Deutsche Kinemathek

Name

Deutsche Kinemathek

Legal name

Stiftung Deutsche Kinemathek – Museum für Film und Fernsehen

Website

https://deutsche-kinemathek.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1963

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Funding: Core financial support from the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM). The foundation also receives support from the state of Berlin.
2. Museum Admission & Tickets: Revenue from admission to exhibitions, film screenings, and special events at the museum and Studiokino.
3. Film Distribution Library: Film rental services distributing films worldwide, holding approximately 22,000 titles including silent films, avant-garde, documentaries, DEFA archive, and DFFB productions. Rental fees range from €30 (short film) to €400 (festival/foreign loans).
4. Education & Public Programs: Revenue from workshops, birthday party animation programs (€225), guided tours, and educational offerings for schools, families, and professional groups.
5. Library Services: Library use is generally free; revenue generated from overdue fees, replacement cards, scan fees, and court reminder proceedings.
6. Förderkreis Membership: Annual membership fees for the support association (Förderkreis), ranging from €40 (reduced) to €500 (institutional), with additional benefits. The Förderkreis is registered as a non-profit with tax-deductible donations.
7. Publications Sales: Sale of books, exhibition catalogues, DVDs and Blu-rays on cinema history, restorations, and film heritage. Distributed through Absolut Medien, Atlas Film, and other partners.
8. Licensing & Usage Rights: Fees for reproduction and publication of archive materials, including photographs, documents, textiles, and audiovisual media for commercial, scholarly, and exhibition use.
9. Room & Facility Rental: Rental of Kinemathek rooms for events, photography, and film shoots, with staff support fees.
10. Film Restored Festival: Film heritage festival producing revenue through ticketed screenings and associated events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Deutsche Kinemathek is a Stiftung (cultural foundation) that preserves, restores, and makes accessible German film and television heritage through a museum, exhibitions, film screenings, a film archive of approximately 80,000 titles, over 600 personal archives, a specialized library, a worldwide film distribution library of about 22,000 titles, and educational programs. Its core revenue is public funding from the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM) and the State of Berlin, supplemented by admission, licensing, membership, and publication income.

Product overview

The Deutsche Kinemathek (Stiftung Deutsche Kinemathek – Museum für Film und Fernsehen) is a comprehensive film and television heritage institution operating as a museum-plus-archival-complex. Its core offerings include: the Museum für Film und Fernsehen with rotating exhibitions; a Film Archive holding approximately 80,000 film titles distributed worldwide through Film Distribution services; over 600 Personal Archives including the Marlene Dietrich Collection and Ken Adam Archive; a specialized Library with 95,000+ works; film programs such as Studiokino, Fernsehsalon talks, and 16mm Filmclub screenings; the annual Film Restored heritage festival; and curation of the Berlinale Retrospektive und Classics since 1977. Digital offerings include Streaming (Selects), Digital Collection access, and the AVefi research platform networking film holdings across institutions. Publications encompass books, exhibition catalogs, DVDs/Blu-rays of restored films, and academic journal series ('Fernsehen – Geschichte – Ästhetik' and 'Film & Schrift'). Education programs serve children, families, schools, and professionals through workshops, city tours, and filmmaker talks. Since January 2025, the institution operates from E-Werk in Berlin-Mitte as interim quarters pending a new permanent film institute.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Film Archive and Preservation Services Preservation, restoration, and digitization of approximately 80,000 film titles including silent films, avant-garde works, documentaries, DFFB productions, and nearly the entire DEFA archive, serving researchers, festival programmers, and rights holders.
• Film Distribution (Filmverleih) Worldwide rental of approximately 22,000 film titles to cinemas, festivals, institutions, and commercial productions, with tiered pricing from €30 (short film) to €400 (festival/foreign loans).
• Personal Archives (Personenarchive) Over 600 personal archives containing estates and materials of filmmakers, scholars, companies, and institutions, including the Marlene Dietrich Collection Berlin, the Ken Adam Archive, and the 160,000+ page Paul Kohner Agency correspondence.
• Library of the Kinemathek Specialist library for film and television researchers comprising over 95,000 works, 150 contemporary German and international magazines, microfilm holdings, and an extensive DVD collection, open to all film and television enthusiasts.
• Studiokino Sustained Film Program Weekly Tuesday cinema program of films that invite discussion, supplemented by the 16mm Filmclub, offering regular screening access to audiences at the E-Werk location.
• Berlinale Retrospective and Classics Curated festival programming for the Berlin International Film Festival, with the Retrospective (since 1977) on significant figures and themes in film history and Classics (since 2013) presenting recently restored films.
• Film Restored Festival Film heritage festival organized by the Kinemathek, dedicated to film restoration and preservation, with ticketed screenings and associated events reaching audiences in over 70 countries.
• Selects Streaming Platform Online streaming platform offering curated film programs with geoblocking, including thematic series such as Queer Perspectives, accessible to general audiences.
• AVefi Film Research Platform Web-based research platform networking film holdings across archives, museums, and research institutions, enabling effective search and matching of film data across multiple collections.
• Education Programs Educational offerings including animated film workshops for children, city tours of Berlin filming locations, filmmaker talks, and birthday party animation workshops (€225), serving children, families, schools, and professional groups.
• Archive Materials Licensing and Usage Rights Fees for reproduction and publication of archive materials including photographs, documents, textiles, and audiovisual media for commercial, scholarly, and exhibition use, with item pricing such as €100/item and €200 for cover use.
• Publications (Books, Catalogues, DVD/Blu-ray Editions) Books, exhibition catalogs, and DVD/Blu-ray editions published by the Kinemathek covering exhibitions, retrospectives, and film restorations, distributed through Absolut Medien, Atlas Film, Edition Filmmuseum, Flicker Alley, and Re:Voir.
• Förderkreis Membership Program Annual membership program with tiered pricing (€40–€500+) offering free admission, curator-led tours, Berlinale events, exhibition openings, family programs, and networking, with the Förderkreis registered as a non-profit.
• Room and Facility Rental Rental of Kinemathek rooms for events, photography, and film shoots, with staff support fees, including the Kinemathek Halle and the Studiokino.

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Kinematheksverbund (Association of German Cinematheques)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1978Co-founded by Deutsche Kinemathek in 1978 together with the Deutsches Institut für Filmkunde (now DFF – German Film Institute & Film Museum) and the film archive of the Bundesarchiv. National coordination of German film archives.
• FIAF (Fédération Internationale des Archives du Film)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1966International federation of film archives. Deutsche Kinemathek has been a member since 1966. The Kinemathek will host the FIAF Congress in Berlin in 2027.
• ACE (Association des Cinémathèques Européennes)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1966European cinematheques association. Deutsche Kinemathek has been a member since 1966, participating in international exchange of knowledge and film material.
• Berlinale (Berlin International Film Festival)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Kinemathek has curated the Berlinale Retrospective section since 1977 and the Classics section since 2013. The Förderkreis holds an annual reception during the Berlinale. This is the institution's most prominent annual partnership.
• AVefi Project ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSecond funding phase of the AVefi project developing a web-based film research platform to network heterogeneous film holdings across archives, museums, and research institutions.
• ARD (Arbeitsgemeinschaft der öffentlich-rechtlichen Rundfunkanstalten der Bundesrepublik Deutschland)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTV partner providing support and collaboration with the Kinemathek.
• ZDF/ARTEminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTV partner collaborating on film restoration projects (e.g., 'Der Bettler vom Kölner Dom' with WDR Rundfunkorchester) and co-commissioning scores for restored films.
• Grimme-PreisminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a TV partner, supporting the Kinemathek's television heritage mission.
• Jugend im Museum e.V. (JiM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for children's educational programs including the animated film birthday workshop at JiM's workshop in Berlin-Friedrichshain.
• British Film Institute (BFI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint film restoration projects including 'Das Wachsfigurenkabinett' (restored from BFI nitrate copy) and 'Westfront 1918' (2014). Active collaboration on film heritage preservation.
• Cineteca di Bologna / L'Immagine RitrovatacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint restoration of 'Waxworks' ('Das Wachsfigurenkabinett') using materials from archives worldwide. Part of broader international restoration network.
• Centre National du Cinéma et de l'image animéeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in joint film restoration (e.g., 'Kameradschaft' with British Film Institute and Deutsche Kinemathek, 2014).
• Absolut MediencoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrimary distributor of Deutsche Kinemathek publications including DVDs, Blu-rays, and books on film history and restorations.
• Atlas FilmcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistributor of Deutsche Kinemathek film publications including 'Westfront 1918', 'Kameradschaft', and 'Der Bettler vom Kölner Dom' Mediabooks.
• Det Danske FilminstitutminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation partner in the 'Vier Filme mit Asta Nielsen' DVD production.
• Netzwerk Mediatheken (Media Libraries Network)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of the Media Libraries Network, contributing to networked access to audiovisual collections.
• AsKI (Arbeitskreis selbständiger Kulturinstitute e.V.)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of the Working Group of Independent Cultural Institutes, supporting the broader cultural institution ecosystem.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung: Wiesbaden-based German film heritage foundation managing rights and preservation for classic German films. Operates from DK premises and shares the German national mandate; directly comparable in restoration mandate and German film heritage focus.
• Bundesarchiv-Filmarchiv: Federal German film archive, co-founder of the Kinematheksverbund in 1978 alongside DK and DFF. Direct national peer holding significant German film heritage materials under federal mandate.
• Cineteca di Bologna / L'Immagine Ritrovata: Italian film archive and restoration laboratory; L'Immagine Ritrovata is the leading commercial film restoration lab. Active restoration partner of DK (joint work on 'Das Wachsfigurenkabinett') and home of the Il Cinema Ritrovato festival where DK has won multiple awards.
• Academy Film Archive (AMPAS): Motion picture film preservation program of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Comparable as a major film archive focused on restoration, with significant collections and global industry prestige.
• Cinémathèque suisse: Swiss national film archive in Lausanne/Penthaz, FIAF member. Comparable national film archive offering preservation, restoration, exhibition, and educational programming in a smaller national context.
• British Film Institute (BFI): UK's lead film and television archive and cultural institution, with BFI National Archive, BFI Southbank, and active film restoration work. Directly comparable as a national film archive with restoration, festival programming, and Berlinale-style curatorial ambitions; explicit restoration partner of Deutsche Kinemathek.
• DFF – Deutsches Filminstitut & Filmmuseum: Frankfurt-based German film institute and museum, co-founder with DK of the Kinematheksverbund in 1978. Most direct national peer — comparable German film museum/archive scope, with overlapping collection and educational mandates.
• EYE Filmmuseum: Dutch national museum and archive for film, formed from the merger of predecessor institutions. Directly comparable as a combined film museum + archive with restoration, exhibitions, and educational programming in a national cultural role.
• Cinémathèque française: Paris-based film heritage institution founded by Henri Langlois and Georges Franju, operating museum, library, and archive functions. Closest direct European peer in scope and historical standing — comparable collection, exhibition programming, and educational mission.

Broad incumbents

• MoMA – Department of Film: Film department of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, with extensive film collection and preservation work. Overlaps in scope (museum + film archive) but operates within a much broader art institution.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCkGtP5D-JDMNfHPIB5thEoQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/deutschekinemathek
• Instagraminstagram.com/deutschekinemathek
• Xx.com/de_kinemathek
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/deutschekinemathek

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Deutsche Kinemathek