Document Archive

 

We’re moving! On 30 August, we will temporarily close our archives and prepare to move to E-Werk. We will be back for you in the course of 2025. Subscribe to our newsletter (in German) to keep up to date about our reopening!

 

  • Contact

    Anke Vetter
    Mon–Fri: +49 30 300903-41

    Gunnar Gutschmidt
    +49 30 300903-46

    Birgit Umathum
    +49 30 300903-74

    schriftgutarchiv [at] deutsche-kinemathek.de (schriftgutarchiv[at]deutsche-kinemathek[dot]de )

     

    Please contact us prior to your visit to determine the availability of access to our archives.

  • Opening hours of the study room

    Tue and Wed 10:00–12:30, 13:30–17:00
    Visitors only by appointment

The Document Archive contains various text materials that document the production processes, distribution mechanisms and critical reception of films. They provide background information on individual cinematographic works and furthermore enable films to be understood within their larger societal and cultural context.

The majority of the archives are comprised of materials created in support of films. This translates into nearly 70,000 files for specific film titles, typically with marketing materials, press kits and documentation of critical reception. These are supplemented by more than 20,000 screenplays, dialog sheets and other film scripts, as well as almost 6,000 censors' documents that serve as important historical research sources.

Almost 14,000 files on filmmakers, cinemas and other institutions bundle together correspondence, press information, corporate catalogs and advertising brochures, among other items. We hold house programs from almost 600 cinemas, dating back as far as the 1910s. Sound archives, including approx. 400 interviews with filmmakers, offer plentiful material for research into film and television history. Autograph collections, admission tickets, collector's card albums and scrapbooks attest to the wish of many people to preserve memory of their cinematic experiences.

Another portion of the document archive covers musical documents (approx. 1,500 items), primarily sheet music to film music adaptations for salon orchestras or amateur musicians.