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Logo of the UNESCO Creative City of Film Potsdam
© City of Potsdam

Potsdam is a film city, stage, and production location all in one. Between historical backdrops and modern sets, a unique urban experience emerges that changes perspectives and evokes precisely this feeling: This is just like in the movies.

What seems like a grand cinematic experience today began in 1911 in a small artificial flower hall in Babelsberg. From this place, a major industry developed. Studio Babelsberg The oldest film studio in the world and one of the most important production locations in Europe. To this day, international productions are created here, shaping the image of Potsdam as a film city.

Since 2019, Potsdam has held the title of UNESCO Creative City of Film. The award represents the connection between tradition and the present, between film history and the current creative economy.
© PMSG Frederic Köllisch

© PMSG Julia Nimke

© PMSG Julia Nimke

  • 1899

  • 1912

  • 1917

  • 1927

  • 1946

  • 1953

  • 1992

  • 2017

  • 2019

  • 2021

  • 2024

  • 2025

© PMSG Julia Nimke

© Press and Information Office of the Federal Government, Bergmann, Guido

Film history was made here: On the Glienicke Bridge Steven Spielberg filmed "Bridge of Spies" with Tom Hanks on the very spot where a spy swap captivated the world in 1962. For the filming, the bridge was painstakingly restored to its historical state – a rare glimpse into a time that otherwise exists only on screen.

A tiny selection from the long list of films and series shot at Studio Babelsberg:

  • Metropolis (1927)
    by Fritz Lang, with Brigitte Helm and Gustav Fröhlich among others

  • The Blue Angel (1929-30)
    by Josef von Sternberg, among others with Emil Jannings and Marlene Dietrich

  • The Legend of Paul and Paula (1973)
    by Heiner Carow, with Angelica Domröse and Winfried Glatzeder

  • Good Times, Bad Times (since 1992)
    with over 8.000 episodes!

  • Sonnenallee (1999)
    by Leander Haußmann, with Alexander Scheer and Alexander Beyer, among others

  • The Reader (2008)
    directed by Stephen Daldry, starring Kate Winslet and Ralph Fiennes

  • Inglourious Basterds (2009)
    by Quentin Tarantino, starring Brad Pitt and Christoph Waltz

  • Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
    by Wes Anderson, starring Ralph Fiennes and Tilda Swinton

  • Bridge of Spies (2015)
    directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Tom Hanks

  • SOKO Potsdam (since 2018)
    including Agnes Kiyomi Decker, Anja Pahl and Michael Lott

  • Matrix Resurrections (2021)
    by Lana Wachowski, starring Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss

  • The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2023)
    by Francis Lawrence, starring Tom Blyth and Rachel Zegler

  • Maxton Hall – The World Between Us (2024)
    by Martin Schreier and Tarek Roehlinger, with Damian Hardung and Harriet Herbig-Matten among others

  • Miss Sophie - Same Procedure as Every Year (2025)
    by Markus Sehr and Daniel Rakete Siegel, with Alicia von Rittberg and Moritz Bleibtreu, among others

  • Haveltod (2026)
    by Andy Fetscher, including GZSZ star Wolfgang Bahro

© PMSG Julia Nimke
Everything I know about filmmaking, I learned in Babelsberg.
Alfred Hitchcock
Pencil drawing of a director's chair with the inscription "Potsdam" on the backrest.

Since October 2019, Potsdam has held the UNESCO title of "Creative City of Film." Learn more about this distinction in our podcast playlist dedicated to Potsdam as a film city. Lisa Nawrocki, head of the Potsdam UNESCO Creative City of Film office, provides insights into the meaning and significance of this title. Actor Sebastian Stielke reveals which Potsdam invention is even used by NASA. Filmmakers offer exclusive glimpses into their work, and you'll discover why series like... Jerks, SOKO Potsdam or KLEO originate here. You'll also learn about exciting festivals like Sehsüchte, Green Visions or Jewcy Movies. know.

Potsdam is not only the setting for great film history, but also a stage for unique cinematic experiences. Whether it's open-air cinema under the stars, exclusive screenings followed by discussions, or exciting tours of original filming locations – film enthusiasts will find plenty to enjoy here. The following overview lists current dates and events that bring the film city of Potsdam to life.