German Cinema History

Birth of Friedrich Christian Anton "Fritz" Lang.

Emil and Max Skladanowsky demonstrate the Bioskop projector at the Wintergarten music hall.

Max and Emil Skladanowsky demonstrate the Bioskop projector at the Wintergarten music hall.

Begins making and exhibiting films in Berlin during the first years of German cinema.

Directs The Student of Prague, a landmark German silent fantasy film.

Directs Der Andere, an early German Autorenfilm.

Co-directs the first Golem film with Paul Wegener.

Directs Homunculus, a six-part science fiction serial.

Universum Film AG is founded, creating a major German studio structure.

Directs The Eyes of the Mummy Ma, starring Pola Negri.

Directs Different from the Others, an early film addressing homosexuality.

Directs the silent comedy The Oyster Princess.

Directs the silent film Die Frau mit den Orchideen.

Directs Madame Dubarry, released internationally as Passion.

Directs The Cabinet of Dr Caligari, a landmark of German Expressionist cinema.

Co-directs The Golem: How He Came into the World.

Co-directs and stars in The Golem: How He Came into the World.

Directs Der Januskopf, an unauthorized adaptation of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

Directs Der mude Tod, released in English as Destiny.

Directs Scherben, an influential Kammerspielfilm.

Writes the screenplay for Das indische Grabmal, directed by Joe May.

Directs Nosferatu, one of the central works of German silent horror.

Premiere of Dr Mabuse, der Spieler in Berlin.

Directs Phantom.

Directs Sylvester, known in English as New Year's Eve.

Directs Schatten - Eine nachtliche Halluzination.

Directs Michael for UFA in Germany.

Directs the expressionist anthology film Waxworks.

Directs Der letzte Mann, a landmark of moving-camera silent cinema.

Directs the two-part silent epic Die Nibelungen.

Directs Variete, released in English as Variety.

Directs Die freudlose Gasse, known in English as The Joyless Street.

Directs Secrets of a Soul, a film influenced by psychoanalysis.

Directs Faust, one of the last major German silent fantasy films.

Metropolis premieres in Berlin.

Directs Berlin: Symphony of a Great City.

Directs Spione, released in English as Spies.

Directs Pandora's Box starring Louise Brooks.

Directs Asphalt, a late silent film of the Weimar period.

Directs Diary of a Lost Girl starring Louise Brooks.

Directs Frau im Mond, an influential German science fiction film.

Co-directs People on Sunday, a key late-Weimar film.

Directs The Blue Angel, starring Marlene Dietrich and Emil Jannings.

Directs the film version of The Threepenny Opera.

Directs M, his first sound film.

Directs Kameradschaft, a drama about Franco-German mine rescue.

Directs Kuhle Wampe, a politically engaged Weimar film.

The Nazi regime bans The Testament of Dr Mabuse after its release is blocked.

Directs SOS Eisberg, a German adventure film shot in Greenland.

Leaves Germany after conflict with the Nazi film authorities.

Releases Triumph of the Will, a major Nazi propaganda film.

Directs Fury, his first American feature film.

Releases Olympia, her two-part documentary on the 1936 Olympic Games.

Birth of Volker Schlondorff.

Becomes a United States citizen after leaving Germany.

Directs Jud Suss, a notorious antisemitic Nazi propaganda film.

Directs the western film Western Union.

Directs Munchhausen, a prestige colour fantasy film made for UFA.

Directs The Woman in the Window.

Directs Ministry of Fear.

Directs Kolberg, one of the last major Nazi-era productions.

Directs Die Morder sind unter uns, one of the first post-war German films.

Directs Ehe im Schatten, an early post-war DEFA film.

Directs Affaire Blum, a DEFA film about antisemitism and justice.

Directs Rotation, examining German life under Nazism.

Directs Die Sunderin, a controversial West German melodrama starring Hildegard Knef.

Directs Clash by Night.

Directs The Blue Gardenia.

Directs Die Geschichte vom kleinen Muck for DEFA.

Directs Canaris, a West German film about Admiral Wilhelm Canaris.

Directs Moonfleet.

Directs Der Hauptmann von Kopenick.

Directs Beyond a Reasonable Doubt.

Directs Nachts, wenn der Teufel kam.

Directs Wir Wunderkinder, a satire of post-war West Germany.

Directs Rosen fur den Staatsanwalt.

Directs Die Brucke, known in English as The Bridge.

Directs Die tausend Augen des Dr Mabuse, his final film.

Directs Das Brot der fruhen Jahre.

Young filmmakers issue the Oberhausen Manifesto declaring the old cinema dead.

Directs Die Parallelstrasse, a key work linked to the Oberhausen generation.

Directs Abschied von gestern, a major New German Cinema film.

Directs Young Torless, an important New German Cinema debut.

Directs A Degree of Murder.

Directs Artists Under the Big Top: Perplexed.

Directs Katzelmacher.

Directs Love Is Colder Than Death.

Directs Michael Kohlhaas - Der Rebell.

Directs The American Soldier.

Directs The Merchant of Four Seasons.

Directs The Morals of Ruth Halbfass.

Directs The Sudden Wealth of the Poor People of Kombach.

Directs Aguirre, the Wrath of God.

Directs A Free Woman.

Directs Ali: Fear Eats the Soul.

Directs Alice in the Cities.

Directs The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser.

Co-directs The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum.

Co-directs The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum.

Directs Kings of the Road.

Death of Friedrich Christian Anton "Fritz" Lang.

Directs Stroszek.

Directs The American Friend.

Directs Bolwieser.

Directs Despair, adapted from Vladimir Nabokov.

Contributes to the omnibus film Germany in Autumn.

Directs Messer im Kopf, known in English as Knife in the Head.

Directs The Marriage of Maria Braun.

Directs Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht.

Directs The Tin Drum, winner of the Palme d'Or at Cannes.

The Tin Drum wins the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

Directs The Candidate.

Directs Lola.

Directs Circle of Deceit.

Directs Veronika Voss.

Directs Fitzcarraldo.

Directs The NeverEnding Story.

Paris, Texas wins the Palme d'Or at Cannes.

Directs Manner, an international breakthrough for West German comedy.

Directs the television film Death of a Salesman.

Directs Wings of Desire.

Directs Bagdad Cafe, released in Germany as Out of Rosenheim.

Coming Out premieres in East Berlin on the night the Berlin Wall falls.

Directs Das schreckliche Madchen.

Directs Schtonk!, a satire on the Hitler diaries scandal.

Directs Stalingrad.

Directs Faraway, So Close!, sequel to Wings of Desire.

Directs Beyond Silence.

Directs Comedian Harmonists.

Directs Run Lola Run, an international breakthrough for German cinema.

Directs Aimee and Jaguar.

Directs Das Experiment.

Directs Nowhere in Africa.

Directs Good Bye, Lenin!, a major post-reunification German film.

Directs Head-On, winner of the Golden Bear at Berlin.

Directs Downfall.

Receives the Bavarian Film Awards honorary award.

Directs The Lives of Others.

Directs Perfume: The Story of a Murderer.

Directs The Baader Meinhof Complex.

Directs The White Ribbon, a German-language drama set before the First World War.

Directs Soul Kitchen.

Receives the Camerimage Lifetime Achievement Award.

Directs Barbara.

Directs Oh Boy, later released internationally as A Coffee in Berlin.

Directs Phoenix.

Directs Victoria, noted for its single-take structure.

Directs Toni Erdmann.

Directs In the Fade.

Directs Never Look Away.

Directs System Crasher.

Directs Undine.

Directs I'm Your Man.

Directs the German film adaptation of All Quiet on the Western Front.