On this page you’ll find a selection of ‘Berlin Films‘, ‘Berlin Movies‘ and ‘Berlin Documentaries‘ – meaning films, movies and documentaries, that are in one way or the other related to Berlin. Either the movies are set in Berlin, are about Berlin or somehow deal with the story and history of the City of Berlin and/or Germany.
Some of the films listed below are specifically dealing with the Berlin Wall and could probably be called ‘Berlin Wall Movies‘ – others are ‘just’ showing everyday life stories in either East- or West- or Post-Wall Berlin. And then again there are quite a few movies that are set in Nazi-Era Berlin.
The list is currently ordered chronologically. Please feel free to leave a comment if you think there’s something missing. Of course you may also leave a comment if think there’s nothing missing. Cheers!
Unorthodox (miniseries)2020, 19-year-old Jewish woman Esty, living unhappily in an arranged marriage among an ultra-Orthodox community in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, runs away to Berlin, where her estranged mother lives… |
Berlin Bouncer2019, documentary about three Berlin bouncers: Frank Künster, Smiley Baldwin and Sven Marquardt |
Berlin Syndrome2017, a thriller from Australian director Cate Shortland: an Australian backpacker becomes the house guest and eventual prisoner of her German fling |
Alone in Berlin2016 – …, war drama film directed by Vincent Pérez, based on the 1947 novel ‘Every Man Dies Alone’ by Hans Fallada |
Berlin Station2016 – …, U.S.American spy drama television series. |
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Berlin Way of Love2016, a documentary about Life and Love in Berlin – thirteen personal love stories by Berlin Lovers – for Berlin Lovers |
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Homeland Season 52015, The fifth season of Homeland is set in Berlin: Carrie, no longer working for the CIA, is trying to live a ‘normal’ life in Berlin. However – also in Germany’s capital she can not escape the shadows of her past and soon she’s back in business… Details / Blue Ray / DVD at amazon.com See also: |
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Bridge of Spies2015, historical drama-thriller, set in cold war times Berlin / Germany. The movie is directed by Steven Spielberg, screenplay written by Matt Charman and Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, featurung Tom Hanks as russian KGB spy James B. Donovan Details / Blue Ray / DVD / stream at amazon.com See also: |
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Victoria2015, thriller, shot in a single 140-minute take Details / Blue Ray / DVD / stream at amazon.com See also:
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B-MovieLust & Sound in West-Berlin 1979-1989. |
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Citizenfour2014, documentary film about Edward Snowden and the NSA spying scandal, directed by Laura Poitras. The documentary is not directly set in Berlin. However to me Citizenfour is closely connected to Berlin. |
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Worldwide BerlinA documentary about other cities called Berlin
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24h Berlin24 hour Documentary about life in Berlin Details / DVD / stream at amazon.com [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.0 Import – Germany ] |
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A Coffee In Berlin (“Oh Boy”)[2012] A night to remember – or rather to forget? Law schoon drop-out Niko Fischer (Tom Schilling) is roaming across Berlin, Prenzlauer Berg, Mitte, not knowing what to do this night – or even with his life. The movie tells the story of an almost 30 year old boy in search for a job, a meaning in life, or maybe just a cup of coffee. |
Boxhagener Platz[2010] more info: https://www.pandorafilm.de/filme/boxhagener-platz.html |
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Inglourious Bastards2009, German-American war-thriller film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino about a team of Jewish-American soldiers in Nazi-occupied France starring Brad Pitt, Mélanie Laurent, Christoph Waltz, Diane Kruger, Michael Fassbender, Eli Roth and many more |
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The Lives of Others (“Das Leben der Anderen”)2006, The film The Lives of Others is the feature film debut of German filmmaker Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck about surveillance in East Germany. Set in East Berlin, the film shows a deep insight into how residents of East Germany were monitored by agents of the East German secret police Stasi. Starring Ulrich Mühe as Stasi Captain Gerd Wiesler, Ulrich Tukur as his superior Anton Grubitz, Sebastian Koch as the playwright Georg Dreyman, and Martina Gedeck as his lover Christa-Maria Sieland. |
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The Bourne Supremacy[2004] Many scenes of the second film about secret agent / former CIA assassin Jason Bourne are set in Berlin. Directed by Paul Greengrass, starring Matt Damon, Franka Potente, Brian Cox, Julia Stiles, Karl Urban, Gabriel Mann and Joan Allen |
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Downfall (“Der Untergang”)[2004] The film Downfall, directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel, tells the story of the last days of Adoff Hitler (played by Bruno Ganz) and the End of the Nazi Regime when first Germany and then Berlin was conquered by allied forces in 1945. |
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The Edukators
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Goodbye Lenin[2003] In 1989 the German Democratic Republic collapses, the Berlin Wall falls. The movie Goodbye Lenin tells the story of East-Berlin family Kerner (Daniel Brühl, Katrin Sass, Maria Simon) and how the family deals with the changes that come upon them. [Original Version, English subtitles] |
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Summer in Berlin (“Sommer vorm Balkon”) |
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Sun Alley (“Sonnenallee”)The movie is about the everyday life of two youngsters living close to the Berlin Wall in Sonnenallee, East-Berlin, shortly before the Berlin Wall came down. They live their lives in the shadow of the Berlin Wall – until one day everything changes. |
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Run Lola Run1998, German film title: “Lola rennt” |
Berlin Films from before the Fall of the Berlin Wall
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Linie 11988, directed by Reinhard Hauff Film version of the Legendary musical Linie 1. A Girl arrives in Berlin and tries to make her way to Kreuzberg, to meet a boy she is in love with. On her Kreuzberg taking the U-Bahn Linie 1 she meets all kinds of Berlin creatures. |
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Wings of Desire (“Himmel über Berlin”)1987, by Wim Wenders |
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Octopussy (James Bond 007)1983, directed by John Glen, starring Roger Moore as James Bond MI6 agent 007, Maud Adams as Octopussy, Louis Jourdan as Kamal Khan, Kristina Wayborn as Magda and many more |
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Christiane F. – We Children from Bahnhof Zoo1981, directed by Ulrich Edel |
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PossessionFrench-German horror drama 1981, directed by Andrzej Żuławski, starring Isabelle Adjani and Sam Neill, set mostly in Berlin-Kreuzberg |
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Just a Gigolo (“Schöner Gigolo, armer Gigolo”)1978, directed by David Hemmings, starring David Bowie, Sydne Rome, Kim Novak, Maria Schell, Curd Jürgens, Marlene Dietrich |
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Berlin Alexanderplatz (The Criterion Collection)1980, Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s controversial, fifteen-hour-plus Berlin Alexanderplatz, based on Alfred Döblin’s modernist novel |
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The Legend of Paul and PaulaGerman: Die Legende von Paul und Paula Details / DVD / stream at amazon.com (English subtitles) |
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Cabaret1972, directed by Bob Fosse, starring Liza Minnelli, Michael York and Joel Grey |
Die endlose Nacht (The Endless Night)1963, Will Tremper |
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One, Two, Three1961, The movie One, Two, Three, directed and produced by by Billy Wilder, is primarily set in West–Berlin during the Cold War era. The Berlin Wall is not built yet, but Germany and Berlin are already separated. Hilariously funny film about communism, capitalism, cold war and spiels in 1961 Berlin |
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Somewhere in Berlin (Irgendwo in Berlin)Berlin 1946, DEFA |
Berlin Movies from before 1945
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The Blue Angel (Kino Restored Edition, English subtitled)1930, directed by Josef von Sternberg and starring Emil Jannings, Marlene Dietrich and Kurt Gerron Stream / download / buy at amazon.com See also: |
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People on Sunday (German: Menschen am Sonntag)1930, faturing Annie Schreyer as Annie, directed by Curt and Robert Siodmak, screenplay by Billy Wilder People on Sunday is a 1930 German silent drama film. The film is mostly set in Berlin and tells the story of young model Annie who would rather stay at home than go to the lake with her friends. A sunday in Berlin. more details / DVD / buy at amazon.com See also: |
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Metropolis (The Complete Metropolis)1927, Fritz Lang See also: |
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Berlin: Symphony of a Metropolis1927, silent film, semi-documentary style |
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Menschen untereinander1926, Berlin-Drama by Gerhard Lamprecht |
to be added:
“Race” (2016)
“Meier Müller Schmidt” (2016) (https://www.facebook.com/meiermuellerschmidt/)
“The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2” (2015)
“Deutschland 83” (TV series, 2015)
“Jack” (2014)
“Das Adlon. Eine Familiensaga” (2013)
“Unknown” 2011
“Cycling the Frame” (Berlin, 2009, 60 Min.)
“Valkyrie” (2008)
“The Baader Meinhof Complex” (2008)
“Around the World in 80 Days” (2004)
“The Invisible Frame“ (1988, 25 Min.)
“The Spy Who Came in from the Cold” (1965)
“We Cellar Children” (originally “Wir Kellerkinder”) is a 1960
“Der zerrissene Vorhang”
See also:
- List of films set in Berlin at wikipedia.org
- interactive images of Berlin film sets vs. real world location
Know of any other Berlin Films, Movies, Documentaries? Please feel free to leave a comment if you think there’s something missing. Of course you may also leave a comment if think there’s nothing missing. Thank you!
Great list but you need to add Billy Wilder’s “A Foreign Affair” from 1948 starring Jean Arthur, Marlene Dietrich and John Lund set in post war Berlin (with location shots of the devastated city, the rest shot on studio sets).