report he sees a popular Danish singer on the stage of a cabaret theatre and starts a painful relationship with her. It was Germany's most successful motion picture produced during the second world war. Directed by
Rolf Hansen.
I Entrust My Wife to You (Ich vertraue dir meine Frau an), 1943 – a man asks a friend to keep a jealous watch over his wife in Berlin during a business trip with his secretary, what causes several adventures for the caring friend. Directed by
Kurt Hoffmann.
Melody of a Great City (Großstadtmelodie), 1943 – a young and talented female photographer from a provincial Bavarian town comes to Berlin and falls in love with a very busy journalist. Directed by
Wolfgang Liebeneiner.
1944
The Buchholz Family (Familie Buchholz), 1944 – based on the novels by
Julius Stinde. During the
German Empire the resolute mother of a Berlin middle-class family wants to get her two daughters married befitting their social rank, and she writes her first novel about her experiences. Directed by
Carl Froelich.
Es lebe die Liebe, 1944 – a famous operetta star wants to engage a Spanish dancer for his Apollo Theater in Berlin, but she gets ill for one year. After her mandatory break she comes to Berlin and creeps into his theatre and his life under a different name. Directed by
Erich Engel.
Marriage of Affection (Neigungsehe), 1944 – following Familie Buchholz, the resolute mother Buchholz tries unsuccessfully to marry her remaining daughter via a marriage advertisement in the newspaper, but the daughter celebrates a secret wedding with a painter on
Heligoland island. Directed by
Carl Froelich.
Under the Bridges (Unter den Brücken), 1944/45 – two men and a woman shipping on the river
Havel shortly before Berlin gets totally destroyed. Directed by
Helmut Käutner.
In Those Days (In jenen Tagen), 1947 – in this
Rubble film an old car built in 1933 tells its story and episodes from its seven owners, mostly located in Berlin, during the years of
Nazi Germany. Directed by
Helmut Käutner.
Marriage in the Shadows (Ehe im Schatten), 1947 – a German actor is successful in Berlin during the
Nazi era, but extreme pressure is applied on him by the authorities to divorce his Jewish wife, also an actress. When she is going to be deported, they take poison together. Based on the life of
Joachim Gottschalk and directed by
Kurt Maetzig.
Raid (Razzia), 1947 – crime thriller about
black market traders in Berlin. A spy forewarns everybody before the police arrives and a police commissar gets murdered. Directed by
Werner Klingler.
Germany, Year Zero (Deutschland im Jahre Null), 1948 – filmed in German amidst the ruins of the bombed-out city of Berlin, then dubbed into Italian (with subtitles). A masterpiece of neo-realism, by
Roberto Rossellini.
The Cuckoos (Die Kuckucks), 1949 – five orphaned siblings in destroyed Berlin cannot find a domicile for longer periods. So they refurbish with high personal contribution a villa in
Grunewald district, though the legal position concerning property is not clear. Directed by
Hans Deppe.
Girls in Gingham (Die Buntkarierten), 1949 – the fate of a typical working-class family in Berlin between 1883 and 1949 facing
child labour,
trade union engagement, war, depression, unemployment and the rise and fall of
Nazism. Directed by
Kurt Maetzig.
Our Daily Bread (Unser täglich Brot), 1949 – about the difficult life of an extended family in destroyed Berlin in 1946. Directed by
Slatan Dudow.
Rotation, 1949 – showing the life of a mechanic in Berlin between 1920 and 1945. During the
Third Reich, as a member of the
Nazi Party, he aids a
resistance group in printing anti-war propaganda and is finally turned into the authorities by his own son who is a frenetic member of the
Hitler Youth. Directed by
Wolfgang Staudte.
Frauenschicksale, 1952 – a dandy and womanizer from
West Berlin seduces women in
East Berlin who are looking for happiness and a good man. One of them gets pregnant, another woman steals for him. Directed by
Slatan Dudow.
Story of a Young Couple (Roman einer jungen Ehe), 1952 – a young married couple – both actors – work in
Cold War Berlin. She is on location in
East Berlin, and he works at a theatre in
West Berlin. As they hold more and more opposed views on politics, art and society, their marriage is in danger of breaking up. Directed by
Kurt Maetzig.
No Way Back (Weg ohne Umkehr), 1953 – in 1945 a
Red Army officer discovers a frightened girl huddled in a Berlin cellar. He gives her a safe escort home and wins her gratitude. Seven years later they meet again in the divided city. Directed by
Victor Vicas.
Alarm in the Circus (Alarm im Zirkus), 1954 – two boys from
West Berlin are too poor for higher education and they are both desperate to purchase real boxing gloves. A gangster offers to pay them if they would assist him to steal valuable horses from a circus in
East Berlin. Directed by
Gerhard Klein.
Die Ratten, 1955 – based upon the play
The Rats by
Gerhart Hauptmann and telling the story of a destitute Polish woman in Berlin who sells her illegitimate baby for a few hundred Deutsche Mark to a childless forwarder's wife. Directed by
Robert Siodmak.
The Devil Strikes at Night (Nachts, wenn der Teufel kam), 1957 – based on the true story of
Bruno Lüdke, a supposed serial killer who murdered women during the
Nazi era. An investigator in 1944 Berlin who starts to get a thread which leads to Lüdke is frustrated by Nazi authorities who feel that revealing the truth will undermine the people's faith in the system. Directed by
Robert Siodmak.
Different from You and Me (Anders als du und ich / Das dritte Geschlecht), 1957 – a young man in postwar Berlin discovers his homosexuality but his own family tries very hard to set him straight. Directed by
Veit Harlan.
Don't Forget My Little Traudel (Vergeßt mir meine Traudel nicht), 1957 – a lonely 17-year-old girl escapes from a children's home, comes to Berlin and upsets the life of a teacher and a policeman sharing the same flat. Directed by
Kurt Maetzig.
Lissy, 1957 – a poor girl from a
working-class family in
Berlin-Wedding marries a successful Nazi. But her social advancement gets along with the loss of old friends. Directed by
Konrad Wolf.
Die Schönste, 1957 – two boys in
West Berlin stash their own mothers' jewellery to find out whether the ladies are still admirable or not. Directed by
Ernesto Remani.
Sheriff Teddy, 1957 – a boy has to move with his family from
West Berlin to
East Berlin, but has problems to assimilate. His new friend helps him not to become a delinquent minor. Directed by
Heiner Carow.
Endstation Liebe [
de], 1958 – a young factory worker in
West Berlin is a lady-killer and does not believe in true love until he meets the love of his life during a bet. Directed by
Georg Tressler.
Fräulein, 1958 – German woman and American officer caught up in the end of and aftermath of World War II in Berlin. Directed by
Henry Koster.
Iron Gustav (Der eiserne Gustav), 1958 – based on the novel by
Hans Fallada and telling the true story of horse-drawn cabman
Gustav Hartmann from
Wannsee district who drove sensationally to Paris in 1928 to demonstrate against the rise of the motorcar taxicab. Directed by
George Hurdalek.
My Wife Makes Music (Meine Frau macht Musik), 1958 – a revue singer in
East Berlin paused for several years because of her family when she meets an Italian star who brings her back to theatre. But her husband is not amused about her new career. Directed by
Hans Heinrich.
Nasser Asphalt, 1958 – a young
reporter in
West Berlin discovers that his employer, a respected and prosperous journalist, invented a sensational story of German soldiers who supposedly survived for six years in a demolished bunker in Poland. Directed by
Frank Wisbar.
Sun Seekers (Sonnensucher), 1958, released 1972 – after being arrested in a police raid in 1950 Berlin, two young prostitutes are sent to the mines of
Wismut Company. There, Germans and Soviets work together to extract
Uranium for the use of the
Soviet Union. Directed by
Konrad Wolf.
Tatort Berlin, 1958 – illustrates the advantage for criminals with the still passable
inner German border but also the problems with separate police investigations inside Berlin. In the movie a new jurisdiction is seen to help with the resocialisation of former
petty criminals into the system of the
GDR. Directed by
Joachim Kunert.
The Young Lions, 1958 – a German ski instructor is hopeful that
Adolf Hitler will bring new prosperity to Germany, so when war breaks out he joins the
Wehrmacht and travels to Berlin several times. In another story line two soldiers befriend each other during their U.S. Army draft physical examination and attend basic training together. Directed by
Edward Dmytryk.
Interview mit Berlin, 1959 – for the 10th anniversary of the
GDR produced documentary on contemporary economical and cultural life in Berlin. Directed by
Max Jaap.
Love's Confusion (Verwirrung der Liebe), 1959 – a medical student at
Berlin Humboldt University misses his girlfriend at a masquerade and finds a new girl. His former girlfriend takes the former boyfriend of the student's new girl instead. Before wedding they again switch partners. Directed by
Slatan Dudow.
Sie nannten ihn Amigo, 1959 – in 1939 a refugee from a
Nazi concentration camp is discovered by some boys in Berlin. The son of a communist helps him, gets arrested himself and sent to a concentration camp. Directed by
Heiner Carow.
Freddy and the Melody of the Night (Freddy und die Melodie der Nacht), 1960 – a singing taxi driver in
West Berlin helps to catch two criminals who unsuccessfully attacked a cash transport, and he falls in love with a flower girl. Directed by
Wolfgang Schleif.
Her Most Beautiful Day (Ihr schönster Tag), 1962 – a typical feisty female concierge in Berlin has to learn that her own children do not prosper as desired. Directed by
Paul Verhoeven.
Midnight Revue (Revue um Mitternacht), 1962 – a film producer shuts a writer, a composer, a dramatic adviser and a stage designer into a villa, but they can manage to escape. Another young composer and a production assistant have to bring them back to finish the
revue movie. Directed by
Gottfried Kolditz.
Star-Crossed Lovers (Königskinder), 1962 – two children from working-class families in Berlin have sworn to marry each other. When they grow older, after the Nazis rose to power, he is arrested for being a Communist, but she joins the underground party to continue his work. Directed by
Frank Beyer.
The Tunnel, 1962 – acclaimed NBC documentary about an escape tunnel under the Berlin Wall, by
Reuven Frank.
For Eyes Only, 1963 –
spy film about a
double agent from the
Stasi who is placed in the West German headquarters of
MID. He regularly travels to Berlin, and he finally can carry the United States plans to invade the GDR to
East Germany. Directed by
János Veiczi.
Born in '45 (Jahrgang '45), 1965 – a young couple from
Prenzlauer Berg tries to get a divorce. He drifts through the city while she suffers from separation. Directed by
Jürgen Böttcher and first shown in 1990.
The Rabbit Is Me (Das Kaninchen bin ich), 1965 – the brother of a young waitress in
East Berlin is sentenced to three years in prison because of "subversive agitation", and therefore she is not allowed to study. To find out the truth, the waitress starts a secret relationship with the judge. Directed by
Kurt Maetzig and first shown in 1989.
Großer Ring mit Außenschleife [
de], 1966 – a tramway driver in
West Berlin is fired by the
BVG because of 'his health status' though he never was ill. To attract attention he abstracts tramcars by night and drives them through the city. Directed by
Eugen York.
Der tapfere Schulschwänzer, 1967 – a schoolboy in
East Berlin decides to skip school, incidentally discovers a fire, alerts the
fire department but runs off before they can note down his personal data. The firefighters manage to save two infants from burning and search for the young hero. Directed by
Winfried Junge.
I Was Nineteen (Ich war neunzehn), 1968 – a nineteen-year-old Red Army soldier's experiences as the Soviets advance into Berlin at the close of
World War II, directed by
Konrad Wolf.
He, Du!, 1970 – a dedicated female teacher in
East Berlin calls a meeting when she realizes that the younger pupils are not any more touched by the events happening in the novel
Naked Among Wolves. Directed by
Rolf Römer.
Me, a Groupie (Ich – ein Groupie), 1970 – two blonde English girls hook up with rock musicians and travel through Europe smuggling drugs. When they finally reach
West Berlin the journey ends in a drug orgy. Directed by
Erwin C. Dietrich.
Our Willi Is the Best (Unser Willi ist der Beste), 1971 – now retired and being hard-pressed for money, a former
tax collector in
West Berlin becomes a door-to-door salesman. But his selling methods to distribute home appliances are quite contentious. Directed by
Werner Jacobs.
Florentiner 73, 1972 – a young pregnant woman hunting for a room in
East Berlin finds a furnished through room in
Pankow district. The landlady is like a mother to her, and she gets more and more integrated into the collective of the apartment house. Directed by
Klaus Gendries.
Her Third (Der Dritte), 1972 – a mother in her mid-thirties in
East Berlin has two children from two different men. She now decides to find "her third" husband herself and not leaving it up to fate. Directed by
Egon Günther.
Leichensache Zernik, 1972 – in 1948 a young woman is murdered in a Berlin forest. Police stations in the different sectors of Berlin discuss about responsibility what provokes the killer to proceed. Directed by
Gerhard Klein and
Helmut Nitzschke.
One or the Other of Us (Einer von uns beiden), 1974 – psychological thriller takes place in West Berlin, with scenes near the wall. Director
Wolfgang Petersen.
Top Hat (Chapeau Claque), 1974 – a young former
Top hat manufacturer became
insolvent and lives now as a man of independent means and rummage collector in his house in
Grunewald district together with a listless young girl. Directed by
Ulrich Schamoni.
Inside Out, 1975 – heist thriller in which a gang led by former American and German soldiers recovers Nazi gold buried in Berlin during WWII.
Under the Pavement Lies the Strand (Unter dem Pflaster ist der Strand), 1975 – two Berlin actors are accidentally locked in the rehearsal hall for one night. He tries to seduce her; she puts him off. Together they have to face the loss of ideals from the
German student movement. Directed by
Helma Sanders-Brahms.
Stroszek, 1977 – based on the life of and played by
Bruno Schleinstein. A street performer and petty criminal in
West Berlin gets released from prison, but is unable to start a new life. Together with his girlfriend, a prostitute, and his elderly neighbor, he moves to
Wisconsin, but can not forge ahead. Directed by
Werner Herzog.
Despair, 1978 – against the backdrop of the Nazis' rise, a Russian émigré and chocolate magnate in Berlin goes slowly mad. Directed by
Rainer Werner Fassbinder.
Ein Mann will nach oben [
de], 1978 – a man and his friends establish a baggage transportation service between the Berlin railway terminal stations before
World War I. The movie in 13 parts is based on the novel by
Hans Fallada and directed by
Herbert Ballmann.
Das Versteck [
de], 1978 – having been divorced for one year, a lonely man in
East Berlin tries to reconquer his former wife and pretends to be pursued by the
Volkspolizei. But the reworking of their old problems becomes complicated. Directed by
Frank Beyer.
1979
David, 1979 – in 1938 the son of a Jewish
rabbi is sent from his home in
Legnica to Berlin to learn mechanics and agriculture. During
World War II he can hide in the city until he manages to escape to
Palestine. Directed by
Peter Lilienthal.
The End of the Rainbow [
de] (Das Ende des Regenbogens), 1979 – a 17 year old Berlin boy turns prostitute and petty thief. Despite the attempts of a social worker to help, the boy runs into real trouble when a burglary goes awry. Directed by
Uwe Frießner [
de].
The Great Runaway [
de] (Die große Flatter), 1979 – three-part movie on two young men who grow up in a difficult family background in a settlement for socially disadvantaged in
Charlottenburg-Nord. Their residential milieu drives them to petty crime, but they dream of moving away. Based on the novel of
Leonie Ossowski and directed by
Marianne Lüdcke.
Pinselheinrich, 1979 – episodes from the life of famous Berlin illustrator
Heinrich Zille. Zille gets dismissed from his work, starts to live from his humorous and socially critical drawings but uses his earnings and rising fame to help people who are poorer than him. Directed by
Hans Knötzsch.
The Third Generation (Die dritte Generation), 1979 – a black comedy about the activities of the third generation of the left wing terror group
RAF in Berlin. Written and directed by
Rainer Werner Fassbinder.
Backhouse Bliss (Glück im Hinterhaus), 1980 – a fairly well-off librarian in his mid-forties with two children and a boring marriage in Berlin leaves his family for his intern. But the spark doesn't show up in his day-to-day life. Directed by
Herrmann Zschoche.
Berlin Chamissoplatz [
de], 1980 – love story between an older architect and a young student, set against the backdrop of the housing struggles in West Berlin. Director:
Rudolf Thome.
Fabian, 1980 – in the late
1920s Berlin a copywriter observes the night life with his friend, gets unemployed during the Great Depression, but meets a new girlfriend. When his friend commits suicide and his girlfriend leaves him for a film career, he loses his livelihood. Based on the novel by
Erich Kästner and directed by
Wolf Gremm.
Put on Ice (Kaltgestellt), 1980 – a teacher in
West-Berlin gets neutralized during the time of Anti-Radical Decree and dragnet investigation when he wants to throw light on the death of a spy sent to his school by the
Verfassungsschutz. Directed by
Bernhard Sinkel.
Ullasa Paravaigal, 1980 – The
protagonist visits Berlin and rest of Europe as a part of overseas tour for a change over of his mind due to his tragic past with his friend, who pretends to have
mental disorder. The film written by
Panchu Arunachalam, produced by S. P. Thamizharasi and directed by
C. V. Rajendran.
Germany, Pale Mother (Deutschland, bleiche Mutter), 1980 – a mother and her daughter have to survive
World War II in Berlin while her husband is fighting in the
Wehrmacht. After the war their relationship ist not the same any more. Directed by
Helma Sanders-Brahms.
1981
Als Unku Edes Freundin war, 1981 – during the
1920s a circus driven by
Sinti comes to the outskirts of Berlin. A Sinti girl becomes the friend of a poor German boy who tries to buy a bicycle to earn money for his family as a
paperboy. Based on the novel Ede und Unku by
Alex Wedding. Directed by
Helmut Dziuba.
Angels of Iron (Engel aus Eisen), 1981 – dramatizes the true story of a Berlin gang of thieves led by juvenile Werner Gladow with his partner in crime, former hangman Gustav Völpel, during the time of the
Berlin Blockade and Airlift 1948–49. Directed by
Thomas Brasch.
Berlin Tunnel 21, 1981 – a former American officer leads an attempt to build a tunnel underneath The Wall as a rescue route. Directed by
Richard Michaels.
The Bunker, 1981 – depicting the events surrounding Adolf Hitler's last weeks in and around the
Führerbunker in Berlin. Directed by
George Schaefer.
The Man in Pyjamas, 1981 – after watching TV with his wife, a man from
Wilmersdorf district goes to the cigarette machine in pyjamas. On the street he gets caught by the police and the complications begin. Directed by
Christian Rateuke and
Hartmann Schmige.
Possession, 1981 – a woman left her family and the husband starts following his wife to find out the truth. Directed by
Andrzej Żuławski.
Strike Back [
de] (Kalt wie Eis), 1981 – a young criminal in
West Berlin takes the rap for a gang of motorbike thieves and ends up in jail. Nearly insane with frustration he makes a violent escape to be with his girlfriend. Directed by
Carl Schenkel.
Familie Rechlin, 1982 – a typical Berlin family lives at
Hackescher Markt, but shortly before the wall is built, the daughter and her husband move to Ruhleben-Spandau in
West Berlin. After the wall is erected the two parts of the family get alienated from another in two different systems. Directed by
Vera Loebner.
Sabine Kleist, Aged Seven... (Sabine Kleist, 7 Jahre...), 1982 – a seven-year-old girl has spent her childhood in an orphanage after her parents died in an accident. When one of the women in charge at the orphanage leaves to have a baby, the girl runs away, wanders through
East Berlin, but finds no one to take her in. Directed by
Helmut Dziuba.
Spuk im Hochhaus, 1982 – in the 18th century a landlord and a landlady always rob their guests. So they are accursed to do seven good deeds exactly 200 years later in modern
East Berlin. Directed by
Günter Meyer.
Conrad: The Factory-Made Boy (Konrad aus der Konservenbüchse), 1983 – when a woman in
Neukölln district opens the tin that was delivered by a factory, a well-behaved 7-year-old "instant boy" climbs out. When the factory spots the wrong delivery, the new son has to learn impertinence. Directed by
Claudia Schröder.
Island of Swans (Insel der Schwäne), 1983 – a fourteen-year-old boy has to move from an idyllic small town to the developing area of
Berlin-Marzahn where his father works as a construction worker and where he must find his way in a completely new environment and surrounded by strange people. Directed by
Herrmann Zschoche.
Non Stop Trouble with Spies (Der Schnüffler), 1983 – a naive taxi driver in
West Berlin is asked to bring a Russian man to
East Berlin. When they arrive, the man turns out to be already dead and the driver is suspected of being a
CIA spy. Back in West Berlin he is accused of being a
KGB agent, and so the imbroglio begins. Directed by
Ottokar Runze.
White Trash [
de] (Kanakerbraut), 1983 – several days in the life of an unemployed man in
Kreuzberg district, spending his days with
peep shows, local pub, loose contacts, sitting at home and occasional jobs. Directed by
Uwe Schrader [
de].
Forbidden, 1984 – about a wealthy German countess who hides her Jewish boyfriend in her apartment in Berlin during World War II. Directed by
Anthony Page.
The Berlin Affair (Interno Berlinese / Leidenschaften), 1985 – in 1938 the wife of a rising
Nazi diplomat in Berlin falls in love with the daughter of the Japanese
Ambassador. Her husband finds out and moves to break up the affair, but also gets enamoured of the girl. Based upon the novel
Quicksand and directed by
Liliana Cavani.
Demons (Dèmoni), 1985 – horror movie about people in a Berlin cinema transforming into demons. Directed by
Lamberto Bava.
Kein Mord, kein Totschlag, 1985 – documentary showing authentic police and fire service emergency operations in
Wedding district, with family grudges, suicide attempts, noise disturbances etc. Directed by
Uwe Schrader.
Richy Guitar [
de], 1985 – a young guitar player in Berlin wants to become a famous musician and attempts to establish a band. Featuring
punk band Die Ärzte and singer Nena; directed by
Michael Laux.
Du mich auch, 1986 – in West-Berlin a
Swiss guitar player and a female saxophonist from Berlin live and work together. They perpetually discuss about staying together or separating and look up to couples who live together permanently. Directed by Helmut Berger,
Anja Franke and
Dani Levy.
Fatherland, 1986 – a protest singer is a
persona non grata in
East Germany, he emigrates to
West Berlin and gets exploited by an American record company. Together with a young French journalist he travels to
Cambridge to find his father who turns out to be a former Nazi war criminal. Directed by
Ken Loach.
Meier [
de], 1986 – comedy about a paper hanger in
East Berlin who buys a counterfeit West-German passport, which he does not use to escape from
East Germany, but to provide his crafts enterprise with wallpaper material from
West-Berlin. Directed by
Peter Timm.
Reichshauptstadt – privat [
de], 1987 – two-part
docudrama about a man and a woman who meet in Berlin and look back on their love story in the fascistic Reichshauptstadt between 1937 and 1945. Directed by
Horst Königstein [
de].
Wings of Desire (Der Himmel über Berlin), 1987 – drama about an angel falling in love with a human, which also concerns the divided city and its fate by
Wim Wenders.
Hanussen, 1988 – while recovering from being wounded during
World War I, the Doctor discovers that Austrian Klaus Schneider possesses empathic powers. After the war, Schneider changes his name into
Erik Jan Hanussen and goes to Berlin to perform as a hypnotist and mind reader. When he predicts
Adolf Hitler'sMachtergreifung and the
Reichstag fire, the Nazis murder him. Directed by
István Szabó.
The Microscope [
de] (Das Mikroskop), 1988 – a
software engineer in Berlin and his girlfriend, a flower seller, have problems with their relationship. He wants to take inspiration from a chance acquaintanceship but she fights for a real family with children. Directed by
Rudolf Thome.
Ein Schweizer namens Nötzli, 1988 – a
Swissclerk works at a chemical plant in
West Berlin for 26 years without opportunity for advancement when he finds an innominate recommendatory letter and serves it straight to his director. Directed by
Gustav Ehmck.
1989
The Break [
de] (Der Bruch), 1989 – in 1946 several burglars want to break into the
Deutsche Reichsbahn building in Berlin to steal money from the safe. Directed by
Frank Beyer.
Coming Out, 1989 – deals with the process of the protagonists in
East Berlin coming out as gay. Premiered in East Berlin on 9 November 1989, the night the
Berlin Wall fell. Directed by
Heiner Carow.
The Grass Is Greener Everywhere Else (Überall ist es besser, wo wir nicht sind), 1989 – facing the lack of prospects in their hometown
Warsaw, two young people dream of living in the United States. To reach their target they do casual and illegal work in Berlin. Directed by
Michael Klier.
The Philosopher [
de] (Der Philosoph), 1989 – a
philosopher in Berlin almost withdrew from the world to concentrate on his
Heraclitus studies, having no relationship for eight years. When he wants a new suit for a lecture about his new book, he meets three sisters who share a house and invite him to move in to stay with them in
polygamy. Directed by
Rudolf Thome.
Spider's Web (Das Spinnennetz), 1989 – based on the 1923 novel by
Joseph Roth and focused on a young opportunistic Leutnant who suffered personal and national humiliation during the downfall of the
German Empire, and now becomes increasingly active in the right-wing underground of the early
1920s Berlin. Directed by
Bernhard Wicki.
Wedding [
de], 1989 – three school day friends meet after several years again in
Wedding district and talk about their unsuccessful lives including a broken family, homicide and excessive indebtedness. Directed by
Heiko Schier [
de].
1990s
1990
Die Architekten, 1990 – an architect in his late thirties receives his first challenging and lucrative commission to design a cultural center for a satellite town in
East-Berlin when more and more people leave
East Germany wearily in the late 1980s. Directed by
Peter Kahane.
Der doppelte Nötzli, 1990 – following Ein Schweizer namens Nötzli, the doltish
Swiss returns to Berlin to take over the "hotel" of his twin brother who died suddenly. But after his arrival he has to realize that it is in fact a
brothel with illicit earnings. Directed by
Stefan Lukschy.
Dr. M, 1990 – in the future Berlin is shocked by a series of spectacular suicides. A policeman's investigations lead him to a beautiful, enigmatic woman and the revelation of a sinister plot to manipulate the population through
mass hypnosis. Directed by
Claude Chabrol.
Company Business, 1991 - A CIA operative (
Gene Hackman) and a KGB operative (
Mikhail Baryshnikov) must learn to trust each other as they make their way from East Berlin to France seeking answers and trying to stay alive as they find themselves being used as pawns by their respective governments.
Salmonberries, 1991 – in 1969 a woman tried to escape over
Berlin Wall, but her husband got shot. She emigrates to Alaska, but when the Wall falls she travels back to Berlin 21 years later with a friend to find peace in her heart. Directed by
Percy Adlon.
Stein [
de], 1991 – a famous actor left the stage in 1968 to protest against
Prague Spring. During the late 1980s as a more and more deranged he opens his house in
Wilhelmsruh for
punks and resistance fighters against the
GDR. Directed by
Egon Günther.
Liberators Take Liberties (BeFreier und Befreite), 1992 – interviews with German women who were
raped by Soviet soldiers during the
Battle of Berlin in April and May 1945, what caused pregnancies, abortions, illegitimate children, break down in relationships, stigmatization of the women and suicides. Directed by
Helke Sander.
Never Sleep Again (Nie wieder schlafen), 1992 – three women travel to Berlin to attend the wedding of a female friend and discover the recently reunited city. Directed by
Pia Frankenberg.
The Ivory Tower (Der Elfenbeinturm), 1993 – M. works as a cook in a trendy Berlin restaurant. To say that his kitchen is busy like hell would be an understatement. Entering into a premature midlife crisis, he decides to turn his life around and write the great novel that he always felt inside him. Director:
Matthias Drawe.
Gentleman [
de], 1995 – the loss of his car and his selected woman drives a
yuppie in Berlin into a little massacre among prostitutes. Directed by
Oskar Roehler.
Silent Night (Stille Nacht – Ein Fest der Liebe), 1995 – sensing their relationship is crumbling, a policeman avoids celebrating
Christmas with his girlfriend and travels to Paris. Alone in their Berlin flat, she decides to drop her second lover, but her boyfriend is ringing up her constantly from Paris. Directed by
Dani Levy.
A Trick of Light (Die Gebrüder Skladanowsky), 1995 – shows the birth of cinema in Berlin where
Max Skladanowsky and his brother Emil built a projector. Directed by
Wim Wenders.
1996
Beyond Silence (Jenseits der Stille), 1996 – the daughter of
deaf-mute parents is hearing, fluent in
sign language and serves as an interpreter for her parents. After she receives a
clarinet from her aunt, she discovers the world of music and wants to study at a music conservatory in Berlin. Directed by
Caroline Link.
Deathline [
de] (Der kalte Finger), 1996 – a young telephone operator at a hospital in Berlin has a second job at a
sex hotline. One of her customers seems to let his imagination run wild, but nobody knows that other women have to die for that. Directed by
Ralf Huettner [
de].
Magass, 1997 – surreal comedy by Daryush Shokof. The film is about a blacklisted artist, his four romances and their pet "a Fly" which becomes their "flying angel".
Obsession, 1997 – a female musician in Berlin is in love with a French medical scientist when she meets an English chiseller, falls also in love with him and starts a love triangle. Directed by
Peter Sehr.
Silvester Countdown, 1997 – a young Berlin couple has increasing problems to cultivate their relationship. Even on a short trip to
Warsaw around the turn of the year they switch between quarrelling and getting along with each other. Directed by
Oskar Roehler.
1998
Angel Express, 1998 – about people restlessly seeking for the ultimate experience in late nineties Berlin. Directed by
Rolf Peter Kahl.
Break Even (Plus-minus null), 1998 – a lonely building worker in Berlin falls in love with a Bosnian prostitute and she asks him to marry her for the residence authorisation. Directed by
Eoin Moore.
A Letter Without Words, 1998 – reconstructing the life of a wealthy, Jewish amateur filmmaker in Berlin during the 1920s and early 1930s on the basis of authentic filmic material presented by her granddaughter. Directed by
Lisa Lewenz.
Live Shot (Gehetzt – Der Tod im Sucher), 1998 – a TV reporter and his trainee in Berlin are shooting for scandalous reports. When they investigate the kidnapping of a publisher's stepdaughter, they get hunted themselves. Directed by
Joe Coppoletta.
Run Lola Run (Lola rennt), 1998 – drama with three alternate realities in post-reunification Berlin by
Tom Tykwer.
Solo for Clarinet [
de] (Solo für Klarinette), 1998 – in a Berlin apartment house a man is found ruffianly murdered with a
clarinet. A
burnt out police inspector follows a suspicious but mysterious woman and falls for her. Directed by
Nico Hofmann.
Bombs Under Berlin [
de] (Götterdämmerung – Morgen stirbt Berlin), 1999 – at a building site in Berlin a
time bomb is found. A historian believes that a complete series of bombs was placed there by a Nazi special force to destroy Berlin at the end of
World War II and that someone is still taking care of the bombs. Directed by
Joe Coppoletta.
Dealer [
de], 1999 – a
Turkish man in Berlin is unable to devote himself to anything other than being a criminal and a drug dealer. Directed by
Thomas Arslan.
Heroes Like Us [
de] (Helden wie wir), 1999 – showing life in
East Berlin between 1968 and 1989. A young
Stasi officer falls in love with a former school friend who is now critical of the regime. Directed by
Sebastian Peterson.
Lola and Billy the Kid, 1999 – a 17-year-old Turkish boy in Berlin discovers that he is homosexual, which provokes severe problems with his traditional family. Directed by
Kutluğ Ataman.
Nightshapes (Nachtgestalten), 1999 – about socially deprived people in Berlin. Directed by
Andreas Dresen.
alaska.de, 2000 – after a teenage girl moved to a miserable
Plattenbau settlement in
Hohenschönhausen district, she witnesses accidentally a murder. But afterwards she falls in love with one of the delinquents. Directed by
Esther Gronenborn.
Cold Is the Breath of Evening (Kalt ist der Abendhauch), 2000 – an 83-year-old woman in
Zehlendorf looks back on her young days when she had a secret love affair with her brother-in-law and conceived a child from him. Based on a novel from
Ingrid Noll and directed by
Rainer Kaufmann.
England!, 2000 – a soldier was exposed to radiation from the
Chernobyl disaster and contracted a disease. On a last journey to England he becomes stranded in Berlin, searching for his former companion. Directed by
Achim von Borries.
No Place to Go (Die Unberührbare), 2000 – after the
Peaceful Revolution a communist female writer moves from
Munich to Berlin and tries to start a new life. But she has to realise that her view of the former
GDR was too euphemistic. Based on the life of
Gisela Elsner and directed by her son
Oskar Roehler.
A Tale of two Cities (Der Flaneur von Berlin – Eine Erzählung von zwei Städten), 2000 – portrait on famous photographer
Henry Ries who took pictures of the
Berlin Air Lift. In 1999 he returned to Berlin and searched for his own past. Directed by
Manfred Wilhelms.
Three Chinamen with a Double Bass (Drei Chinesen mit dem Kontrabass), 2000 – after a druggy party night a young architect finds his
fiancé dead in his flat. Together with two friends he has to get rid of the corpse – in busy
Berlin-Mitte. Directed by
Klaus Krämer.
Trust Me (Freunde), 2000 – two former childhood friends meet again under different circumstances in Berlin: One of them became a gangster and the other is a policeman who has to convict his old friend. Directed by
Martin Eigler [
de].
Berlin is in Germany, 2001 – drama about an East German political prisoner released from jail in post-unification Germany and now must come to terms with the geographic, political, and cultural displacements of Berlin in the 1990s. A film by
Hannes Stöhr.
Conspiracy, 2001 – film directed by
Frank Pierson, made for HBO (television) USA, about the Wannsee Conference plan to exterminate the Jews during WWII.
The Days Between (In den Tag hinein), 2001 – a 22-year-old waitress lives with her brother and his family, and with her spontaneous character she is the direct opposite to her disciplined boyfriend. When she meets a
Japanese student, she drifts with him through Berlin. Directed by
Maria Speth.
Female 2 Seeks Happy End (Frau2 sucht HappyEnd), 2001 – a doleful
radio personality and one of his female listeners meet in a
chat room and discuss their former, painful relationships. In autumnal Berlin they learn to relinquish and to establish new ties. Directed by
Edward Berger.
A Fine Day [
de] (Der schöne Tag), 2001 – about a girl in Berlin who wants to become an actress and makes her living by dubbing movies. By
Thomas Arslan.
Invincible (Unbesiegbar), 2001 – true story of a Jewish strongman in 1932 Berlin by
Werner Herzog.
Julietta (Julietta – Es ist nicht wie du denkst), 2001 – an 18-year-old high-school graduate from
Stuttgart gets unconscious at
Love Parade Berlin. A
DJ pulls her out of a fountain and rapes her. When she gets pregnant, she does not know what her saviour did to her. Directed by
Christoph Stark [
de].
Moonlight Tariff [
de] (Mondscheintarif), 2001 – an emancipated woman in her twenties living in Berlin is waiting wishfully for a
one-night stand lover to call her again and experiences a rising depression. Directed by
Ralf Huettner [
de].
My Sweet Home, 2001 – an American has persuaded his German girlfriend to marry him, after just one month of knowing each other. Now they celebrate their
Polterabend with various immigrants in a Berlin bar. Directed by
Filippos Tsitos.
Passing Summer [
de] (Mein langsames Leben), 2001 – the movie follows the slow-going life of a young woman in Berlin during summer. Directed by
Angela Schanelec.
Planet Alex, 2001 – episodic movie filmed at
Alexanderplatz where the stories of several characters intertwine within a period of 24 hours. Directed by
Uli M Schueppel.
Sass [
de], 2001 – based on the true story of brothers Franz and Erich Sass from
Moabit district, who became the most famous and innovative
bank robbers during
1920s Berlin. Directed by
Carlo Rola [
de].
Taking Sides (Der Fall Furtwängler), 2001 – conductor
Wilhelm Furtwängler stays in Nazi Germany rather than flee, and experiences consequences after the war. Film by
István Szabó.
The Tunnel (Der Tunnel), 2001 – dramatization of a collaborative tunnel under the wall in the 1950s. Film by
Roland Suso Richter.
Big Girls Don't Cry (Große Mädchen weinen nicht), 2002 – two girls in Berlin have been best friends since childhood. But as they step into adulthood, their perfect friendship gets harshly tested by several unfortunate events. Directed by
Maria von Heland.
Half the Rent [
de] (Halbe Miete), 2002 – a
computer hacker in Berlin steals information from foreign computers. When his paranoid girlfriend dies in the bathtub, he escapes to
Cologne where he invades private flats to eat and to take a shower. Directed by
Marc Ottiker [
de].
Hotte in Paradise [
de] (Hotte im Paradies), 2002 – a young
panderer in Berlin has already two prostitutes working for him, but they don't earn enough money to fund his expensive way of life. So he acquires a new prosperous girl, but she gets kidnapped by a Russian competitor. Directed by
Dominik Graf.
Naked (Nackt), 2002 – three couples in Berlin meet for dinner and start an erotic identification game. Directed by
Doris Dörrie.
Ripley's Game, 2002 – an art framer from the
Veneto who is dying of
leukemia travels several times to Berlin to get medical examinations, and there he also assassinates mobsters on behalf of others. This attracts the mobsters' associates to his own family. Based on Ripley's Game by
Patricia Highsmith and directed by
Liliana Cavani.
Tattoo, 2002 – two police detectives in Berlin hunt a ritualistic serial killer murdering people with
tattoos and skinning them for a mysterious collector. Directed by
Robert Schwentke.
Unternehmen Paradies, 2002 – atmospheric documentary movie about the cityscape, residents, visitors and the political and cultural life of Berlin by
Volker Sattel.
Angst (Der alte Affe Angst), 2003 – the different attitudes toward life lead a sensitive
stage director and his beautiful girlfriend in Berlin to constant fights and conflicts. Directed by
Oskar Roehler.
Kroko [
de], 2003 – a violent girl in
Berlin-Wedding is sentenced to several days of community work at a flat-sharing community with handicapped persons. Director:
Sylke Enders [
de].
Red and Blue [
de] (Rot und Blau), 2003 – a respected architect – a great mother and wife – has a good life in Berlin when her daughter from a relationship with a Turkish immigrant some 25 years ago appears. Directed by
Rudolf Thome.
We (Wir), 2003 – a group of school friends meet real life in Berlin after final secondary-school examinations and before the beginning of studies. Directed by
Martin Gypkens [
de].
2004
A2Z, filmed 2004 – an old man and his
Lolita are committed to kill each other that very day, directed by Daryush Shokof.
Chasing Liberty, 2004 – on an official trip to
Prague, the daughter of the
President of the United States meets a handsome young man and escapes with him to
Venice and to
Love Parade in Berlin. Shortly after she fell in love with him she has to realize that he is just another Special Agent. Directed by Andy Cadiff.
The Edukators (Die fetten Jahre sind vorbei), 2004 – film depicting the encounter of three anti-capitalist activists and a wealthy businessman in
Berlin-Zehlendorf. Directed by
Hans Weingartner.
EuroTrip, 2004 – an American teenager travels across Europe with his friends in search of his German
pen pal. When he cannot find her in her home town Berlin, he follows her to Rome. Directed by
Jeff Schaffer.
Jargo, 2004 – a coming of age film about a young male who experiences culture shock from moving from
Saudi Arabia to Berlin. Directed by
Maria Solrun.
Love in Thoughts (Was nützt die Liebe in Gedanken), 2004 – about the so-called Steglitz student tragedy in 1927, when two young men made a
suicide pact under the influence of alcohol, music and sex, leading to a tragedy. Directed by
Achim von Borries.
Muxmäuschenstill, 2004 – follows a
vigilante who lives in Berlin and used to study philosophy. The do-gooder wants to bring justice to criminals in his own way, but becomes a wrongdoer himself. Director:
Marcus Mittermeier.
Room Service [
de] (Das Zimmermädchen und der Millionär), 2004 – a millionaire owns the luxurious Berlin
Hotel Ritz for a short period of time. But when he arrives he is considered to be a temporary waiter, instructed for service and falls in love with a waitress. Directed by
Andreas Senn [
de].
Venussian Tabutasco, 2004 – life of people in a building is seen through a "glass elevator" going up and down the floors of the building, Directed by Daryush Shokof.
Walk on Water, 2004 – an Israeli
hitman working for
Mossad has to find an aging
Naziwar criminal in Berlin but has in the meantime formed a profound friendship with two young German grandchildren of the senile man. Directed by
Eytan Fox.
About the Looking for and the Finding of Love [
de] (Vom Suchen und Finden der Liebe), 2005 – a composer and a female singer meet in Berlin and think they found the love of their life. When they separate after several years, the composer commits suicide and the singer follows him to release him from the
underworld. Based on the
Orpheus story and directed by
Helmut Dietl.
The Airlift [
de] (Die Luftbrücke – Nur der Himmel war frei), 2005 – historic drama about a difficult love affair between a German secretary working at the
Berlin Tempelhof Airport and an American general during the
Berlin Airlift 1948–1949. Directed by
Dror Zahavi.
Antibodies (Antikörper), 2005 – a police officer from a small village wants to solve the murder of a 12-year-old girl, travels to Berlin to talk to a
pederastserial killer and slowly begins to explore his own dark side. Directed by
Christian Alvart.
Flightplan, 2005 – the husband of a female U.S. aircraft engineer dies under mysterious circumstances while the family lives in Berlin. When the mother flies back to New York City with his coffin, her six-year-old daughter suddenly vanishes on the plane. Directed by
Robert Schwentke.
Ghosts (Gespenster), 2005 – a female end-of-teenage orphan with mental problems starts a new job as a garden cleaner in Berlin and meets two mysterious women. Directed by
Christian Petzold.
Ich bin ein Berliner, 2005 – a professional cheater in Berlin creates the story that he is an illegitimate son of
John F. Kennedy from the 1963 visit to
West Berlin. When a journalist starts to investigate the story, it turns out to be true. Directed by
Franziska Meyer Price.
KlassenLeben, 2005 – documentary on a project in
Schöneberg district to integrate four disabled children into a regular school form. Directed by
Hubertus Siegert.
Netto, 2005 – a middle-aged loser in
Prenzlauer Berg tries to accept the challenge of life when his 15-year-old son moves in and helps him with job applications and interviews. Directed by
Robert Thalheim.
No Songs of Love [
de] (Keine Lieder über Liebe), 2005 – a young film director from Berlin attends a concert tour to make a documentary movie on his brother singing in a
rock band. During the tour the director wants to find out if his own girlfriend had an affair with his brother in the past. Directed by
Lars Kraume.
Black Sheep (Schwarze Schafe), 2006 – tells in five episodes the stories of people in Berlin with financial problems. Director:
Oliver Rihs.
Cold Summer [
de] (Die Mauer – Berlin '61), 2006 – telling the story of a family in Berlin who was divided during the day when the
Berlin Wall was built in 1961. Directed by
Hartmut Schoen.
F4: Vortex [
de] (Tornado – Der Zorn des Himmels), 2006 – two-part fictional drama on a young meteorologist returning from the US to Berlin, who predicts a
tornado sweeping over the capital city. Directed by
Andreas Linke [
de].
Happy as One [
de] (Komm näher), 2006 – the relationship problems of several lonely persons in Berlin and the efforts to find a new love attachment. Director:
Vanessa Jopp [
de].
Rage (Wut), 2006 – the rise of a conflict between a liberal German middle-class family in
Tempelhof district and a
Turkish gang leader results in brutal
vigilantism. Directed by
Züli Aladag.
Valerie [
de], 2006 – a former model who is now totally broke has to survive in her car in Christmassy Berlin. Directed by
Birgit Möller.
Where Is Fred? (Wo ist Fred?), 2006 – in order to catch a
basketball from
Alba Berlin, the favorite team of his girlfriend's son, a foreman poses as a disabled fan using a wheelchair. When he catches the ball, he also catches the attention of a young female filmmaker. Directed by
Anno Saul.
You Told Me, You Love Me [
de] (Du hast gesagt, dass Du mich liebst), 2006 – a retired woman in Berlin who has been a professional swimmer during her young days meets a younger writer after she responded to his lonely hearts ad. Directed by
Rudolf Thome.
BerlinSong, 2007 – documentary on six young musicians from around the world who have settled in Berlin and written songs about their favourite places in the city. Directed by
Uli M Schueppel.
Drifter, 2007 – documentary showing the life of homeless children in Berlin mired in drug addiction and child prostitution. Directed by
Sebastian Heidinger.
Die Frau vom Checkpoint Charlie [
simple], 2007 – in 1982, an East German woman tries to flee with her two daughters to the West but they get caught. Although the mother gets redeemed from prison by the West German government, the children are sent to adoptive parents. She subsequently demonstrates at length at
Checkpoint Charlie to get back her daughters. Based on the true story of
Jutta Fleck and directed by
Miguel Alexandre.
Max Minsky and Me [
de] (Max Minsky und ich), 2007 – a nerdy Jewish girl in Berlin gets straight A's, except for gym. To meet her dream prince, she has to take
basketball lessons to join her school's girls team. Directed by
Anna Justice.
Raging Inferno [
de] (Das Inferno – Flammen über Berlin), 2007 – a fire breaks out in the
Fernsehturm Berlin and a chaos erupts among the trapped. A disgraced former firefighter helps to rescue the visitors. Directed by
Rainer Matsutani [
de].
Wrong Number, 2007 – a New Yorker in Berlin dials a wrong number, the girl on the other end is curiously receptive and their subsequent conversations become seemingly spontaneous and personal. Directed by
Lewis Häusler.
Berlin Calling, 2008 – Berlin's electronic music scene, a tragicomedy in the Berlin of today. Written and directed by
Hannes Stöhr.
Cherry Blossoms (Kirschblüten – Hanami), 2008 – a long-married Bavarian couple travels to Berlin to see the children, and afterwards to the
Baltic Sea where the mother dies. The father tries to make up for the loss of his wife and travels to Japan to see the
Butoh dance. Directed by
Doris Dörrie.
Cloud 9 (Wolke Neun), 2008 – a woman in the middle of her 60s living in Berlin has been married for 30 years when she starts a secret love affair with a man aged 76. Directed by
Andreas Dresen.
Evet, I Do! [
de] (Evet, ich will!), 2008 – several multicultural couples in a Berlin
tower block want to get married but experience severe problems. Directed by
Sinan Akkuş.
Heroes from the Neighbourhood (Helden aus der Nachbarschaft), 2008 – the female host of an unsuccessful TV show in Berlin is searching for new participants. Directed by
Jovan Arsenic.
24 Hours Berlin (24 h Berlin – Ein Tag im Leben), 2009 – the 24 hours documentary shows the personal life of 50 different people in Berlin. Directed by
Volker Heise.
Catapult (Achterbahn), 2009 – documentary movie about
carny Norbert Witte and his family, his futile attempts to run and develop the Berlin
Spreeparkamusement park and his fall after smuggling
cocaine from
Peru to Germany. Directed by
Peter Dörfler.
The City Named Desire (Sehnsucht Berlin), 2009 – documentary of the city as seen by famous artists, temporary Berliners. Written and directed by
Peter Zach.
Comrade Couture (Ein Traum in Erdbeerfolie), 2009 – the protagonists of the official and underground fashion scene in
East Berlin during the 1980s look back on their bohemian and unadapted way of life. Directed by
Marco Wilms.
Gangs [
de], 2009 – a boy from a street gang in
Neukölln falls in love with a wealthy and ballet dancing girl. But he has to help his older brother to repay the debt to a drug dealer. Directed by
Rainer Matsutani.
Hans im Glück, 2009 – portrait of Berlin bass player
Hans Narva, his music, his family and a life spent fighting the rules – whoever defines them. Directed by
Claudia Lehmann [
de].
Hilde, 2009 –
biographical film depicting the life of famous German actress and singer
Hildegard Knef. In 1966 Hildegard Knef prepares for a concert in Berlin and thinks back to the beginnings of her career at
UFA. Directed by
Kai Wessel.
I've Never Been Happier (So glücklich war ich noch nie), 2009 – an incurable
impostor gets released from prison and tries to live a normal life in Berlin but lapses back into crime and falls in love with a beautiful but shy
prostitute. Directed by
Alexander Adolph.
Im Kopfstand zum Glück, 2009 – the documentary accompanies four city dwellers in Berlin who meet at a modern
yoga studio during their training to become yoga teachers. Directed by
Irene Gräf.
In Berlin, 2009 – the documentary follows the life and work of several persons engaged in the Berlin cultural sector and politics. Directed by
Michael Ballhaus and
Ciro Cappellari.
Losing Balance (Draußen am See), 2009 – a 14-year-old girl in Berlin has to face the breakup of her by then happy family. Shortly before the dark abyss she decides to take her future into her own hands and takes a very courageous step. Directed by
Felix Fuchssteiner.
Ninja Assassin, 2009 – a disillusioned Japanese assassin is looking for retribution against his former mentor. In Berlin he meets a female
Europol agent investigating political murders carried out by the same old
Ninja clan where the assassin was trained as a child. Directed by
James McTeigue.
Off Ways (Elektrokohle (Von Wegen)), 2009 – in December 1989,
industrial band
Einstürzende Neubauten played its first concert in
East Berlin at VEB Elektrokohle
Lichtenberg. 20 years later the protagonists and fans look back on the locations and the cultural impact of the event. Directed by
Uli M Schueppel.
Pink [
de], 2009 – a young woman poet in Berlin marries her three best friends successively, but only with her third husband she finds happiness and peace. Directed by
Rudolf Thome.
Saturn Returns, 2009 – a privileged female North American
expat in contemporary Berlin, living a life of post
punkhedonism, roams the streets with her best friend. Together they use the city like a playground, a stage, and a never ending party. Director:
Lior Shamriz.
2010s
2010
Bedways [
de], 2010 – a female filmmaker takes two young actors to a huge, run-down apartment in
Berlin-Mitte to prepare a movie about love and sex. Directed by
Rolf Peter Kahl.
Bella Vita [
de], 2010 – a housewife is deceived by her husband publicly and has to find a new home and life with her daughter in
Kreuzberg district. Directed by
Thomas Berger [
de].
Civil Courage [
de] (Zivilcourage), 2010 – a senior bookseller does not know much about his problematic Berlin quarter until he is involved in a brutal assault. Directed by
Dror Zahavi.
The Coming Days (Die kommenden Tage), 2010 – in the year 2020 the world is dominated by resource wars and a more and more encapsulated
Western world. The daughter of a wealthy Berlin family tries to live a normal life, but her sister and a friend get involved in a civilization threatening
terror group. Directed by
Lars Kraume.
The Drifter (Eine flexible Frau), 2010 – a 40-year-old female
architect in Berlin loses her job and has to get along with identity, job centre and the loss of her
social status. Directed by
Tatjana Turanskyj.
The Hairdresser (Die Friseuse), 2010 – a female hairdresser in
Marzahn district struggles with her own
overweight, the separation from her husband, the difficult foundation of a hairdresser's shop and a rising
multiple sclerosis. Directed by
Doris Dörrie.
In the Shadows (Im Schatten), 2010 – focuses on a
burglar in Berlin who gets released from prison and wants to contact his old partner, but the former partner sets two killers on him. Directed by
Thomas Arslan.
Life Is Too Long [
de] (Das Leben ist zu lang), 2010 – an unsuccessful Jewish filmmaker in Berlin gets the chance to film his own script. But then he realizes that his own life and story is just part of a film directed by
Dani Levy.
Night Shifts (Nachtschichten), 2010 – documentary portrait of several people in Berlin who mainly work or come out during night, such as security guards, homeless people, DJs and graffiti sprayers. Directed by
Ivette Löcker.
Shahada, 2010 – the fates of three Muslims in Berlin collide during
Ramadan as they struggle to find their place between faith and modern life in western society. Directed by
Burhan Qurbani.
Single by Contract (Groupies bleiben nicht zum Frühstück), 2010 – a 17-year-old girl in Berlin falls in love with the lead singer of a band named Berlin Mitte. But he has signed a contract to stay a single person to enhance band marketing. Directed by
Marc Rothemund.
Three (Drei), 2010 – centered on a 40-something couple in Berlin who, separately, fall in love with the same man. Directed by
Tom Tykwer.
Weissensee, 2010–2015 – the story of two different families in
East Berlin during the 1980s. One family is loyal to the socialistic system while the other family is quite critical. Directed by
Friedemann Fromm.
When We Leave (Die Fremde), 2010 – highlights the problem of
honor killings by depicting the drama of a Turkish family living in Berlin. Directed by
Feo Aladag.
9 Leben [
de], 2011 – several
street children in Berlin talk about their daily life, referring not only to
drug addiction and physical/traumatic injuries, but also to their talents and dreams. Directed by
Maria Speth [
de].
Blissestrasse, 2011 – the story of a group of young American Christians on a mission to Berlin to try to bring the Germans back to Jesus. Directed by
Paul Donovan.
Burnout [
de] (Abgebrannt), 2011 – a poor and overstrained
Turkish single mother from
Wedding district receives a cure on
Fehmarn island with her three children. But her drug smuggling friend finds her up there as well. Directed by
Verena S. Freytag [
de].
Cracks in the Shell (Die Unsichtbare), 2011 – a shy female drama student suffers from not being seen but gets the leading part in a play at Berlin
Volksbühne theater. The famous stage director turns out her injured being and she awakens to her femininity, but she also loses her own strengths. Directed by
Christian Schwochow.
Farewell to the Frogs [
de] (Abschied von den Fröschen), 2011 – from 1996 to 1998 filmmaker
Ulrich Schamoni documents in a video diary the two last years of his life in and around his house in
Grunewald district, where he also filmed several of his movies, before he dies of
leukaemia. Directed by
Ulrike Schamoni.
Hotel Desire, 2011 –
erotic movie about a hotel
maid in Berlin who did not have sex for several years when she unintentionally breaks into a blind painter's hotel room. Directed by
Sergej Moya. Starring
Saralisa Volm.
Hut in the Woods (Die Summe meiner einzelnen Teile), 2011 – after a
burnout, a maths genius from Berlin is released from mental hospital. But his job and girlfriend are away, so he starts to build a hut to live in the woods. Directed by
Hans Weingartner.
Kokowääh, 2011 – story of a man in Berlin who meets his eight-year-old daughter the first time and learns that she will live with him now. Directed by and starring
Til Schweiger.
Men in the City 2 [
de] (Männerherzen … und die ganz ganz große Liebe), 2011 – following Men in the City and showing the same group of men in Berlin who have to fight for their beloved women. Directed by
Simon Verhoeven.
Pigeons on the Roof [
de] (Die Relativitätstheorie der Liebe), 2011 – several couples in Berlin (all played by the same two actors) try to find or keep love and respect. Directed by
Otto Alexander Jahrreiss.
Summer Window [
de] (Fenster zum Sommer), 2011 – a woman from Berlin travels to her family in Finland with her new friend. At one night she experiences a
leap back in time and awakes in Berlin in the past with her old friend. She tries to modify the past, but this attempt is not in any case crowned with success. Based on the novel by
Hannelore Valencak and directed by
Hendrik Handloegten.
Swans, 2011 – father and son travel to Berlin to visit the mother of the family who is in hospital in a
coma. The son discovers the dark side of the city and develops a secret passion for his mother's flatmate. Directed by
Hugo Vieira da Silva [
pt].
The Tragic Life of Gloria S. (Das traurige Leben der Gloria S.), 2011 – a filmmaker wants to do a documentary on a jobless
Hartz IV welfare recipient. The film team starts to document the life of an apparently poor woman, but after some weeks they realize that the protagonist is a professional actress. Directed by
Christine Groß and
Ute Schall.
Urban Explorer, 2011 – horror-thriller film about four young
urban explorers who meet up in Berlin via the internet to explore the subterranean relicts of
Nazi Germany. But when tragedy strikes the group's leader, they soon realize not all things go according to plan. Directed by
Andy Fetscher.
Woman in Love [
de] (Rubbeldiekatz), 2011 – a young actor at Berlin
Vaganten Bühne theater wants to play in a Hollywood
Nazi movie filmed in Berlin and
Babelsberg Studio. So he dresses up like a woman, gets a female role and falls in love with the female lead. Directed by
Detlev Buck.
Berlin Dance Battle, 2012 – a young
street dancer comes to Berlin to take part at an underground dance battle. But he has to find a group first and he has to learn much. Directed by
Robert Franke.
Berlin für Helden [
de], 2012 – five young people live with relish a new excessive and bohemian life in Berlin. Directed by
Klaus Lemke [
de].
Berliner Tagebuch, 2012 – immigrants and artists from several countries living in Berlin are asked why the metropolis became a new home and a source of inspiration for them. Directed by
Rosemarie Blank.
Cause I Have the Looks (Weil ich schöner bin), 2012 – together with her mother, a
Colombian teenager lives illegally in Berlin and attends school regularly. When they get in contact with the police they have to hide and need the help of friends. Directed by
Frieder Schlaich [
de].
A Coffee in Berlin (Oh Boy!), 2012 – portrait of a young man who drops out of university and ends up wandering the streets of Berlin. Directed by
Jan Ole Gerster.
Doll, the Fatso & Me [
de] (Puppe, Icke & der Dicke), 2012 – a courier returns from Paris to Berlin and gives two hitchhikers a ride. One of them is a fat dumb man, the other is a blind French girl searching for the father of her unborn baby in Berlin. Directed by
Felix Stienz [
de].
Dust on Our Hearts [
de] (Staub auf unseren Herzen), 2012 – a young and unsuccessful actress in Berlin fights to cut the cord from her overbearing mother. Directed by
Hanna Doose [
de].
Kaddish for a Friend [
de] (Kaddisch für einen Freund), 2012 – a Jewish senior and a Lebanese boy in
Kreuzberg district are enemies. But when they get in danger of losing their homes they start to work together. Directed by
Leo Khasin [
de].
Move (3 Zimmer/Küche/Bad), 2012 – eight friends in Berlin support each other to relocate and to find new partners. Directed by
Dietrich Brüggemann.
The Pursuit of Unhappiness [
de] (Anleitung zum Unglücklichsein), 2012 – the female owner of a delicatessen shop in
Kreuzberg is difficult, superstitious, pessimistic and quarreling with her childhood. But when she meets a photographer with a touchy dog, her life changes. Based upon the book from
Paul Watzlawick and directed by
Sherry Hormann.
Russian Disco (Russendisko), 2012 – based on the book by
Wladimir Kaminer and telling the story of three young Jewish Russians who come to Berlin in 1990 seeking for work, love and a new perspective. Directed by
Oliver Ziegenbalg.
St George's Day, 2012 – two elderly and famous British Cousin
gangsters have angered a
Russian competitor. To reconcile him and to pay their debts they undertake an audacious diamond heist in Berlin. Directed by
Frank Harper.
Zettl [
de], 2012 – a
Bavarian chauffeur in Berlin is engaged by a
Swiss investor to become editor-in-chief of a new online tabloid newspaper on politicians in the capital city. Directed by
Helmut Dietl.
2013
An Apartment in Berlin (Ein Apartment in Berlin), 2013 – three young Jewish people from
Israel are asked by a German filmmaker to live in a flat in
Prenzlauer Berg district, from where a Jewish family was deported in 1943. Directed by
Alice Agneskirchner [
de].
La Deutsche Vita, 2013 – documentary on
Italians living in Berlin. Thousands come every year to stay and many of them have to decide whether they are still immigrants or already Berliners. Directed by
Alessandro Cassigoli and
Tania Masi.
Einer fehlt, 2013 – everybody in his street in
Prenzlauer Berg district knows the kindly greeting old man, but nobody knows much about him. When he dies the neighbours miss him and collect money to pay for his funeral. Directed by
Mechthild Gaßner [
de].
Grossstadtklein [
de], 2013 – a young man from the
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern provincial backwater is forced by his family to absolve a practical training in Berlin and to live with his cousin. Directed by
Tobias Wiemann [
de].
Kaptn Oskar [
de], 2013 – a reserved young man's ex-girlfriend has set his flat in Berlin on fire and also stalks him while he tries to build up a normal relationship with his new girlfriend. Directed by
Tom Lass [
de].
Kokowääh 2, 2013 – following
Kokowääh, the father has now to live with his daughter and her mother, because he became jobless and wants to become a
film producer. Directed by and starring
Til Schweiger.
Sources of Life (Quellen des Lebens), 2013 – during the 1960s an emancipated writer neglects her son, so he grows up alternately with his grand parents in
Franconia and his negligent father in
West Berlin. Directed by
Oskar Roehler and based upon his own life without his mother
Gisela Elsner.
The Strange Little Cat [
de] (Das merkwürdige Kätzchen), 2013 – A family in a house, and a chain of events that take place, on an ordinary evening that they plan to have dinner with relatives. Directed by
Ramon Zürcher [
de].
Ummah – Among Friends [
de] (Ummah – Unter Freunden), 2013 – after being wounded in a failed operation against
Neo-Nazis, a young undercover
Verfassungsschutz agent is sent to
Neukölln district where he becomes friends with two Turkish Arab electrical device dealers. Directed by
Cüneyt Kaya [
de].
Wetlands (Feuchtgebiete), 2013 – a body fluid-obsessed teenager in Berlin has an
anal fissure and ends up stuck in the hospital where she charms a handsome male nurse and schemes to reunite her parents. Directed by
David Wnendt [
de].
2014
Amour Fou, 2014 – between 1809 and 1811
Heinrich von Kleist meets Henriette Vogel in Berlin and his love for Henriette begins to blossom. He asks her to join him in death when she is diagnosed with
uterine cancer. They commit suicide together at the Kleine
Wannsee. Directed by
Jessica Hausner.
Berlin Stories, 2014 – writers and literary critics analyse and discuss famous Berlin novels and the impact that the metropolis had and still has on authors who live in the city or stayed for a period of time. Directed by
Simone Dobmeier and
Torsten Striegnitz.
Daughters (Töchter), 2014 – a mother comes to Berlin to search for her missing daughter. While she cannot find her, a homeless girl is longing for her friendship. Directed by
Maria Speth [
de].
Frauenherzen, 2014 – the lives of five women with totally different ways of living but similar relationship problems encounter in Berlin during one week. Directed by
Sophie Allet-Coche.
The Limits of Patience [
de] (Das Ende der Geduld), 2014 – a dedicated juvenile magistrate initiates the "
Neuköllner Modell" against
juvenile delinquency that streamlined procedures and targeted an appearance before court within 3–5 weeks. In 2010 she hangs herself in a forest. Based on the life and book of
Kirsten Heisig and directed by
Christian Wagner.
Mein Berlin, dein Berlin, 2014 – several artists from East and West Berlin meet and show each other the places where they grew up in the divided city. Directed by
Tim Evers and
Jens Staeder.
Mietrebellen, 2014 – documents the transformation of Berlin from a tenants city into a popular investment target and tenants struggling against their displacement, what culminates in a new urban protest movement. Directed by
Gertrud Schulte Westenberg and
Matthias Coers.
A Most Wanted Man, 2014 – espionage-thriller set basically in
Hamburg dealing with Islamist terrorism and money laundering. Minor scenes such as a meeting in the Internal ministry are set in Berlin. Featuring
Philip Seymour Hoffman and directed by
Anton Corbijn.
Spirit Berlin, 2014 – a young and inwardly disrupted man visits several spiritual and religious groups in Berlin to find peace. Finally he finds the love of a female young and beautiful
Yoga teacher. Directed by
Kordula Hildebrandt.
Welcome Goodbye, 2014 – documentary on the growing
tourism in Berlin and connected problems like rising prices, housing shortage,
gentrification and hostility toward tourists. Directed by
Nana Rebhan.
The Man from U.N.C.L.E., 2015 – In the early 1960s, CIA agent Napoleon Solo and KGB operative Illya Kuryakin participate in a joint mission against a mysterious criminal organization, which is working to proliferate nuclear weapons. Directed by
Guy Ritchie.
Bridge of Spies, 2015 – During the Cold War, an American lawyer is recruited to defend an arrested Soviet spy in court, and then help the CIA facilitate an exchange of the spy for the Soviet captured American U2 spy plane pilot,
Francis Gary Powers. Directed by
Steven Spielberg.
Jason Bourne, 2016 – Jason Bourne goes to Berlin in search of information.
2017
Babylon Berlin, 2017 – crime-drama television series that takes place in 1929 Berlin during the Weimar Republic. It follows a police inspector on who is on a secret mission to dismantle an extortion ring, and a young stenotypist who is aspiring to work as a police inspector. Co-directed by
Tom Tykwer, Hendrik Handloegten, and
Achim von Borries.
Charité, TV series that takes place in 1888/1889 in Berlin at
Charité and between 1943 and 1945 in Berlin at
Charité
Kundschafter des Friedens, 2017 - four former agents of the
Stasi from Berlin are hired by the
BND to rescue the kidnapped president of a fictional former Soviet Republic. Directed by
Robert Thalheim.