The media libraries of the public broadcasters and various streaming services offer a wide range of engaging films about music, film, art, literature and architecture. Here are our viewing recommendations for you to enjoy.
An episode of kinokino: Michael Verhoeven, director of films such as The White Rose and The Nasty Girl, caused a scandal with his debut film o.k. at the Berlinale in 1970 and from then on he was regarded as a controversial director. In his films, he repeatedly deals with the German past and collective guilt. Watch on ARD Mediathek until 26.04.2026.
In the ZDF series FilmFrauen. Die Interviews, female actors, directors, producers and screenwriters talk about their experiences in the German film industry. In this episode, actor Sibel Kekilli talks about social realities and cinema. Available in the ZDF-Mediathek until 10.09.2025.
A documentary about the role of classical music under the Nazis. The stories of the Jewish cellist Anita Lasker-Wallfisch and the conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler provide an insight into German musical life from 1933 to 1945. Watch on DW Doku@Youtube.
Documentary about the organised theft of art from Jewish families during the Nazi era. Dr Kathrin Kleibl, a North German provenance researcher, investigates this crime. Watch on ARD Mediathek until 15.05.2027.
Documentary about the fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld. In revealing interviews, he gives insights into his life, career and philosophy. Watch on DW Doku@Youtube.
From the series Cinema strikes back: Documentary about 10 German filmmakers and actors who made it in Hollywood and how they got there. Watch on ZDF Mediathek until 12.10.2026.
The Neue Deutsche Welle is regarded as the most creative period in the history of German pop music. This documentary examines its rise and fall.
Watch on ZDF Mediathek until 16.04.2028.
The film portrays the life of the writer Erich Kästner. Starring Matthias Bundschuh as Kästner, Lisa Wagner as his partner Luiselotte Enderle. Directed by Annette Baumeister. Watch on ARD Mediathek until 01.01.2099.
Documentary about the burning of books under the Nazi regime, which targeted books by Jewish writers and others viewed as subversive or representing ideologies opposed to Nazism. Watch on DW Doku@Youtube.
Based on the novel by Ursula Krechel, the film tells the story of a Jewish-Christian family that survived persecution and exile during the Nazi era. After years of separation and the end of the war, they try to rebuild their lives in West Germany. Starring Ronald Zehrfeld, Johanna Wokalek and directed by Matthias Glasner. Watch on ZDF Mediathek until 11.01.2025.
In 1983 the West German band Die Toten Hosen performed in a secret (and illegal) concert in East Berlin. This documentary looks back on the event with contributions from musicians from the former East and West. Directed by Martin Groß.
Watch on ARD Mediathek until 13.04.2027.
Filmmakers talk about their experiences about success, failure and social participation, starring Jutta Brückner, Angelika Levi, Sarah Blaßkiewitz, Benito Bause and Mehmet Akif Büyükatalay. Directed by Jana Keuchel and Katharina Knust. Watch on ZDF Mediathek until 28.04.2025.
From the series Streetphilosophy: In this episode Ronja von Rönne searches for the right kind of relationship and asks why we are always looking for the perfect partner. Watch on ARTE Mediathek until 27.07.2025.
2020, documentary, 86 min, OV with German subtitles Magie der Märchen
This two-part documentary explores the world of fairy tales and their moral values and origins, based on the famous Grimm fairy tales Frau Holle and Hänsel und Gretel. Watch on ZDF Mediathek until 04.10.2030.
This episode of HYPECULTURE is focused on football, rappers, and jerseys: featuring rappers playing football, footballers rapping, and the tracksuit as the street's tuxedo. Watch on funk until 28.11.2027.
The documentary profiles five artists from East Germany, exploring what motivates them and their relationship with their homeland. Watch on ARD Mediathek until 14.10.2031.
Director Hendrik Maximilian Schmitt followed German board game designers over several years to explore the phenomenon of "German Games". Watch on ARD Mediathek until 30.11.2025.
Based on the play 'Heisenberg' by Simon Stephens: Two elderly loners meet by chance and, despite their differences, find each other over the course of the film. Starring Caroline Peters, Burghart Klaußner, directed by Lars Kraume.
Watch on ARD Mediathek until 27.02.2025.
The documentary commemorates the devastating fire that destroyed the Anna Amalia Library in Weimar in 2004, looking at both the events of the disaster and the subsequent restoration efforts.
Watch on ARD Mediathek until 20.08.2026.
