Interview with Heleen Gerritsen, Artistic Director of the Deutsche Kinemathek
“A time when much was hanging in the balance”

The Berlinale Retrospective looks back on a decade full of upheaval, experimentation, and lost certainties. Heleen Gerritsen explains how the films of the 1990s reflect the change in political system — and why preserving film heritage is crucial for the future of the Deutsche Kinemathek.

By Ula Brunner

Heleen Gerritsen, this year's Berlinale Retrospective is dedicated to the 1990s. What makes this decade so exciting in terms of film history?
The 90s were a dramatic time, also for German film history. With reunification, many things were restructured, especially in the east: the DEFA studios, the documentary film studio, the animation film studio in Dresden – all these institutions were called into question. The people who worked there had to develop completely new ways of working. These political and social upheavals are reflected very directly in the films. That's exactly what makes this period so interesting. It was a time when many things were hanging in the balance.

Was the German perspective the starting point for the retrospective?
Not really. I was more interested in the fact that around 146 million people throughout the former “Eastern Bloc” experienced this systemic upheaval at the same time. But Berlin is the perfect place to host such a retrospective. The fall of the Wall sent shock waves around the world, and this is a great place to tell that story internationally.

Is that why there is also an international focus, both from an Eastern European perspective and with US independent and black cinema films?
Exactly. The retrospective is intended as a cinematic journey that begins in Berlin and extends east and west. After the end of the communist bloc, the prevailing view in many places was that market capitalism and democracy had finally triumphed. In the US, this seemed very cynical to many people, especially in Black communities. This gave rise to protest movements and the New Black Cinema – films by John Singleton and Spike Lee. This may not be a direct political connection, but it is a shared zeitgeist closely linked to music and subcultures such as hip-hop.

What criteria did you use to select the films?
One important criterion was actually the availability of material. It's often impossible to find copies of films from the 90s that are suitable for screening. We had to track down some films. Sunny Point, for example, Wolf Vogel's graduation film, is being digitally remastered by us. Such cases are typical of this turbulent period. At the same time, we wanted to combine new discoveries with iconic films that particularly well reflect the zeitgeist of the 90s – also for a younger audience, who are often unfamiliar with these works.

A significant part of the retrospective is Berlin itself—with a mix of contemporary documents such as Tom Tykwer's “Run Lola Run,” Andreas Dresen's graduation film, and Michael Stock's alternative film project with residents of the Kreuzberg Wagenburg.
Yes, a film like Michael Stock's Prinz in Höllenland (Prinz in Hell) shows a dropout milieu and subcultures that are becoming increasingly rare today. Due to ongoing gentrification, these free spaces are gradually disappearing – which makes it all the more important to keep them visible on film.

You are providing the Goethe-Institut with several Berlin films in 2026. Which ones are they?
Two collective documentaries, Berlin, Bahnhof Friedrichstraße 1990 and Im Glanze dieses Glückes (In the Splendour of Happiness), in which filmmakers from West and East jointly recount how the country is changing. Then there's Gorilla Baths at Noon, a rebellious feature film by Serbian director Dušan Makavejev. Lola und Bilidikid  (Lola and Billy the Kid) – our opening film and the first queer film set in the Turkish community here in Berlin – is also included. Plus Sunny Point and Run Lola Run. The Goethe-Institut already has the latter film in its program. 

Do you have a personal favorite?
Every film has its own qualities, but Sunny Point is a special rediscovery for me. The film uses the fall of the Berlin Wall early on as a central plot element and turns it into a comedy — long before Good Bye, Lenin! or Herr Lehmann. That was surprisingly bold for a graduation film.

An important part of your work at the Cinematheque is preserving Germany's film heritage. Only a very small part of Germany's film heritage has been digitized so far. How dramatic is the situation?
The situation is serious. Even the often-cited seven percent of Germany's film heritage that has already been digitized is a very optimistic estimate. At the same time, the film heritage funding program has been massively cut back. Digitization is complex, expensive, and often underestimated. Compared to production funding, we're talking about small sums here. There is an enormous backlog to catch up on.

How does Germany compare to other European countries?
It varies greatly. In Poland, for example, Andrzej Wajda's work has been completely digitized for years. In France, major studios such as Gaumont and Pathé are taking responsibility for their catalogs. In Germany, this awareness is often lacking, presumably for financial reasons.

The German Film Archive is housed in the E-Werk for ten years until a permanent location is found. The new exhibition opened in mid-January, in a much smaller space than before. How was it received?
Very positively. We had over 6,000 visitors on the opening weekend. Many appreciate the new approach of working more with projections and moving images. We are in temporary quarters here. The exhibition is an experiment – how to tell film history with limited space.

You have been the artistic director of the Kinemathek since June 2025. What are the biggest challenges facing the institution at the moment?
On the one hand, digitization and long-term digital archiving. The amount of data is growing all the time, and there are no definitive solutions for this yet. On the other hand, the transformation from a traditional exhibition venue to a lively event location. We don't want to be just an archive, but a place for contemporary film culture, premieres, and exchange with the industry.

What is particularly important to you for the future of the Kinemathek?
Definitely permanent accommodation. Berlin is a city with a unique film history – from the Weimar Republic to the Nazi era and the GDR to reunification. It is difficult to understand why this European capital no longer has its own film museum. The demand is there. Now we need planning security and political will.