Classics such as Fritz Lang’s Metropolis were made here and big Hollywood names such as Alfred Hitchcock, Billy Wilder and Quentin Tarantino also used UFA’s studios.

UFA - ‘un film allemand’ as the French say - is a German company that has made cinematic history. What defines UFA, this huge operation that has experienced so many ups and downs over its hundred-year history? From the German Empire of to the Weimar Republic, the Nazi period and the Adenauer era all the way to becoming a modern media company as part of the Bertelsmann consortium. In the early days, General Ludendorff used the UFA and the new medium of film as a propaganda weapon for the German Kaiser.

During the Weimar Republic, UFA produced works such as "Dr. Mabuse,” "Metropolis” and "The Blue Angel.” It became particularly big when talkies came along, before Nazi propaganda minister Goebbels called for total submission. These days, however, UFA is making a name for itself with its polished historical miniseries.

The company has also regularly overextended itself financially and has been bailed out by the German state several times. This documentary takes a look at a century of German film history with excerpts from famous films such as Metropolis by Fritz Lang and The Blue Angel, which gave Marlene Dietrich her breakthrough. And it also digs up some forgotten treasures. 

Broadcasting Hours: 

DW (English)

SUN 18.02.2018 – 19:15 UTC
MON 19.02.2018 – 01:15 UTC
MON 19.02.2018 – 15:15 UTC
WED 21.02.2018  – 05:15 UTC
THU 01.03.2018 – 03:15 UTC
SUN 04.03.2018 – 09:15 UTC

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DW (Deutsch+)

FRI 18.02.2018 – 09:15 UTC

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