“'Heimat' is not a place. 'Heimat' is a state of being.” But what kind of state is that? The relationship between German cinema and 'Heimat' (home) remains complicated.
'Heimat' Is What Hurts Me
What does the German word 'Heimat' (home) mean? Identity and grounding, familiarity, longing - or confinement and provincialism? German filmmakers have repeatedly offered different answers to this question. From Schwarzwaldmädel (1950) to Mascha Schilinski’s Oscar contender In die Sonne schauen (2025), their works reflect desires, sensibilities, and traumas. Herbert Achternbusch, a key figure in the 'New Heimat' genre, once said: “'Heimat' (home) is what hurts me.” For director and author Doris Dörrie (Cherry Blossoms – Hanami, 2014), it is “something you carry with you, no matter where you go,” while the highly acclaimed Wim Wenders (Wings of Desire, 1987) believes: “Heimat is not a place. Heimat is a state of being.” But what kind of state is that? The relationship between German cinema and Heimat remains a complicated one.It wasn’t always this way: simple, entertaining nature dramas featuring dashing hunters, rebellious farmers’ daughters, and unscrupulous poachers — quarreling their way toward a happy ending against the backdrop of majestic Alpine scenery — were already drawing large audiences during the late Imperial era around 1910, including the film adaptations of Ludwig Ganghofer’s Heimat novels. With E. A. Dupont’s silent‑film love drama Die Geierwally (1921) and Luis Trenker’s remake Der Jäger von Fall (1936), the precursor to the genre reached its first peak under the label of the “mountain film.”
What began as a romanticized celebration of cozy village life degenerated during the Nazi dictatorship into so‑called “folk” or “blood‑and‑soil” films. Rural dramas such as Das Leben ruft (1944) glorified völkisch ideology and ethnic rootedness, emphasizing German tradition, agrarian life, nature, and the notion of Heimat. The fact that this type of film held no interest outside the Third Reich offered little consolation.
Fun Facts, Music Trivia & Awards
- Schwarzwaldmädel (1950) was the first German color film after the war. Schwarzwaldmädel, part 2: The title song became so popular that in the 1950s it was considered the unofficial anthem of Black Forest tourism.
- Schwarzwaldmädel, part 3: The “film songs” were released simultaneously on vinyl and sold in the hundreds of thousands — an early example of cross‑marketing between cinema and the music industry.
- Green Is the Heath (1951, dir. Hans Deppe) — The title song, composed by Walter Müller, became the biggest German Schlager hit of the early 1950s.
- The Fisherwoman from Lake Constance (1956) was produced in three language versions (German, French, English) to appeal to international markets.
- Heimat – A German Chronicle (1984, Edgar Reitz) received, among others, the Golden Lion of Film Critics in Venice. Although conceived as a TV series, it was also shown in cinemas and is considered one of the most important German contributions to film history.
- Heimat, part 2: Edgar Reitz commissioned an orchestra to record pieces in the style of the 1930s to create the illusion of a “lost sound world.”
- Landrauschen won the Max Ophüls Prize in 2018.
- Soul Kitchen received the Special Jury Prize in Venice in 2009.
- Almanya – Welcome to Germany (2011, Yasemin Şamdereli) won the German Film Award for Best Screenplay and is regarded as a “migration‑Heimat film” that expanded the genre through the perspective of guest‑worker families.
- Heimat Is a Space in Time won the Caligari Film Prize at the Berlinale and the German Film Critics’ Award.
- Home from Home – Chronicle of a Vision (2013, dir. Edgar Reitz) required an entire Hunsrück village to be meticulously transformed back into the 19th century for filming.
- Mittagsstunde was produced in two language versions (standard German and Frisian/Low German). The music was also slightly adapted in each version to emphasize regional character (the Frisian version includes local folk songs).
- In die Sonne schauen is Germany’s official Oscar submission for 2025.
Between Ruins and Cinematic Idyll
After 1945, this began to change as filmmakers confronted the aftermath of the Nazi dictatorship. Dramas such as Wolfgang Staudte’s The Murderers Are Among Us (1946), the first German feature film after World War II, examined guilt and the struggle of reckoning with the past. One of the film's stars, Hildegard Knef (The Sinner, 1951), went on to build a career in the United States in the 1950s. The so‑called “rubble films” depicted the consequences of the war with unflinching honesty: destroyed cities, moral erosion, and returning soldiers with no home to return to. Over the course of his career, director Wolfgang Staudte (Roses for the Prosecutor, 1959) repeatedly clashed with political authorities and censorship boards in both West and East Germany. “I wanted to show that guilt doesn’t end when the war ends,” he said of his motivation.This stance positioned Staudte as a counterforce to the Heimatfilm, which became a mass phenomenon in the 1950s. While everything stood in ruins outside, cinemas were celebrating idyllic worlds in lush Gevacolor with films like Green Is the Heath (1951). “I always made the films the audience wanted to see,” said Ilse Kubaschewski, one of the most successful producers and distributors in West German cinema, responsible for hits such as The Forester of the Silver Wood (1954). And what did her audience want? Escapism, unbombed landscapes, a break from their own reality. The conflicts of the postwar era were hidden, romanticized, or softened. Reckoning with the past? Nowhere to be found. Heimat constitutes a space of longing. Unsurprisingly, this brand of sentimental kitsch made in Germany attracted little interest outside the German‑speaking world. One exception: The Trapp Family (1956), also produced by Kubaschewski. Its universal generational story inspired the U.S. classic The Sound of Music (1965).
"Amrum" (directed by Fatih Akın, 2025) – In 1945, a boy faces war’s end, family secrets, and the loss of innocence on a remote German island. | © Kino Lorber
Romy Schneider and Karlheinz Böhm in "Sissi" by Ernst Marischka (1955). The film made Romy Schneider an icon and became one of the clearest cinematic expressions of postwar escapism, less a genre than a cultural coping mechanism in the ruins of a shattered nation. | © Erma-Film
“Heimat – A German Chronicle” (1981/84) Still image from the first part of Edgar Reitz’s trilogy. The chronicle of the fictional Hunsrück village of Schabbach and its inhabitants from 1919 to the year 2000 comprises a total of 30 films with a running time of more than 56 hours, making it one of the longest cinematic projects in film history. | © Edgar Reitz
"Heart of Glass" (directed by Werner Herzog, 1976) – A mystical tale about a Bavarian village and its secrets. | © Werner Herzog Filmproduktion
"Grave Decisions" (directed by Marcus H. Rosenmüller (2006) – Young Sebastian tries to outwit death and find answers. | © Roxy Film
"Soul Kitchen" (directed by Fatih Akın, 2009) – A story about belonging, family, and the struggle to keep a home. | © Corazón International
"Almanya – Willkommen in Deutschland" (directed by Yasemin Şamdereli, 2011) – The family embarks on a journey back to their roots. | © Roxy Film Christian Hartmann
"Heimat Is a Space in Time" (directed by Thomas Heise, 2019) – A cinematic journey through family history and memory. | © Ma.ja.de.Filmproduktions GmbH
Heimat is Memory, and Memory Is Never Harmless
As society grew increasingly politicized, the veneer of the cinematic idyll started to fracture. By the 1970s, the feel‑good bubble had burst for good. Filmmakers now wanted to look into the abyss. The “New Heimat Film,” shaped by directors such as Herbert Achternbusch (Das Andechser Gefühl, 1974), Werner Herzog (Heart of Glass, 1976), and Volker Schlöndorff (The Sudden Wealth of the Poor People of Kombach, 1971), exposed hypocrisy and the stifling atmosphere of village life, revealing violence, loneliness, and despair. Directors like Ula Stöckl (The Cat Has Nine Lives, 1968) and Helma Sanders‑Brahms (Shirin’s Wedding, 1976) opened up perspectives on intimate, often contradictory experiences. In the 1980s, auteur filmmaker Edgar Reitz continued this de‑romanticization with his Heimat cycle (1984–2004), earning international acclaim. “Heimat is memory, and memory is never harmless,” he said.An equally ambivalent image of Heimat is drawn today by filmmakers who deconstruct the term from queer, migrant, or feminist perspectives, and reassemble it anew. One example is German‑Turkish director Fatih Akın (Head‑On, 2004) from Hamburg‑Altona, whose gritty urban dramas explore the tensions between cultures, migration, rootedness, and uprooting. “In a way, I’ve always made Heimat films,” he says. Mascha Schilinski describes her Oscar contender In die Sonne schauen (2025) by saying: “I was interested in how Heimat can mean not only safety and comfort, but also confinement and conflict.”
And sometimes Heimat simply means returning home - as in the final scene of Fatih Akın's recent film Amrum (2025). There, the recently deceased filmmaker Hark Bohm, whose childhood inspired the drama, stands on the beach of Süddorf and smiles a quiet, peaceful at‑home smile. Sometimes it’s that simple, and yet so complicated.
Historical Development
Early Heimat Narratives:
Even in the silent‑film era, rural idylls, mountains, and tradition provided cinematic material. Die Geierwally (1921, E. A. Dupont) and Luis Trenker’s Der Jäger von Fall (1936) established the visual language of the so‑called mountain film.
Nazi Era (1933-45):
Heimat films served the “blood‑and‑soil” ideology. The Golden City (1942, Veit Harlan) and Wunschkonzert (1940, Eduard von Borsody) used landscape and music as propaganda tools - works that today require critical contextualization.
Postwar period (FRG/GDR):
- FRG: Heimat films such as Schwarzwaldmädel (1950, Hans Deppe) and Green Is the Heath (1951) were box‑office hits of the reconstruction era - escapism and idyllic imagery after war and destruction.
- GDR: DEFA used Heimat and music for socialist storytelling, as in My Wife Makes Music (1958). Fairy‑tale films like The Singing, Ringing Tree (1957) also catered to the desire for Heimat imagery.
1970s-1990s – Deconstruction:
Edgar Reitz’s monumental TV epic Heimat (from 1984 onward) broke with kitsch and portrayed German history as a family saga. Joseph Vilsmaier linked Heimat with tragedy (Herbstmilch, 1989; Brother of Sleep, 1995). Hark Bohm’s youth drama North Sea Is Dead Sea (1976) made headlines and sparked FSK debates “because it shows reality” (Süddeutsche Zeitung). The “New Heimat Film,” including works by Herbert Achternbusch (Das Andechser Gefühl, 1974), Werner Herzog (Heart of Glass, 1976), and Volker Schlöndorff (The Sudden Wealth of the Poor People of Kombach, 1971), depicted Heimat as something threatening. Female directors such as Ula Stöckl (The Cat Has Nine Lives, 1968) and Helma Sanders‑Brahms (Shirin’s Wedding, 1976) portrayed a contradictory Heimat.
2000s to Today – Neo‑Heimat Film:
Heimat becomes diverse, urban, and critically examined:
Hierankl (2003, Hans Steinbichler) - a renewed inquiry into the concept of Heimat.
Grave Decisions (2006, Marcus H. Rosenmüller) - a dialect comedy with Heimat themes. Soul Kitchen (2009, Fatih Akın) - urban Heimat in migrant Hamburg.
Almanya – Welcome to Germany (2011, Yasemin Şamdereli) - belonging and transcultural Heimat.
Home from Home (2013, Edgar Reitz) - a look into the 19th century and migration to South America.
Sommerhäuser (2017, Sonja Kröner) - a generational portrait in a summer idyll.
Landrauschen (2018, Lisa Miller) - a queer Heimat film, award‑winning in Saarbrücken.
Heimat Is a Space in Time (2019, Thomas Heise) - an essayistic documentary, Heimat as family and historical narrative.
When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit (2019, Caroline Link) - literary adaptation about losing Heimat in exile; showing Heimat as something that can be lost and sought anew. Mittagsstunde (2022, Lars Jessen) - based on Dörte Hansen’s novel, a Neo‑Heimat film and a successful example of the genre’s renaissance.
Amrum (2025, Fatih Akın) - a Neo‑Heimat film connecting German historical reflection with questions of belonging and Heimat. In die Sonne schauen (2025, Mascha Schilinski) - Germany’s 2025 Oscar submission; intertwining the stories of four women from different generations.
International Parallels
- Austria: Alpine and mountain films (the Sissi trilogy) helped popularize Heimat cinema globally.
- France: The cinéma du terroir (e.g., Jean de Florette) reflects similar themes.
- USA: Westerns and “small‑town movies” explore ideas of rootedness and community.
- Canada: Regional films depict Heimat and nature in comparable ways.
- Mexico: Rural melodramas of the 1940s and 1950s can be read as “Mexican Heimat films.
Gender, Queerness & Diversity
- Traditionally: Women appeared as guardians of Heimat, often in stereotypical roles. Today: Landrauschen (Lisa Miller) places lesbian identity at the center. Black Milk (Uisenma Borchu) interrogates Heimat through a female, migrant perspective.
- Almanya portrays transcultural belonging.
- Directors such as Sonja Kröner, Lisa Miller, and Uisenma Borchu open the genre to feminist and queer perspectives.
Significant Films (Selection)
- Die Geierwally (1921, E. A. Dupont)
- Der Jäger von Fall (1936, Luis Trenker)
- The Golden City (1942, Veit Harlan – critical)
- Schwarzwaldmädel (1950, Hans Deppe)
- Green Is the Heath (1951, Hans Deppe)
- Heimat – A German Chronicle (1984–2004, Edgar Reitz)
- Herbstmilch (1989, Joseph Vilsmaier)
- Hierankl (2003, Hans Steinbichler)
- Grave Decisions (2006, Marcus H. Rosenmüller)
- Soul Kitchen (2009, Fatih Akın)
- Almanya – Welcome to Germany (2011, Yasemin Şamdereli)
- Home from Home (2013, Edgar Reitz)
- Sommerhäuser (2017, Sonja Kröner)
- Landrauschen (2018, Lisa Miller)
- Heimat Is a Space in Time (2019, Thomas Heise)
- Mittagsstunde (2022, Lars Jessen)
- In a Land That No Longer Exists (2024, Sylke Enders)
- Dying (2024, Matthias Glasner)
- Amrum (2025, Fatih Akın)
- In die Sonne schauen (2025, Mascha Schilinski)
Box‑Office Hits
- Schwarzwaldmädel (1950, dir. Hans Deppe) Box office: approx. 60 million DM, equivalent to more than 120 million euros today.
- Green Is the Heath (1951, dir. Hans Deppe) Box office: approx. 55 million DM, equivalent to over 110 million euros today.
- The Forester of the Silver Wood (1954, dir. Alfons Stummer) Box office: approx. 35 million DM, equivalent to over 70 million euros today.
Streaming (North America, as of 2025)
Die Geierwally (1921) – Archive.org, Goethe‑on‑Demand.Schwarzwaldmädel (1950) – Goethe‑on‑Demand.
Green Is the Heath (1951) – Goethe‑on‑Demand.
Heimat – A German Chronicle – Criterion Channel, Kanopy
Herbstmilch (1989) – Amazon / Apple VOD.
Hierankl (2003) – Amazon VOD
Grave Decisions (2006) – Amazon Prime
Soul Kitchen (2009) – Criterion Channel, Amazon / Apple VOD
Almanya – Welcome to Germany (2011) – Amazon Prime
Home from Home (2013) – Criterion Channel, Amazon VOD
Landrauschen (2018) – Amazon / Apple VOD, Goethe‑on‑Demand
Heimat Is a Space in Time (2019) – MUBI, Kanopy
Black Milk (2020) – Festival‑on‑Demand, arthouse streams (Goethe‑on‑Demand planned).
03/2026