Weimar celebrates silent films: a journey into cinema history!

Weimar celebrates silent films: a journey into cinema history!

From August 25th to September 5th, 2025, Weimar is hosting the VII Weimar Silent Film Retrospective under the motto “Against the Bluff!”. The focus is on the cinema year 1925, a year in which around two million people in Germany visited one of the over 3,600 cinemas every day. The Weimar cinemas “Held Licht-spiele” and “Lichtspiele vorm. Th. Scherff” offered cultural participation and entertainment at the time, which further underlines the relevance of this retrospective. The event will take place in the venues Lichthaus Kino and Musikgymnasium Schloss Belvedere, with a varied program ranging from historical newsreels to film discussions, complemented by live dubbing of each film.

A total of 429 feature and short films will be presented as part of this retrospective, over half of which are international productions. Particularly noteworthy are 13 films that are considered “highlights” of the cinema year 1925. The highlights include lectures and film accompaniments by silent film musicians, which will offer visitors a unique experience. Individual film screenings will be accompanied by notable musicians, including Richard Siedhoff and Thomas Grysko, and on September 5th, the Thuringia Philharmonic Gotha-Eisenach under the direction of Robert Israel will set the silent film “Verflixte Gastfreundschaft” (USA 1923) to music.

Diverse accompanying program

Special events include two lectures on August 27th. Prof. Dr. Heide Schlüpmann and Karola Gramann will shed light on Asta Nielsen and gender relations in film, while Andreas Thein will speak about the missing action star Harry Piel on September 2nd. These lectures offer valuable insights into film history and its social context during the Weimar Republic, a time in which Universum-Film AG (UFA) in Potsdam-Babelsberg played a central role. UFA was the second largest film empire in the world in the 1920s and 1930s, producing more films than all other European countries combined. It was a production facility, distribution organization and cinema at the same time.

The retrospective will include a total of 12 film screenings, starting with a program presentation on August 25th. Films include “The Call of the Mountains/Children’s Faces” and “To the Top of the World.” Children's and youth programs such as “Grandmother's Boy” (USA 1922) are also part of the offering. On August 30th, this film will be shown specifically for a younger audience, further promoting cultural participation.

supporters and organizers

The event is supported by a variety of institutions, including the Bauhaus University Weimar, the University Library, the Weimar City Archives and the Weimar Art Festival. In order to implement the project, funding from the Thuringian State Chancellery, the Sparkasse Mittelthüringen and the Thuringian State Center for Political Education was essential. The project team consists of experts such as Dr. Simon Frisch, Gerrit Heber, Dirk Heinje and other experts.

For everyone who has an interest in the film history of the Weimar Republic, the retrospective is an opportunity to experience timeless classics in a unique atmosphere. Further information and ticket orders are available online, so cinema enthusiasts can look forward to an exciting look back at the beginnings of cinema.