Film & Cinema in Berlin

Independent & arthouse films, cinema program with documentaries, open air cinema in summer in Berlin

Watching a movie in Berlin is not a passive affair. It is an attitude. This city has such a strong cinema culture that you never have to settle for a bad evening program here, as long as you know where to look. And that's exactly where we help. Berlin's cinema landscape is roughly divided into two camps: the large multiplexes, where blockbusters thunder in Dolby sound, and the arthouse cinemas, where cineastes are at home and the audience sometimes prefers to discuss the film rather than go home afterwards. The latter includes Babylon am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz in Mitte, a listed cinema building dating back to 1929, which offers film series, retrospectives and a program ranging from silent films to contemporary documentaries, including an original Philips organ for special screenings. If you want to immerse yourself in film history, the Arsenal, Institute for Film and Video Art, is the place to go: This arthouse cinema of the Freunde der Kinemathek regularly shows rarities, retrospectives and experimental films that you won't see anywhere else on the big screen anytime soon . For a more relaxed cinema evening with a neighborhood atmosphere, the Brotfabrik Kino in Pankow is worth a visit. As part of a cultural center, it regularly offers interesting film events and strikes just the right balance between approachability and curatorial standards. When it's warm enough outside, the whole city becomes a movie screen in Berlin anyway. From May to September, courtyards, parks and squares are transformed into open-air cinemas with a density that surprises even the most hardened movie lovers. The Freiluftkino Mitte in the courtyard of Haus Schwarzenberg near Hackesche Höfe is one such charming discovery: urban, somewhat hidden and with a program that shows blockbusters just as naturally as classics, and all under the open Berlin sky. The open-air cinema Hasenheide in Neukölln is also a summer institution with a pleasant atmosphere and a varied film program. The special thing about Berlin film events is that they rarely stop at just showing a movie. Panel discussions with directors, audience discussions, themed series and film festivals ensure that cinema here is more than just entertainment. It's a debate, an encounter and sometimes the best conversation starter for the rest of the evening. Take a look at our calendar of events, find your next cinema experience and buy your ticket before the evening starts without you.