UFA Film Nights 2025: The Stars of Weimar Cinema

Over three evenings, outstanding silent films from the 1920s will once again be shown under the open sky, against the spectacular backdrop of Berlin's Museum Island and accompanied by live music.

UFA FILM NIGHTS: Cinema magic on Museum Island

The first evening will give the audience a glimpse into the historic Wintergarten, Berlin's legendary variety theatre of the 1920s. VARIETÉ (1925) by Ewald André Dupont, starring the actor of the century Emil Jannings, as well as Lya de Putti, Warwick Ward, Maly Delschaft and Kurt Gerron, was filmed in part in the world-famous theatre building. The UFA Film Nights will show the digitally restored version from the F.W. Murnau Foundation. VARIETÉ is accompanied musically by the UFA Syncopators: Küspert & Kollegen, based on a new composition by Werner Küspert and Richard Siedhoff, which is also celebrating its world premiere.

The second evening features the 1925 film adaptation of Richard Strauss' opera DER ROSENKAVALIER, directed by Robert Wiene. Richard Strauss himself had rearranged his opera music for the film to be purely instrumental and composed some new passages. For the performance on Museum Island, the Metropolis Orchestra Berlin will play this composition by Richard Strauss in a version edited by Bernd Thewes in 2006 and arranged by Frank Strobel.

The UFA Film Nights 2025 will close on Friday with Gustav Ucicky's DER STRÄFLING AUS STAMBUL (The Convict from Istanbul). With Willi Forst, Paul Hörbiger, Betty Amann and, in particular, leading actor Heinrich George, Ufa had assembled a star-studded cast in 1929. Sponsored by Bertelsmann, the digitally restored version of the film by the F.W. Murnau Foundation will have its world premiere at the UFA Film Nights 2025. The multiple Grammy-nominated composer and multi-instrumentalist PC Nackt will perform his composition created especially for the film.

In the evening, the films will be placed in their historical and social context with introductory information. The patron of this year's UFA Film Nights is actress Inka Friedrich.

The programme at a glance:

Wednesday, 27 August 2025, film starts at 9 p.m.
VARIETÉ (1925)
Director: Ewald André Dupont
Starring Emil Jannings, Lya de Putti, Warwick Ward, Maly Delschaft, Georg John, Kurt Gerron
Production: Universum-Film AG (Erich Pommer)
Length: 82 min. Digitally restored version by the F.W. Murnau Foundation (2014)
Music: UFA Syncopators: Küspert & Kollegen based on a composition by Werner Küspert and Richard Siedhoff

Thursday, 28 August 2025, film starts at 9 p.m.
DER ROSENKAVALIER (1925)
Director: Robert Wiene
Starring Michael Bohnen, Huguette Duflos, Paul Hartmann, Jaque Catelain, Elly Felicie Berger, Carmen Cartellieri
Production: Pan-Film AG (Vienna)
Length: 108 min. Digitally restored and partially reconstructed version from the Filmarchiv Austria (2006)
Music: Richard Strauss based on motifs from his opera, arranged in 2006 by Bernd Thewes and adapted by Frank Strobel, performed by the Metropolis Orchestra Berlin

Friday, 29 August 2025, film starts at 9 p.m.
DER STRÄFLING AUS STAMBUL (1929)
Director: Gustav Ucicky
Starring Heinrich George, Betty Amann, Paul Hörbiger, Willi Forst, Trude Hesterberg
Production: Universum-Film AG
Length: 102 min. Digitally restored version from the F.W. Murnau Foundation (2025), sponsored by Bertelsmann
Music: New composition by PC Nackt 

Partners of the UFA Film Nights are the Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau Foundation, the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation and Apleona. Ströer, radioeins, radio3 and Maz&Movie are media partners.