In the postwar years, the Heimatfilm genre was one of the most successful in Germany. Films like "Grün ist die Heide" ("The Heath Is Green") drew millions to the cinemas. The Germans forgot the sorrows of their lives in the early 1950s by enjoying scenes of natural landscapes and heartbreaking stories. At a subliminal level, these films addressed subjects of flight and displacement.

German cinema had already built up a strong connection to topics such as home and nature during the silent film era. In the genre known as "mountain films," director Arnold Fanck drew a connection between nature and mysticism. One of his most eager students was Leni Riefenstahl — seen here filming "Das blaue Licht" ("The Blue Light") in 1932.

The 1950s was the high point of the Heimatfilm genre. Producers and directors usually set their stories in a green, mountainous backdrop. Subject matter swung between drama and kitsch. Films like "Försterliesel" ("Forest Liesel") drew in the masses. Later, those who studied film saw in the Heimat genre messages of despair and misery.

Decades later, directors like Herbert Achternbusch and Werner Herzog helped the Heimatfilm make a comeback. This time, though, Heimat was defined differently. Achternbusch, who originally stemmed from Bavaria and can be seen here (at right) in the film "Bierkampf" ("Beer Chase") made fun of Bavarian ways. This new take on Heimat was satirical and vicious.

Edgar Reitz returned Heimat to its honor in 1984 with his multi-film epic, "Heimat: A Chronicle of Germany." After premiering at the Venice Film Festival, the series gained international success. Reitz told the story of the residents of a village in the hills of the Hunsrück region with a subtlety and attention to detail. In doing so, he held up a mirror to the major events in German history.

Reitz was also responsible for the epic series "Die andere Heimat" ("Home from Home: Chronicle of a Vision") released in 2013. The genre took on yet another meaning as the director traced the steps of 19th century German immigrants to Brazil. Emigration and immigration are two sides of the same coin, and this shows how it can be viewed from many different perspectives.

The most recent entry in the Heimatfilm genre shows Germany from a bird's-eye view. A documentary film like "Die Elbe von oben" ("The Elbe from Above"), shows Heimat as an abstract concept, looking at it from a distance. The beauty of the landscape is in the foreground, the surface of things dominating perspectives.

Heimatfilms are not specific to Germany. In the US, they simply have a different name for the genre. The Western tells stories of land grabs and displacement, of new and old Heimat — most often from the perspective of the settlers — as seen here in "The Searchers" in 1956.

Movies focusing on Heimat have been produced in other nations as well. You could safely classify the works of director Federico Fellini in this genre. In "Amarcord" (1973) and other films, Fellini told stories of cities and provinces, of people and families — stories which could not possibly have been set anywhere else but in Fellini's native Italy.

The birthplace of cinema has also contributed to the Heimat genre. French movies have long praised the exceptional beauty of a life lived in the countryside, in the typical French provinces. Eating and drinking, life and love — all are celebrated in films like "Les enfants du marais" ("The Children of the Marshland"), which was released in 1999, but set in 1918.

French filmmakers have been adept at showing the opposites between the country's rural and city areas. By showcasing these regional differences, they have given a variety of dimensions to the discussion of Heimat. The 2008 movie "Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis" ("Welcome to the Sticks") shows what happens when a public servant from Provence is forced to move to northern France.