Deutsche Kinemathek

Move from Filmhaus to E-Werk on Mauerstraße

The Deutsche Kinemathek began its work in February 1963, with director Gerhard Lamprecht as its founding director. The state of Berlin acquired his collection of films, documents, and equipment and transferred it to the new institution. His catalog “Deutsche Stummfilme” became a standard work, and the institution has curated the Berlinale retrospectives since 1977. However, the biggest change in its history occurred only a few years ago. The permanent exhibition in the Filmhaus at Potsdamer Platz, for 24 years the institution’s biggest draw with over two million visitors, permanently closed at the end of October 2024. In January 2025, the Kinemathek moved to the E-Werk at Mauerstraße 79 in Mitte, a former substation with approximately 4,000 square meters of usable space, a large ground-floor hall, and a former switchgear hall. Since January 23, 2026, the Kinemathek has once again been welcoming the public there. Important to know: The E-Werk is explicitly a temporary quarter until a planned new film house is completed.

Marlene Dietrich’s Estate and 80,000 Film Titles in the Archive

The superlative of this institution lies in its archives. In 1993, the Kinemathek acquired the estate of Marlene Dietrich, which documents her biography almost completely: approximately 300,000 sheets of paper, including 45,000 sheets of correspondence, 16,500 photographs from 1904 to 1992, 3,300 textile objects from the 1920s to the 1990s, 2,500 sound documents, 350 posters, drawings, and paintings, as well as a library with 1,800 titles, 355 of which are inscribed copies. Additionally, there are jewelry, accessories, and luggage. The remaining collection is similarly impressive: audiovisual material for almost 80,000 film titles, a library with over 95,000 works, a distribution catalog with approximately 22,000 titles, over 600 personal archives, and a television media library with more than 13,000 broadcasts. The correspondence of the Paul Kohner Agency, acquired in 1988, comprises over 160,000 sheets and is one of the world’s most important exile collections. The library and archives are again accessible at the E-Werk, and the institution uses the large hall and the switchgear hall for pop-up formats and a workshop cinema; group bookings are limited until further notice. The film distribution continues to operate, and established series like Filmspotting, Fernsehsalon, and Film Restored are also running.