The Blue Angel (1930). Berlin is the setting and filming location of numerous movies, and has been since the beginnings of thesilent film era.
Berlin is a major center in the European andGerman 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 companyUFA are located outside Berlin inPotsdam.
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 byGerhard 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 byGerhard 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 theBerlin U-Bahn. Directed byCarl Froelich.
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 byRobert Siodmak.
Tugboat M 17 (Schleppzug M 17), 1933 – the skipper of a tugboat on the riverHavel falls for a female thief in Berlin and leaves his family for her. Directed byHeinrich George andWerner Hochbaum.
The Divine Jetta (Die göttliche Jette), 1937 – a typical Berlin revue singer gets celebrated at theKönigsstädtisches Theater when a young Earl wants to marry her and take her to his home in Tyrol. Directed byErich Waschneck.
His Best Friend (Sein bester Freund), 1937 – a policeman in Berlin finds aGerman Shepherd, buys it from its owner and trains it to become apolice dog. During one operation though, their collaboration gets challenged. Directed byHarry Piel.
The Four Companions (Die vier Gesellen), 1938 – after graduation, four female art students in Berlin attempt to set up their ownadvertising agency. They swear an oath to concentrate on business, but then each of them finds secretly a husband to marry. Directed byCarl Froelich.
A Night in May (Eine Nacht im Mai), 1938 – a young woman in Berlin had to turn in herdriver'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 toWannsee. Directed byGeorg Jacoby.
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 byHans 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 byKarl Ritter
Wunschkonzert, 1940 – during the1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin a young girl and aLuftwaffe Fliegerleutnant meet and fall in love. They want to marry, but he receives orders to go to theCondor Legion. Three years later they meet again duringWorld War II via the popular radio music showWunschkonzert für die Wehrmacht. Directed byEduard von Borsody.
Friedemann Bach, 1941 –Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, eldest son ofJohann 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 byTraugott Müller.
Berlin Correspondent, 1942 – an American radio correspondent is hunted for sending coded messages out on the airwaves from Berlin. Directed byEugene Forde.
The Great Love (Die große Liebe), 1942 – aWehrmachtOberleutnant 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 byRolf 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 byKurt 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 byWolfgang Liebeneiner.
The Buchholz Family (Familie Buchholz), 1944 – based on the novels byJulius Stinde. During theGerman 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 byCarl Froelich.
Es lebe die Liebe, 1944 – a famous operetta star wants to engage a Spanish dancer for hisApollo 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 byErich Engel.
Marriage of Affection (Neigungsehe), 1944 – followingFamilie 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 onHeligoland island. Directed byCarl Froelich.
Under the Bridges (Unter den Brücken), 1944/45 – two men and a woman shipping on the riverHavel shortly before Berlin gets totally destroyed. Directed byHelmut Käutner.
In Those Days (In jenen Tagen), 1947 – in thisRubble film an old car built in 1933 tells its story and episodes from its seven owners, mostly located in Berlin, during the years ofNazi Germany. Directed byHelmut Käutner.
Marriage in the Shadows (Ehe im Schatten), 1947 – a German actor is successful in Berlin during theNazi 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 ofJoachim Gottschalk and directed byKurt Maetzig.
Raid (Razzia), 1947 – crime thriller aboutblack market traders in Berlin. A spy forewarns everybody before the police arrives and a police commissar gets murdered. Directed byWerner 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, byRoberto 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 inGrunewald district, though the legal position concerning property is not clear. Directed byHans Deppe.
Girls in Gingham (Die Buntkarierten), 1949 – the fate of a typical working-class family in Berlin between 1883 and 1949 facingchild labour,trade union engagement, war, depression, unemployment and the rise and fall ofNazism. Directed byKurt Maetzig.
Our Daily Bread (Unser täglich Brot), 1949 – about the difficult life of an extended family in destroyed Berlin in 1946. Directed bySlatan Dudow.
Rotation, 1949 – showing the life of a mechanic in Berlin between 1920 and 1945. During theThird Reich, as a member of theNazi Party, he aids aresistance group in printing anti-war propaganda and is finally turned into the authorities by his own son who is a frenetic member of theHitler Youth. Directed byWolfgang Staudte.
Frauenschicksale, 1952 – a dandy and womanizer fromWest Berlin seduces women inEast Berlin who are looking for happiness and a good man. One of them gets pregnant, another woman steals for him. Directed bySlatan Dudow.
Story of a Young Couple (Roman einer jungen Ehe), 1952 – a young married couple – both actors – work inCold War Berlin. She is on location inEast Berlin, and he works at a theatre inWest Berlin. As they hold more and more opposed views on politics, art and society, their marriage is in danger of breaking up. Directed byKurt Maetzig.
No Way Back (Weg ohne Umkehr), 1953 – in 1945 aRed 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 byVictor Vicas.
Alarm in the Circus (Alarm im Zirkus), 1954 – two boys fromWest 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 inEast Berlin. Directed byGerhard Klein.
Die Ratten, 1955 – based upon the playThe Rats byGerhart 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 byRobert Siodmak.
The Devil Strikes at Night (Nachts, wenn der Teufel kam), 1957 – based on the true story ofBruno Lüdke, a supposed serial killer who murdered women during theNazi 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 byRobert 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 byVeit 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 byKurt Maetzig.
Lissy, 1957 – a poor girl from aworking-class family inBerlin-Wedding marries a successful Nazi. But her social advancement gets along with the loss of old friends. Directed byKonrad Wolf.
Die Schönste, 1957 – two boys inWest Berlin stash their own mothers' jewellery to find out whether the ladies are still admirable or not. Directed byErnesto Remani.
Sheriff Teddy, 1957 – a boy has to move with his family fromWest Berlin toEast Berlin, but has problems to assimilate. His new friend helps him not to become a delinquent minor. Directed byHeiner Carow.
Endstation Liebe [de], 1958 – a young factory worker inWest Berlin is a lady-killer and does not believe in true love until he meets the love of his life during a bet. Directed byGeorg Tressler.
Fräulein, 1958 – German woman and American officer caught up in the end of and aftermath of World War II in Berlin. Directed byHenry Koster.
Iron Gustav (Der eiserne Gustav), 1958 – based on the novel byHans Fallada and telling the true story of horse-drawn cabmanGustav Hartmann fromWannsee district who drove sensationally to Paris in 1928 to demonstrate against the rise of the motorcar taxicab. Directed byGeorge Hurdalek.
My Wife Makes Music (Meine Frau macht Musik), 1958 – a revue singer inEast 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 byHans Heinrich.
Nasser Asphalt, 1958 – a youngreporter inWest 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 byFrank 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 ofWismut Company. There, Germans and Soviets work together to extractUranium for the use of theSoviet Union. Directed byKonrad Wolf.
Tatort Berlin, 1958 – illustrates the advantage for criminals with the still passableinner 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 formerpetty criminals into the system of theGDR. Directed byJoachim Kunert.
The Young Lions, 1958 – a German ski instructor is hopeful thatAdolf Hitler will bring new prosperity to Germany, so when war breaks out he joins theWehrmacht 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 byEdward Dmytryk.
Interview mit Berlin, 1959 – for the 10th anniversary of theGDR produced documentary on contemporary economical and cultural life in Berlin. Directed byMax Jaap.
Love's Confusion (Verwirrung der Liebe), 1959 – a medical student atBerlin 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 bySlatan Dudow.
Sie nannten ihn Amigo, 1959 – in 1939 a refugee from aNazi 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 byHeiner Carow.
Freddy and the Melody of the Night (Freddy und die Melodie der Nacht), 1960 – a singing taxi driver inWest Berlin helps to catch two criminals who unsuccessfully attacked a cash transport, and he falls in love with a flower girl. Directed byWolfgang 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 byPaul 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 therevue movie. Directed byGottfried 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 byFrank Beyer.
The Tunnel, 1962 – acclaimed NBC documentary about an escape tunnel under the Berlin Wall, byReuven Frank.
Born in '45 (Jahrgang '45), 1965 – a young couple fromPrenzlauer Berg tries to get a divorce. He drifts through the city while she suffers from separation. Directed byJürgen Böttcher and first shown in 1990.
The Rabbit Is Me (Das Kaninchen bin ich), 1965 – the brother of a young waitress inEast 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 byKurt Maetzig and first shown in 1989.
Großer Ring mit Außenschleife [de], 1966 – a tramway driver inWest Berlin is fired by theBVG 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 byEugen York.
Der tapfere Schulschwänzer, 1967 – a schoolboy inEast Berlin decides to skip school, incidentally discovers a fire, alerts thefire 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 byWinfried 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 ofWorld War II, directed byKonrad Wolf.
He, Du!, 1970 – a dedicated female teacher inEast Berlin calls a meeting when she realizes that the younger pupils are not any more touched by the events happening in the novelNaked Among Wolves. Directed byRolf 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 reachWest Berlin the journey ends in a drug orgy. Directed byErwin C. Dietrich.
Our Willi Is the Best (Unser Willi ist der Beste), 1971 – now retired and being hard-pressed for money, a formertax collector inWest Berlin becomes a door-to-door salesman. But his selling methods to distribute home appliances are quite contentious. Directed byWerner Jacobs.
Florentiner 73, 1972 – a young pregnant woman hunting for a room inEast Berlin finds a furnished through room inPankow district. The landlady is like a mother to her, and she gets more and more integrated into the collective of the apartment house. Directed byKlaus Gendries.
Her Third (Der Dritte), 1972 – a mother in her mid-thirties inEast 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 byEgon 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 byGerhard Klein andHelmut Nitzschke.
One or the Other of Us (Einer von uns beiden), 1974 – psychological thriller takes place in West Berlin, with scenes near the wall. DirectorWolfgang Petersen.
Top Hat (Chapeau Claque), 1974 – a young formerTop hat manufacturer becameinsolvent and lives now as a man of independent means and rummage collector in his house inGrunewald district together with a listless young girl. Directed byUlrich 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 theGerman student movement. Directed byHelma Sanders-Brahms.
Stroszek, 1977 – based on the life of and played byBruno Schleinstein. A street performer and petty criminal inWest 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 toWisconsin, but cannot forge ahead. Directed byWerner Herzog.
Despair, 1978 – against the backdrop of the Nazis' rise, a Russian émigré and chocolate magnate in Berlin goes slowly mad. Directed byRainer 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 beforeWorld War I. The movie in 13 parts is based on the novel byHans Fallada and directed byHerbert Ballmann.
Das Versteck [de], 1978 – having been divorced for one year, a lonely man inEast Berlin tries to reconquer his former wife and pretends to be pursued by theVolkspolizei. But the reworking of their old problems becomes complicated. Directed byFrank Beyer.
David, 1979 – in 1938 the son of a Jewishrabbi is sent from his home inLegnica to Berlin to learn mechanics and agriculture. DuringWorld War II he can hide in the city until he manages to escape toPalestine. Directed byPeter 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 byUwe 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 inCharlottenburg-Nord. Their residential milieu drives them to petty crime, but they dream of moving away. Based on the novel ofLeonie Ossowski and directed byMarianne Lüdcke.
Pinselheinrich, 1979 – episodes from the life of famous Berlin illustratorHeinrich 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 byHans Knötzsch.
The Third Generation (Die dritte Generation), 1979 – a black comedy about the activities of the third generation of the left wing terror groupRAF in Berlin. Written and directed byRainer 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 byHerrmann 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 late1920s 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 byErich Kästner and directed byWolf Gremm.
Put on Ice (Kaltgestellt), 1980 – a teacher inWest-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 theVerfassungsschutz. Directed byBernhard Sinkel.
Ullasa Paravaigal, 1980 – Theprotagonist 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 havemental disorder. The film written byPanchu Arunachalam, produced by S. P. Thamizharasi and directed byC. V. Rajendran.
Germany, Pale Mother (Deutschland, bleiche Mutter), 1980 – a mother and her daughter have to surviveWorld War II in Berlin while her husband is fighting in theWehrmacht. After the war their relationship ist not the same any more. Directed byHelma Sanders-Brahms.
Als Unku Edes Freundin war, 1981 – during the1920s a circus driven bySinti 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 apaperboy. Based on the novelEde und Unku byAlex Wedding. Directed byHelmut 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 theBerlin Blockade and Airlift 1948–49. Directed byThomas Brasch.
Berlin Tunnel 21, 1981 – a former American officer leads an attempt to build a tunnel underneath The Wall as a rescue route. Directed byRichard Michaels.
The Man in Pyjamas, 1981 – after watching TV with his wife, a man fromWilmersdorf district goes to the cigarette machine in pyjamas. On the street he gets caught by the police and the complications begin. Directed byChristian Rateuke andHartmann Schmige.
Possession, 1981 – a woman left her family and the husband starts following his wife to find out the truth. Directed byAndrzej Żuławski.
Strike Back [de] (Kalt wie Eis), 1981 – a young criminal inWest 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 byCarl Schenkel.
Familie Rechlin, 1982 – a typical Berlin family lives atHackescher Markt, but shortly before the wall is built, the daughter and her husband move to Ruhleben-Spandau inWest Berlin. After the wall is erected the two parts of the family get alienated from another in two different systems. Directed byVera 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 throughEast Berlin, but finds no one to take her in. Directed byHelmut 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 modernEast Berlin. Directed byGünter Meyer.
Conrad: The Factory-Made Boy (Konrad aus der Konservenbüchse), 1983 – when a woman inNeukölln 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 byClaudia 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 ofBerlin-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 byHerrmann Zschoche.
Non Stop Trouble with Spies (Der Schnüffler), 1983 – a naive taxi driver inWest Berlin is asked to bring a Russian man toEast Berlin. When they arrive, the man turns out to be already dead and the driver is suspected of being aCIA spy. Back in West Berlin he is accused of being aKGB agent, and so the imbroglio begins. Directed byOttokar Runze.
White Trash [de] (Kanakerbraut), 1983 – several days in the life of an unemployed man inKreuzberg district, spending his days withpeep shows, local pub, loose contacts, sitting at home and occasional jobs. Directed byUwe Schrader [de].
Forbidden, 1984 – about a wealthy German countess who hides her Jewish boyfriend in her apartment in Berlin during World War II. Directed byAnthony Page.
The Berlin Affair (Interno Berlinese / Leidenschaften), 1985 – in 1938 the wife of a risingNazi diplomat in Berlin falls in love with the daughter of the JapaneseAmbassador. Her husband finds out and moves to break up the affair, but also gets enamoured of the girl. Based upon the novelQuicksand and directed byLiliana Cavani.
Demons (Dèmoni), 1985 – horror movie about people in a Berlin cinema transforming into demons. Directed byLamberto Bava.
Kein Mord, kein Totschlag, 1985 – documentary showing authentic police and fire service emergency operations inWedding district, with family grudges, suicide attempts, noise disturbances etc. Directed byUwe Schrader.
Richy Guitar [de], 1985 – a young guitar player in Berlin wants to become a famous musician and attempts to establish a band. Featuringpunk bandDie Ärzte and singerNena; directed byMichael Laux.
Du mich auch, 1986 – in West-Berlin aSwiss 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 andDani Levy.
Fatherland, 1986 – a protest singer is apersona non grata inEast Germany, he emigrates toWest Berlin and gets exploited by an American record company. Together with a young French journalist he travels toCambridge to find his father who turns out to be a former Nazi war criminal. Directed byKen Loach.
Meier [de], 1986 – comedy about a paper hanger inEast Berlin who buys a counterfeit West-German passport, which he does not use to escape fromEast Germany, but to provide his crafts enterprise with wallpaper material fromWest-Berlin. Directed byPeter Timm.
Reichshauptstadt – privat [de], 1987 – two-partdocudrama 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 byHorst 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 byWim Wenders.
Hanussen, 1988 – while recovering from being wounded duringWorld War I, the Doctor discovers that Austrian Klaus Schneider possesses empathic powers. After the war, Schneider changes his name intoErik Jan Hanussen and goes to Berlin to perform as a hypnotist and mind reader. When he predictsAdolf Hitler'sMachtergreifung and theReichstag fire, the Nazis murder him. Directed byIstván Szabó.
The Microscope [de] (Das Mikroskop), 1988 – asoftware 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 byRudolf Thome.
Ein Schweizer namens Nötzli [de], 1988 – aSwissclerk works at a chemical plant inWest Berlin for 26 years without opportunity for advancement when he finds an innominate recommendatory letter and serves it straight to his director. Directed byGustav Ehmck.
The Break [de] (Der Bruch), 1989 – in 1946 several burglars want to break into theDeutsche Reichsbahn building in Berlin to steal money from the safe. Directed byFrank Beyer.
The Grass Is Greener Everywhere Else (Überall ist es besser, wo wir nicht sind), 1989 – facing the lack of prospects in their hometownWarsaw, two young people dream of living in the United States. To reach their target they do casual and illegal work in Berlin. Directed byMichael Klier.
The Philosopher [de] (Der Philosoph), 1989 – aphilosopher in Berlin almost withdrew from the world to concentrate on hisHeraclitus 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 inpolygamy. Directed byRudolf Thome.
Spider's Web (Das Spinnennetz), 1989 – based on the 1923 novel byJoseph Roth and focused on a young opportunistic Leutnant who suffered personal and national humiliation during the downfall of theGerman Empire, and now becomes increasingly active in the right-wing underground of the early1920s Berlin. Directed byBernhard Wicki.
Wedding [de], 1989 – three school day friends meet after several years again inWedding district and talk about their unsuccessful lives including a broken family, homicide and excessive indebtedness. Directed byHeiko Schier [de].
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 inEast-Berlin when more and more people leaveEast Germany wearily in the late 1980s. Directed byPeter Kahane.
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 throughmass hypnosis. Directed byClaude 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 overBerlin 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 byPercy Adlon.
Stein [de], 1991 – a famous actor left the stage in 1968 to protest againstPrague Spring. During the late 1980s as a more and more deranged he opens his house inWilhelmsruh forpunks and resistance fighters against theGDR. Directed byEgon Günther.
Liberators Take Liberties [de] (BeFreier und Befreite), 1992 – interviews with German women who wereraped by Soviet soldiers during theBattle of Berlin in April and May 1945, what caused pregnancies, abortions, illegitimate children, break down in relationships, stigmatization of the women and suicides. Directed byHelke 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 byPia 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 ayuppie in Berlin into a little massacre among prostitutes. Directed byOskar Roehler.
Silent Night (Stille Nacht – Ein Fest der Liebe), 1995 – sensing their relationship is crumbling, a policeman avoids celebratingChristmas 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 byDani Levy.
A Trick of Light (Die Gebrüder Skladanowsky), 1995 – shows the birth of cinema in Berlin whereMax Skladanowsky and his brother Emil built a projector. Directed byWim Wenders.
Beyond Silence (Jenseits der Stille), 1996 – the daughter ofdeaf-mute parents is hearing, fluent insign language and serves as an interpreter for her parents. After she receives aclarinet from her aunt, she discovers the world of music and wants to study at a music conservatory in Berlin. Directed byCaroline Link.
Deathline [de] (Der kalte Finger), 1996 – a young telephone operator at a hospital in Berlin has a second job at asex hotline. One of her customers seems to let his imagination run wild, but nobody knows that other women have to die for that. Directed byRalf 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 byPeter Sehr.
Silvester Countdown, 1997 – a young Berlin couple has increasing problems to cultivate their relationship. Even on a short trip toWarsaw around the turn of the year they switch between quarrelling and getting along with each other. Directed byOskar Roehler.
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 byEoin 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 byLisa 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 byJoe Coppoletta.
Run Lola Run (Lola rennt), 1998 – drama with three alternate realities in post-reunification Berlin byTom Tykwer.
Solo for Clarinet [de] (Solo für Klarinette), 1998 – in a Berlin apartment house a man is found ruffianly murdered with aclarinet. Aburnt out police inspector follows a suspicious but mysterious woman and falls for her. Directed byNico Hofmann.
Bombs Under Berlin [de] (Götterdämmerung – Morgen stirbt Berlin), 1999 – at a building site in Berlin atime 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 ofWorld War II and that someone is still taking care of the bombs. Directed byJoe Coppoletta.
Dealer [de], 1999 – aTurkish man in Berlin is unable to devote himself to anything other than being a criminal and a drug dealer. Directed byThomas Arslan.
Heroes Like Us [de] (Helden wie wir), 1999 – showing life inEast Berlin between 1968 and 1989. A youngStasi officer falls in love with a former school friend who is now critical of the regime. Directed bySebastian 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 byKutluğ Ataman.
Nightshapes (Nachtgestalten), 1999 – about socially deprived people in Berlin. Directed byAndreas Dresen.
alaska.de, 2000 – after a teenage girl moved to a miserablePlattenbau settlement inHohenschönhausen district, she witnesses accidentally a murder. But afterwards she falls in love with one of the delinquents. Directed byEsther Gronenborn.
Cold Is the Breath of Evening (Kalt ist der Abendhauch), 2000 – an 83-year-old woman inZehlendorf 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 fromIngrid Noll and directed byRainer Kaufmann.
England! [it], 2000 – a soldier was exposed to radiation from theChernobyl disaster and contracted a disease. On a last journey to England he becomes stranded in Berlin, searching for his former companion. Directed byAchim von Borries.
No Place to Go (Die Unberührbare), 2000 – after thePeaceful Revolution a communist female writer moves fromMunich to Berlin and tries to start a new life. But she has to realise that her view of the formerGDR was too euphemistic. Based on the life ofGisela Elsner and directed by her sonOskar Roehler.
A Tale of two Cities (Der Flaneur von Berlin – Eine Erzählung von zwei Städten), 2000 – portrait on famous photographerHenry Ries who took pictures of theBerlin Air Lift. In 1999 he returned to Berlin and searched for his own past. Directed byManfred Wilhelms.
Three Chinamen with a Double Bass (Drei Chinesen mit dem Kontrabass), 2000 – after a druggy party night a young architect finds hisfiancé dead in his flat. Together with two friends he has to get rid of the corpse – in busyBerlin-Mitte. Directed byKlaus 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 byMartin 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 byHannes Stöhr.
Conspiracy, 2001 – film directed byFrank 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 aJapanese student, she drifts with him through Berlin. Directed byMaria Speth.
Female 2 Seeks Happy End (Frau2 sucht HappyEnd), 2001 – a dolefulradio personality and one of his female listeners meet in achat room and discuss their former, painful relationships. In autumnal Berlin they learn to relinquish and to establish new ties. Directed byEdward 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. ByThomas Arslan.
Invincible (Unbesiegbar), 2001 – true story of a Jewish strongman in 1932 Berlin byWerner Herzog.
Julietta (Julietta – Es ist nicht wie du denkst), 2001 – an 18-year-old high-school graduate fromStuttgart gets unconscious atLove Parade Berlin. ADJ pulls her out of a fountain and rapes her. When she gets pregnant, she does not know what her saviour did to her. Directed byChristoph Stark [de].
Moonlight Tariff [de] (Mondscheintarif), 2001 – an emancipated woman in her twenties living in Berlin is waiting wishfully for aone-night stand lover to call her again and experiences a rising depression. Directed byRalf 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 theirPolterabend with various immigrants in a Berlin bar. Directed byFilippos Tsitos.
Passing Summer [de] (Mein langsames Leben), 2001 – the movie follows the slow-going life of a young woman in Berlin during summer. Directed byAngela Schanelec.
Planet Alex, 2001 – episodic movie filmed atAlexanderplatz where the stories of several characters intertwine within a period of 24 hours. Directed byUli M Schueppel.
Sass [de], 2001 – based on the true story of brothers Franz and Erich Sass fromMoabit district, who became the most famous and innovativebank robbers during1920s Berlin. Directed byCarlo Rola [de].
Taking Sides (Der Fall Furtwängler), 2001 – conductorWilhelm Furtwängler stays in Nazi Germany rather than flee, and experiences consequences after the war. Film byIstván Szabó.
The Tunnel (Der Tunnel), 2001 – dramatization of a collaborative tunnel under the wall in the 1950s. Film byRoland 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 byMaria von Heland.
Half the Rent [de] (Halbe Miete), 2002 – acomputer hacker in Berlin steals information from foreign computers. When his paranoid girlfriend dies in the bathtub, he escapes toCologne where he invades private flats to eat and to take a shower. Directed byMarc Ottiker [de].
Hotte in Paradise [de] (Hotte im Paradies), 2002 – a youngpanderer 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 byDominik Graf.
Naked (Nackt), 2002 – three couples in Berlin meet for dinner and start an erotic identification game. Directed byDoris Dörrie.
Ripley's Game, 2002 – an art framer from theVeneto who is dying ofleukemia 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 onRipley's Game byPatricia Highsmith and directed byLiliana Cavani.
Tattoo, 2002 – two police detectives in Berlin hunt a ritualistic serial killer murdering people withtattoos and skinning them for a mysterious collector. Directed byRobert Schwentke.
Unternehmen Paradies, 2002 – atmospheric documentary movie about the cityscape, residents, visitors and the political and cultural life of Berlin byVolker Sattel.
Angst (Der alte Affe Angst), 2003 – the different attitudes toward life lead a sensitivestage director and his beautiful girlfriend in Berlin to constant fights and conflicts. Directed byOskar Roehler.
Kroko [de], 2003 – a violent girl inBerlin-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 byRudolf 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 byMartin Gypkens [de].
Chasing Liberty, 2004 – on an official trip toPrague, the daughter of thePresident of the United States meets a handsome young man and escapes with him toVenice and toLove 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 inBerlin-Zehlendorf. Directed byHans Weingartner.
EuroTrip, 2004 – an American teenager travels across Europe with his friends in search of his Germanpen pal. When he cannot find her in her home town Berlin, he follows her to Rome. Directed byJeff Schaffer.
Jargo, 2004 – a coming of age film about a young male who experiences culture shock from moving fromSaudi Arabia to Berlin. Directed byMaria Solrun.
Love in Thoughts (Was nützt die Liebe in Gedanken), 2004 – about the so-calledSteglitz student tragedy in 1927, when two young men made asuicide pact under the influence of alcohol, music and sex, leading to a tragedy. Directed byAchim von Borries.
Muxmäuschenstill, 2004 – follows avigilante 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 BerlinHotel 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 byAndreas 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 Israelihitman working forMossad has to find an agingNaziwar criminal in Berlin but has in the meantime formed a profound friendship with two young German grandchildren of the senile man. Directed byEytan 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 theunderworld. Based on theOrpheus story and directed byHelmut 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 theBerlin Tempelhof Airport and an American general during theBerlin Airlift 1948–1949. Directed byDror 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 apederastserial killer and slowly begins to explore his own dark side. Directed byChristian 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 byRobert 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 byChristian Petzold.
Ich bin ein Berliner, 2005 – a professional cheater in Berlin creates the story that he is an illegitimate son ofJohn F. Kennedy from the 1963 visit toWest Berlin. When a journalist starts to investigate the story, it turns out to be true. Directed byFranziska Meyer Price.
KlassenLeben, 2005 – documentary on a project inSchöneberg district to integrate four disabled children into a regular school form. Directed byHubertus Siegert.
Netto, 2005 – a middle-aged loser inPrenzlauer 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 byRobert 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 arock band. During the tour the director wants to find out if his own girlfriend had an affair with his brother in the past. Directed byLars 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 theBerlin Wall was built in 1961. Directed byHartmut 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 atornado sweeping over the capital city. Directed byAndreas 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 inTempelhof district and aTurkish gang leader results in brutalvigilantism. Directed byZüli Aladag.
Valerie [de], 2006 – a former model who is now totally broke has to survive in her car in Christmassy Berlin. Directed byBirgit Möller.
Where Is Fred? (Wo ist Fred?), 2006 – in order to catch abasketball fromAlba 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 byAnno 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 byRudolf 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 byUli M Schueppel.
Drifter, 2007 – documentary showing the life of homeless children in Berlin mired in drug addiction and child prostitution. Directed bySebastian 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 atCheckpoint Charlie to get back her daughters. Based on the true story ofJutta Fleck and directed byMiguel 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 takebasketball lessons to join her school's girls team. Directed byAnna Justice.
Raging Inferno [de] (Das Inferno – Flammen über Berlin), 2007 – a fire breaks out in theFernsehturm Berlin and a chaos erupts among the trapped. A disgraced former firefighter helps to rescue the visitors. Directed byRainer 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 byLewis Häusler.
Berlin Calling, 2008 – Berlin's electronic music scene, a tragicomedy in the Berlin of today. Written and directed byHannes Stöhr.
Cherry Blossoms (Kirschblüten – Hanami), 2008 – a long-married Bavarian couple travels to Berlin to see the children, and afterwards to theBaltic Sea where the mother dies. The father tries to make up for the loss of his wife and travels to Japan to see theButoh dance. Directed byDoris 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 byAndreas Dresen.
Evet, I Do! [de] (Evet, ich will!), 2008 – several multicultural couples in a Berlintower block want to get married but experience severe problems. Directed bySinan 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 byJovan 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 byVolker Heise.
Catapult (Achterbahn), 2009 – documentary movie aboutcarny Norbert Witte and his family, his futile attempts to run and develop the BerlinSpreeparkamusement park and his fall after smugglingcocaine fromPeru to Germany. Directed byPeter Dörfler.
The City Named Desire (Sehnsucht Berlin), 2009 – documentary of the city as seen by famous artists, temporary Berliners. Written and directed byPeter Zach.
Comrade Couture (Ein Traum in Erdbeerfolie), 2009 – the protagonists of the official and underground fashion scene inEast Berlin during the 1980s look back on their bohemian and unadapted way of life. Directed byMarco Wilms.
Gangs [de], 2009 – a boy from a street gang inNeukölln 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 byRainer Matsutani.
Hans im Glück, 2009 – portrait of Berlin bass playerHans Narva, his music, his family and a life spent fighting the rules – whoever defines them. Directed byClaudia Lehmann [de].
Hilde, 2009 –biographical film depicting the life of famous German actress and singerHildegard Knef. In 1966 Hildegard Knef prepares for a concert in Berlin and thinks back to the beginnings of her career atUFA. Directed byKai Wessel.
I've Never Been Happier (So glücklich war ich noch nie), 2009 – an incurableimpostor 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 shyprostitute. Directed byAlexander Adolph.
Im Kopfstand zum Glück, 2009 – the documentary accompanies four city dwellers in Berlin who meet at a modernyoga studio during their training to become yoga teachers. Directed byIrene Gräf.
In Berlin, 2009 – the documentary follows the life and work of several persons engaged in the Berlin cultural sector and politics. Directed byMichael Ballhaus andCiro 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 byFelix Fuchssteiner.
Ninja Assassin, 2009 – a disillusioned Japanese assassin is looking for retribution against his former mentor. In Berlin he meets a femaleEuropol agent investigating political murders carried out by the same oldNinja clan where the assassin was trained as a child. Directed byJames McTeigue.
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 byRudolf Thome.
Saturn Returns, 2009 – a privileged female North Americanexpat in contemporary Berlin, living a life of postpunkhedonism, 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.
Bedways [de], 2010 – a female filmmaker takes two young actors to a huge, run-down apartment inBerlin-Mitte to prepare a movie about love and sex. Directed byRP Kahl [de].
Bella Vita [de], 2010 – a housewife is deceived by her husband publicly and has to find a new home and life with her daughter inKreuzberg district. Directed byThomas 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 byDror Zahavi.
The Coming Days (Die kommenden Tage), 2010 – in the year 2020 the world is dominated by resource wars and a more and more encapsulatedWestern 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 threateningterror group. Directed byLars Kraume.
The Drifter (Eine flexible Frau), 2010 – a 40-year-old femalearchitect in Berlin loses her job and has to get along with identity, job centre and the loss of hersocial status. Directed byTatjana Turanskyj.
The Hairdresser (Die Friseuse), 2010 – a female hairdresser inMarzahn district struggles with her ownoverweight, the separation from her husband, the difficult foundation of a hairdresser's shop and a risingmultiple sclerosis. Directed byDoris Dörrie.
In the Shadows (Im Schatten), 2010 – focuses on aburglar in Berlin who gets released from prison and wants to contact his old partner, but the former partner sets two killers on him. Directed byThomas Arslan.
Life Is Too Long (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 byDani 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 byIvette Löcker.
Shahada, 2010 – the fates of three Muslims in Berlin collide duringRamadan as they struggle to find their place between faith and modern life in western society. Directed byBurhan 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 namedBerlin Mitte. But he has signed a contract to stay a single person to enhance band marketing. Directed byMarc Rothemund.
Three (Drei), 2010 – centered on a 40-something couple in Berlin who, separately, fall in love with the same man. Directed byTom Tykwer.
Weissensee, 2010–2015 – the story of two different families inEast Berlin during the 1980s. One family is loyal to the socialistic system while the other family is quite critical. Directed byFriedemann Fromm.
When We Leave (Die Fremde), 2010 – highlights the problem ofhonor killings by depicting the drama of a Turkish family living in Berlin. Directed byFeo Aladag.
Nine Lives (9 Leben), 2011 – severalstreet children in Berlin talk about their daily life, referring not only todrug addiction and physical/traumatic injuries, but also to their talents and dreams. Directed byMaria 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 byPaul Donovan.
Burnout [de] (Abgebrannt), 2011 – a poor and overstrainedTurkish single mother fromWedding district receives a cure onFehmarn island with her three children. But her drug smuggling friend finds her up there as well. Directed byVerena 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 BerlinVolksbühne theater. The famous stage director turns out her injured being and she awakens to her femininity, but she also loses her own strengths. Directed byChristian Schwochow.
Farewell to the Frogs [de] (Abschied von den Fröschen), 2011 – from 1996 to 1998 filmmakerUlrich Schamoni documents in a video diary the two last years of his life in and around his house inGrunewald district, where he also filmed several of his movies, before he dies ofleukaemia. Directed byUlrike Schamoni.
Hotel Desire, 2011 –erotic movie about a hotelmaid in Berlin who did not have sex for several years when she unintentionally breaks into a blind painter's hotel room. Directed bySergej Moya. StarringSaralisa Volm.
Hut in the Woods (Die Summe meiner einzelnen Teile), 2011 – after aburnout, 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 byHans 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 starringTil Schweiger.
Men in the City 2 [de] (Männerherzen … und die ganz ganz große Liebe), 2011 – followingMen in the City and showing the same group of men in Berlin who have to fight for their beloved women. Directed bySimon 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 byOtto 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 aleap 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 byHannelore Valencak and directed byHendrik Handloegten.
Swans, 2011 – father and son travel to Berlin to visit the mother of the family who is in hospital in acoma. The son discovers the dark side of the city and develops a secret passion for his mother's flatmate. Directed byHugo 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 joblessHartz 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 byChristine Groß andUte Schall.
Urban Explorer, 2011 – horror-thriller film about four youngurban explorers who meet up in Berlin via the internet to explore the subterranean relicts ofNazi Germany. But when tragedy strikes the group's leader, they soon realize not all things go according to plan. Directed byAndy Fetscher.
Woman in Love [de] (Rubbeldiekatz), 2011 – a young actor at BerlinVaganten Bühne theater wants to play in a HollywoodNazi movie filmed in Berlin andBabelsberg Studio. So he dresses up like a woman, gets a female role and falls in love with the female lead. Directed byDetlev Buck.
Berlin Dance Battle, 2012 – a youngstreet 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 byRobert Franke.
Berlin für Helden [de], 2012 – five young people live with relish a new excessive and bohemian life in Berlin. Directed byKlaus 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 byRosemarie Blank.
Cause I Have the Looks (Weil ich schöner bin), 2012 – together with her mother, aColombian 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 byFrieder 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 byJan 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 byFelix 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 byHanna Doose [de].
Kaddish for a Friend [de] (Kaddisch für einen Freund), 2012 – a Jewish senior and a Lebanese boy inKreuzberg district are enemies. But when they get in danger of losing their homes they start to work together. Directed byLeo Khasin [de].
Move (3 Zimmer/Küche/Bad), 2012 – eight friends in Berlin support each other to relocate and to find new partners. Directed byDietrich Brüggemann.
The Pursuit of Unhappiness [de] (Anleitung zum Unglücklichsein), 2012 – the female owner of a delicatessen shop inKreuzberg 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 fromPaul Watzlawick and directed bySherry Hormann.
Russian Disco (Russendisko), 2012 – based on the book byWladimir 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 byOliver Ziegenbalg.
St George's Day, 2012 – two elderly and famous British Cousingangsters have angered aRussian competitor. To reconcile him and to pay their debts they undertake an audacious diamond heist in Berlin. Directed byFrank Harper.
Zettl [de], 2012 – aBavarian chauffeur in Berlin is engaged by aSwiss investor to become editor-in-chief of a new online tabloid newspaper on politicians in the capital city. Directed byHelmut Dietl.
An Apartment in Berlin (Ein Apartment in Berlin), 2013 – three young Jewish people fromIsrael are asked by a German filmmaker to live in a flat inPrenzlauer Berg district, from where a Jewish family was deported in 1943. Directed byAlice Agneskirchner [de].
La Deutsche Vita, 2013 – documentary onItalians 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 byAlessandro Cassigoli andTania Masi.
Einer fehlt, 2013 – everybody in his street inPrenzlauer 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 byMechthild Gaßner [de].
Grossstadtklein, 2013 – a young man from theMecklenburg-Vorpommern provincial backwater is forced by his family to absolve a practical training in Berlin and to live with his cousin. Directed byTobias 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 byTom Lass [de].
Kokowääh 2, 2013 – followingKokowääh, the father has now to live with his daughter and her mother, because he became jobless and wants to become afilm producer. Directed by and starringTil 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 inFranconia and his negligent father inWest Berlin. Directed byOskar Roehler and based upon his own life without his motherGisela 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 byRamon Zürcher [de].
Ummah – Among Friends [de] (Ummah – Unter Freunden), 2013 – after being wounded in a failed operation againstNeo-Nazis, a young undercoverVerfassungsschutz agent is sent toNeukölln district where he becomes friends with two Turkish Arab electrical device dealers. Directed byCüneyt Kaya [de].
Wetlands (Feuchtgebiete), 2013 – a body fluid-obsessed teenager in Berlin has ananal fissure and ends up stuck in the hospital where she charms a handsome male nurse and schemes to reunite her parents. Directed byDavid Wnendt [de].
Amour Fou, 2014 – between 1809 and 1811Heinrich 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 withuterine cancer. They commit suicide together at the KleineWannsee. Directed byJessica 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 bySimone Dobmeier andTorsten 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 byMaria 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 bySophie Allet-Coche.
The Limits of Patience [de] (Das Ende der Geduld), 2014 – a dedicated juvenile magistrate initiates the "Neuköllner Modell" againstjuvenile 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 ofKirsten Heisig and directed byChristian 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 byTim Evers andJens 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 byGertrud Schulte Westenberg andMatthias Coers.
A Most Wanted Man, 2014 – espionage-thriller set basically inHamburg dealing with Islamist terrorism and money laundering. Minor scenes such as a meeting in the Internal ministry are set in Berlin. FeaturingPhilip Seymour Hoffman and directed byAnton 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 beautifulYoga teacher. Directed byKordula Hildebrandt.
Welcome Goodbye, 2014 – documentary on the growingtourism in Berlin and connected problems like rising prices, housing shortage,gentrification and hostility toward tourists. Directed byNana 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 byGuy 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 bySteven Spielberg.
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 byTom Tykwer, Hendrik Handloegten, andAchim von Borries.
Charité, TV series that takes place in 1888/1889 in Berlin atCharité and between 1943 and 1945 in Berlin atCharité
Old Agent Men [de] (Kundschafter des Friedens), 2017 - four former agents of theStasi from Berlin are hired by theBND to rescue the kidnapped president of a fictional former Soviet Republic. Directed byRobert Thalheim.
The Forger (Der Passfälscher), 2022 – the true story ofCioma Schönhaus, a young Jewish man, who escaped the Gestapo and saves lives during theNazi era in Berlin thanks to his ability to forge passports. Directed byMaggie Peren.
