This is the accompanying programme for the exhibition 'Berlin's Forgotten Dream Factory?'.

From 1920 onwards, significant cinematographic works were created in the former aircraft hangars of the Johannisthaler Filmanstalten (Jofa), establishing the site as a pivotal, yet frequently overlooked, production hub. The series of events will highlight the development from the silent film era to the early days of sound film and the nationalisation of the film industry during the Nazi era, contextualising the location within Berlin's broader cultural history.

Curated by author Wolfgang May and film scholar Irina Vogt, the programme combines expert lectures with annotated film screenings. The spectrum of works shown ranges from expressionist milestones such as Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau's Nosferatu and socially critical works such as Kuhle Wampe to an examination of Nazi propaganda and restricted films.

Through film studies introductions and subsequent audience discussions, the aesthetic qualities and political contexts of productions between 1909 and 1945 will be critically explored.

Johannisthal Film History: Prehistory and the Silent Film Era (1909–1929)

• Friday 13 February 2026, 7 p.m.
  

Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (Germany, 1922; directed by Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau)

• Friday 20 February 2026, 7 p.m.
  

Johannisthal Film Histories: Early Sound Films and Nazi Film Policy (1929–1936)

• Friday 20 March 2026, 7 p.m.
  

Kuhle Wampe or Who Owns the World? (Germany, 1932, director: Slatan Dudow)

• Friday 10 April 2026, 7 p.m.
  

Johannisthal film history(ies): The Film Minister's Dream Factory and Its Downfall (1937–1945)

• Friday 25 September 2026, 7 p.m.
  

Romance in Minor (Germany, 1943, dir. Helmut Käutner)

• Friday 9 October 2026, 7 p.m.
  

I Accuse (Germany, 1941, dir. Wolfgang Liebeneiner)

• Friday 6 November 2026, 7 p.m.