"A cozy Hollywood," was the way a German magazine described Potsdam a few years ago. Because of its strong movie industry, the city right outside Berlin had already earned the title of "Film City" in Germany, but now its reputation is officially international, as Potsdam has been selected as one of the new UNESCO Creative Cities of Film.

Join the club

There are now 17 cities worldwide recognized by the UNESCO title. Spain's Valladolid, Mumbai in India, Wellington in New Zealand and the German city of Potsdam were only recently added to what was a group of 13 UNESCO film cities.

The UN cultural organization's designation underscores the special creative forces that have long been active in Potsdam when it comes to film, cinema and TV. At the same time, the UNESCO title is intended to encourage cities to continue their commitment and to promote and expand existing institutions.

UNESCO awarded the title to Potsdam because the city is home to a famous history museum, a film academy and many creative people who work in film — but undoubtedly thanks its historical Babelsberg Studio.

Potsdam selected as Germany's first UNESCO Creative City of Film Potsdam, Germany Renowned for its Babelsberg Film Studio (photo), Potsdam is now Germany's first and so far only member of the UNESCO Creative Cities of Film. You'll also find there a movie-based theme park, the country's oldest and largest film school, and the film funding body Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg. Mumbai in India, Valladolid in Spain and Wellington in New Zealand also became new members this year.

Potsdam selected as Germany's first UNESCO Creative City of Film Lodz, Poland Roman Polanski, Andrzej Wajda, Krzysztof Kieslowski: They all studied at the Lodz Film Academy. The city is also home to the Feature Film Studio, which was long Poland's largest film studio. Hundreds of cultural events take place in Lodz every year, and the National Center for Film Culture, with its focus on audiovisual culture and cinema history, is scheduled to open in the city in 2020.

Potsdam selected as Germany's first UNESCO Creative City of Film Bitola, Macedonia Bitola's cinematic history goes back to two brothers who made the first films in the Balkans and the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century — and opened a photo studio in Bitola. In recognition of their pioneering work, the northern Macedonian town has held the Manaki Brothers Film Festival every year since 1979, with a special focus on documentary film.

Potsdam selected as Germany's first UNESCO Creative City of Film Sofia, Bulgaria The Sofia International Film Festival (Sofia IFF) has for years been the most important film festival in the Balkans. Sofia is also home to Bulgaria's largest film academy (NAFTA), popular for its in-depth exchange with foreign universities and for organizing international student film festivals. Bulgaria's considerable film history is presented at the city's National Film Archive.

Potsdam selected as Germany's first UNESCO Creative City of Film Rome, Italy The Rome Film Festival, one of the most popular film festivals in the world, has been held in the Italian capital every October since 2006. Film culture there goes back to the early 20th century. The photo shows Italian director Roberto Rossellini filming in the 1950s. His 1944 "Rome, Open City" is regarded as a milestone in Italian neorealistic film.

Potsdam selected as Germany's first UNESCO Creative City of Film Terrassa, Spain Terrassa, an industrial city in Spain's Barcelona province, made a name for itself early on in the film industry, going all the way back to 1887, when the first films were shown there. The film industry plays an important role to this very day. After renovation in the early 2000s, the Catalan Film Archive today commemorates the art of filmmaking and 100 years of regional film history.

Potsdam selected as Germany's first UNESCO Creative City of Film Bristol, Britain Bristol is the birthplace of film pioneer Willam Friese-Greene, who applied for a patent for a camera in 1889 that allowed him to snap 10 frames per second on paper film. To this day, the film industry plays a central role in Bristol, both culturally and commercially. The city hosts 11 international film festivals every year, including the Bristol Film Festival.

Potsdam selected as Germany's first UNESCO Creative City of Film Bradford, Britain Bradford is a popular location for film and TV productions. Both amateurs and professionals in the film business like to settle there, not least because the industrial city avidly promotes filming. Filmmaking has a long tradition — even primary school children take classes. Every year, the Bradford International Film Festival attracts an international audience.

Potsdam selected as Germany's first UNESCO Creative City of Film Galway, Ireland Along with Rijeka in Croatia, Galway is the European Capital of Culture in 2020. Generations of musicians, writers and artists came here to draw inspiration from the countryside, rich culture and multilingual history. In recent decades, Galway's film and television industry has also developed into an emerging industry.

Potsdam selected as Germany's first UNESCO Creative City of Film Qingdao, China Qingdao is considered to be the cradle of Chinese film. Films were made here as early as 1900. A gigantic film city opened in 2018. Chinese billionaire Wang Jianlin and his Wanda Group invested €6.5 billion ($7.3 billion) in the Qingdao Movie Metropolis studio complex in 2014. The area, which houses 30 ultra-modern studios, is the size of 500 soccer pitches.

Potsdam selected as Germany's first UNESCO Creative City of Film Yamagata, Japan The capital of the prefecture of the same name, located in central Japan, hosts the most important documentary film festival in Asia. Due to its geographical diversity, Yamagata is a popular location for film productions. This is where Japanese hit movies were filmed, including the TV drama "Oshin" (photo above) and "Departures," which won an Oscar in 2009.

Potsdam selected as Germany's first UNESCO Creative City of Film Busan, South Korea Busan was the first city in South Korea to show films. The picturesque region with its mountains, rivers and the Japanese Sea is a popular film backdrop. Today the city is the creative center of Asian film industry. Founded in 1996, the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) is the largest film festival in Asia. Busan is the second largest city in South Korea after the capital, Seoul.

Potsdam selected as Germany's first UNESCO Creative City of Film Sydney, Australia Whether underwater, in the mountains or on breathtakingly beautiful beaches: Sydney offers a colorful mixture of fascinating locations. The city that has about five million inhabitants is Australia's hub for film and TV productions. Almost 60% of Australian film production workers live in Sydney. Stars like Hugh Jackman and Cate Blanchett started their careers there.

Potsdam selected as Germany's first UNESCO Creative City of Film Santos, Brazil The first film club in Brazil opened in the mid-1920s in the Brazilian port city of Santos. Since then, the city has continuously developed the film sector into an important motor for the local economy. The Santos Film Festival started in 2002 and is now one of the country's biggest film festival magnets. All events, including film screenings and workshops, are free of charge. Author: Paula Rösler (db)



First silent movie in 1912

The studios in the suburbs of Potsdam are steeped in tradition. According to film historians, they are the oldest in the world.

The so-called "glass studio" was built in 1899. Other buildings followed after 1911, and the first silent movie was shot in 1912. The Ufa film production company soon became the studios' best client. Many movies were shot there over the decades, in particular during the era of the Weimar Republic — films that were to go down in cinematic history.

In the late 1920s, The Blue Angel, starring Marlene Dietrich and Emil Jannings, gave the Babelsberg studios and German cinema a huge boost.

Then the Nazis came to power in 1933 and turned German film into an entertainment and propaganda machine.

Marlene Dietrich plays cabaret singer Lola Lola in the 1930 "The Blue Angel"

The significance of The Blue Angel for German cinema history and also for Potsdam/Babelsberg cannot be overestimated, Edgar Rai told DW. "It was the first international sound film hit for Ufa and Babelsberg, and clearly opened the doors for German sound film all over the world," the writer said.

German cinema and the Babelsberg studios were one of the big players of the international film industry at the time. For a long time, they were on a par with Hollywood, according to Rai. For at least 10 years, throughout the entire Weimar Republic (1918-1933), Germany was present on screens with silent films.

The Blue Angel to the rescue

The Germans were slow to react to the transition from silent to sound films, Rai said. People wanted to watch and hear sound films, which meant "German silent movies were no longer exportable."

Author Edgar Rai

Back then, Ufa president Alfred Hugenberg decided to have new studios built to make up for lost ground, along with a costly film project. "It was to be a major film that could be marketed internationally," said Rai, adding that the studio had to shoot a German and an English version of The Blue Angel because back then, they couldn't synchronize film.

The Blue Angel was shot at the Babelsberg Tonkreuz, the heart of the Babelsberg studios. "Tonkreuz is still in operation today," said Rai. "It was the world's most modern sound film studio, four studios laid out crosswise and connected with one another via a control station in the center to access all four studios at the same time."

Babelsberg studios in high demand

Back then, the studio installed completely new technology. "The old lamps were too loud for sound, then the new lamps were too hot, so the air conditioning had to be revamped and the studios were absolutely soundproofed," Rai said, marveling that they are still in use today, 90 years later.

The oldest large-scale film studio in the world: Babelsberg The birth of a film studio While independent US producers were already establishing their studios in Hollywood, German filmmakers were shooting in the center of Berlin. Because the hot spotlights kept triggering fire alarms, they were asked to find a more remote location. Film pioneer Guido Seeber picked new premises in Potsdam-Babelsberg, at the southwest outskirts of Berlin, where a first studio was built in 1911.

The oldest large-scale film studio in the world: Babelsberg First film: 'The Dance of the Dead' Within just three months, the company Bioscop built a 300 square-meter (about 3,250 square foot) film studio, called the Small Glasshouse. The first production wouldn't wait: The Danish silent movie "The Dance of the Dead," starring Asta Nielsen, was filmed there in February 1912. A year later, a second studio and a film lab were built on the site.

The oldest large-scale film studio in the world: Babelsberg Pioneers of technology In 1922, the German film production company UFA joined in. New techniques were developed: Wilhelm Murnau used a moving camera for the first time in the film "The Last Laugh" (starring Emil Jannings, pictured here). Hollywood directors came to Babelsberg to learn the newest tricks of the trade. Hitchcock would even later say, "Everything I had to know about filmmaking I learned in Babelsberg."

The oldest large-scale film studio in the world: Babelsberg Film classic: 'Metropolis' Fritz Lang spent two years working in Babelsberg on his visionary sci-fi epic "Metropolis" (1927), a masterpiece of silent cinema. With production costs estimated at five million Reichsmarks, it was at the time the most expensive film ever made. The futuristic urban dystopia would establish itself as one of the most influential movies of all times.

The oldest large-scale film studio in the world: Babelsberg Marlene Dietrich, the film icon Many stars launched their international careers in Babelsberg, but Germany's most successful film export was without a doubt Marlene Dietrich. The 29-year-old actress had her big break in 1930 with Joseph Sternberg's classic, "The Blue Angel," filmed in both an English and a German version. It was Germany's first major sound film, produced in the brand new studio, Tonkreuz.

The oldest large-scale film studio in the world: Babelsberg The propaganda machine After the Nazis seized power, all Babelsberg productions were under state control. About 1,000 films were produced from 1933 to 1945 under the direction of Hitler's propaganda Minister, Joseph Goebbels. Virulent propaganda films were among the lot, such as Veit Harlan's anti-Semitic "Jud Süss" (The Jew Süss) or Leni Riefenstahl's "Triumph of the Will," chronicling the 1934 Nazi Party Congress.

The oldest large-scale film studio in the world: Babelsberg Rubble films The first post-war German film was Wolfgang Staudte's "Die Mörder sind unter uns," (1946) known as "Murderers Among Us" in its US version. The film, which launched Hildegard Knef's career, is a reflection on personal guilt and responsibility under Nazi rule. The film was shot in the ruins of Berlin. Critics abroad thought the rubble scenery was a particularly well-built film set.

The oldest large-scale film studio in the world: Babelsberg Socialist realism The Babelsberg Studios were in the Soviet zone of occupation. The state-owned film company DEFA started filming there in 1947, producing over 700 feature films throughout the history of East Germany. Among the socialist propaganda works, some gained international acclaim, such as Frank Beyer's "Naked Among Wolves" (1963) with Armin Müller-Stahl impersonating a concentration camp inmate.

The oldest large-scale film studio in the world: Babelsberg After the fall of the Wall In 1989, DEFA was acquired by the trust which was responsible for privatizing East German state enterprises. The studios were then sold to the French company Vivendi Universal in 1992, which further invested around 500 million euros (about $550 million) in renovation. This typical Berlin street is a film set built for the comedy about East Berlin in the 1970s, "Sonnenallee."

The oldest large-scale film studio in the world: Babelsberg Polanski's 'The Pianist' Film producers Carl Woebken and Christoph Fisser bought the company in 2004. With 25,000 square meters of space and 16 studios, Babelsberg is Europe's largest film studio complex. Roman Polanski filmed the World War II drama "The Pianist" here in 2002, with Adrien Brody in the lead role.

The oldest large-scale film studio in the world: Babelsberg Hollywood in Babelsberg Many Americans are now filming in Babelsberg. These international productions bring a touch of Hollywood glamour to Potsdam. British actress Kate Winslet was here in 2007 for the film "The Reader," the story of a teenager who has an affair with an older woman, and learns years later that she worked as a guard in a concentration camp.

The oldest large-scale film studio in the world: Babelsberg 'Inglourious Basterds' Quentin Tarantino, the director of cult films "Pulp Fiction" and "Kill Bill" also came to Babelsberg in 2009. The black comedy "Inglourious Basterds" depicts a fictional failed attempt to assassinate Nazi leadership during World War II. It starred, among others, Brad Pitt (pictured) and Christopher Waltz.

The oldest large-scale film studio in the world: Babelsberg 'The Hunger Games' Over 2,000 extras were needed and gigantic film sets were built for the fourth and third part of the global hit series, "The Hunger Games," filmed in Potsdam and Berlin. Pictured here: Jennifer Lawrence, who portrayed Katniss Everdeen. Berliners might be used to seeing film crews in their City, but they still love to catch a glimpse of their favorite Hollywood stars.

The oldest large-scale film studio in the world: Babelsberg 'Homeland' A part of the US television series "Homeland" was filmed in Germany. In the fifth season, agent Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes) moves from Kabul to Berlin and works for Germany's intelligence agency. The production's base was not the Federal Intelligence Service's huge offices, but rather the Babelsberg Film Studios — the oldest large-scale film studio complex in the world. Author: Suzanne Cords / eg



The production of The Blue Angel was only possible within a very short and specific time frame. Shortly after it was shot, "the Nazis had secured access to Ufa" and its management would not have allowed such an innovative film. And before that, according to Rai, "it couldn't have worked either, because the technology didn't exist."

International fame for Marlene Dietrich

The rest is film history. The Blue Angel became a worldwide success. Marlene Dietrich and director Josef von Sternberg moved to Hollywood, where they were a dream team. Dietrich became the biggest film star from Germany, partly also because The Blue Angel filmed in Babelsberg paved the way.

The studios are still used today by German directors and producers as well as by international stars like Quentin Tarantino, Steven Spielberg, Wes Anderson and Roman Polanski. The US TV series Homeland was filmed at the Babelsberg studios. The fact that the historical location continues to attract cinema's greats certainly contributed to UNESCO's decision as well.