Information for research
The Film Archive focuses in particular on:
- Film material from the early days of cinema dating back to 1895
- Films from the period 1930 to 1945
- Cinema newsreels after 1945
- Films from the GDR
- Productions commissioned by the federal authorities
- Films funded by the Federal Republic of Germany
The collection of film-related materials includes distribution catalogues, programmes, photos, posters, scripts, censorship and approval documentation.
The Film Archive’s holdings can be searched online in the Federal Archives’ Digital Reading Room. A selection of film titles is also available for streaming. Reservations can be made to view films at the Film Archive in Berlin-Lichterfelde.
You can also commission private research services at your own expense. A selection of possible services can be found here: German Researchers and Archive Producers.
On-site viewing
Access to the viewing rooms of the Film Archive in Berlin-Lichterfelde is by appointment only. Please email filmbenutzung@bundesarchiv.de for further details and to make an appointment for supervised individual viewings. The rooms are equipped for viewing films in a range of analogue and digital formats, such as 16mm and 35mm material as well as DVD and VHS.
Film hire for exhibition and screening
Please contact the Film Access Team if you would like to hire out films for a screening or for external viewing. At the platform Digitaler Lesesaal you can explore the film holdings of the Federal Archives and place an order via the contact form.
Please also read our information for cinema operators (PDF, 110 KB, File does not meet accessibility standards).
Clippings
If you are interested in using clips for your project, there are two possibilities:
- Viewing on site and clipping on analogue material;
- Determination of required clips after receiving viewing material with time codes (if these are already available).
Subsequently, the analogue materials are sent to an external service provider of your choice. Please note that you must commission the digitisation yourself. Please clarify all technical questions with the external service provider (lab).
In principle, online publication of the film excerpts can be approved if the following technical requirements are met:
- no integration into other social media if not approved by separate application
- complete reference to the source, i.e. mentioning the signature of the Federal Archives.
Please follow this example:
Die Deutsche Wochenschau No. 544 7/1941, source: Bundesarchiv, Bestand Film: K-133736.
For more information and research options, please go to our German website.