Inventing Queer Cinema

Exhibition and Film Series

Queer cinema reveals the stories, experiences and realities of queer people – for the most part beyond normative expectations and societal structures. In doing so, it also often questions cinematic conventions and develops its own visual languages of resistance.

This exhibition casts the spotlight on films and the people who made them possible: the filmmakers, festival organisers, cinema operators and film distributors who have shaped and consistently reinvented queer cinema in Germany since the 1970s. One of its key focuses is on Berlin as a centre of queer film and subculture, broadened by perspectives from international artists. The display includes film and photo installations, objects, documents and other archival materials – including, for the first time, holdings from the archive of the Salzgeber film distribution company. A prologue features early examples from the 1910s from the Deutsche Kinemathek’s own collection to establish the historical context while dedicated sections explore the role of television. The exhibition extends across the Halle, the Schaltwerk and the Studio Kino. A comprehensive series of films and accompanying events complement the programme.

“Inventing Queer Cinema” tells a story of resistance, solidarity and innovation that continues to the present day. The exhibition invites visitors to further explore this narrative and to keep on rediscovering queer cinema.