Hamburg's movie industry more dynamic than ever

Movies such as "Amrum“, directed by Fatih Akin, hint at another successful year for films. The brainchild of two Hamburg-based filmmakers, Akin and Hark Bohm, celebrated its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May and has been put forward as Germany's entry for the Oscars. The movie tells the tale of twelve-year-old Nanning in the final days of World War II, based on Bohm's childhood memories. Together with world-famous directors Werner Herzog, just awarded a Golden Lion for his life's work in Venice, Volker Schlöndorff and Wim Wenders, the screenwriter, director, actor and producer, Bohm, set up the Hamburg Film Festival in 1979 and founded the film studies course at the University of Hamburg in 1992. This became the Hamburg Media School (HMS) in 2004. His best-known works include "Aus dem Nichts“ (2017) and "Tchick“ (2016), both of which Akin directed. The duo also co-wrote the screenplay for the Warner Bros. production of "Amrum".

Akin's films repeatedly shine a spotlight on Hamburg. His movie "Head on" scooped a  Golden Bear at the 2004 Berlinale and the German-Turkish director later won the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival for "Soul Kitchen"  (2009).  The movie features many of Hamburg's landmarks like the Reeperbahn, Mojo Club, Wilhelmsburg and Hamburg Airport. "Amrum" is Akin's twelfth movie the studio scenes of which were shot over 41 days in Hamburg, Denmark and on the North Frisian island of Amrum on Germany's North Sea Coast. It stars Detlev Buck, Matthias Schweighöfer and Diane Kruger, a north German actress who has won over Hollywood with films like "Troy" (2004) and "Inglourious Basterds" (2009). The more international the cast, the more likely investors are to be interested.

"Amrum" came about thanks to a mix of public and private funding. In addition to Warner Bros, MOIN Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein footed €800,000 of the costs. MOIN also funded the (2004) hit movies, "The Seed of the Sacred Fig Tree", by Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof and İlker Çatak's "The Teachers' Lounge". Both films were nominated for an Oscar for Best International Film. Both Rasoulou and Çatak are based in Hamburg and the latter is also a graduate of HMS. Çatak's latest movie (2024) "Yellow Letters" showcases various places in Hamburg. "The City of Hamburg has beguiled us once again - with its highly professional team and its cosmopolitan motifs. The Higher Regional Court, the barge on the Elbe, the district and the mosque in Böckmannstraße will be iconic images in our film," said Ingo Fliess, producer of "Yellow Letters" with "if... Productions Film" in Munich.

Germany's most popular attraction, Miniatur Wunderland, will become a film location in 2026 when Letterbox Filmproduktion shoots its adventure "Miniaturwunderland" about ten-year-old Matteo there. The shrunken boy goes on a desperate search for his missing grandfather in the world's largest miniature model railway. The company, which is part of the Studio Hamburg Production Group, has secured €100,000 in funds from MOIN Filmförderung for the international co-production. This continues the Braun brothers ' winning streak in cinema. In 2024, the documentary "Wunderland - From Childhood Dream to Global Success", produced by Hamburg-based "B 14 FILM", was released in 523 cinemas across Germany and, according to Miniatur Wunderland, came third in the cinema charts on its first weekend.

German-language series like "Großstadtrevier", "Notruf Hafenkante", "Die Kanzlei" and "Die Pfefferkörner", produced by the Studio Hamburg Group, have made Hamburg and the metropolitan region even more attractive for shooting series. Studio Hamburg Serienwerft has produced ARD's daily soap "Rote Rosen" with a team of 100 people in Lüneburg since 2006, while ndF neue deutsche Filmgesellschaft produces the "Morden im Norden" series, which is mainly filmed in Lübeck. The second main evening series, "Weil du böse bist" (Because you're evil), is currently in production and was shot on the Elbe Island of Kaltehofe. Hamburg’s importance is underlined by the relocation of the "Filmtage Köln" event to the city. This major annual industry meet, which attracts over 1,000 visitors, will first be held in Hamburg next July. Filmfest Hamburg has brought directors and producers from all corners of the globe to the city for over 30 years. This year’s agenda features no fewer than 120 premieres including the German premiere of "Amrum“ from September 24 through October 4, 2025 in the Abaton, CinemaxX Dammtor, Metropolis, Passage and Studio Kino cinemas.
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