Image by Paul Vachier – www.transmitmedia.com/photogallery/

If you miss classics, if you want a break from big cinemas, or if you’re just looking for some neighbourhood hidden location, have a look at the silent film evenings in Morus street 14. It’s a social project in Neükölln – films are accompanied by live piano, every first Wednesday a month.

Expect a charming electro piano, an original piano soundtrack performed by Francois Regis, films by directors such as Lubitsch and Charlie Chaplin, a small bar with affordable prices, authentic, cosy atmosphere and elderly public. The films are organized within a bigger social project and are donation based.

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Morusstreet 14 | Cinemas, Music, Snacks
Morusstr 14 | Neukölln
Every 1st Wednesday of the month from 19:30

Image by Robby Block

Despite the inexorable gentrification creep of Mitte and the laughably stupid rebranding of the area north of Torstrasse as NoTo (get it? NOrth of TOrstrasse!), it’s nice to see that some elements of 90s grunge and post-wall East Berlin squat culture manage to not only hang on but thrive in the neighborhood. We can still celebrate the Schokoladen (for a while yet) and the legendary Klub der polnischen Versager (that’s the Club of Polish Losers) on Ackerstrasse, though sadly the Ackerkeller, once underground home to Berlin’s underground homos, is homeless and seems content to sleep around and currently turns tricks at the King Kong Klub. 

Near the Torstrasse end of Bergstrasse, a bright red neon Z helpfully marks the Z-Bar, Mitte’s home of Kunst, Kultur and Kino. The Z-Bar was born out of an empty bakery in 1993 and today it serves up cocktails, a culture program – which features Berlins Schmusetiersoap (a truly bizarre episodic soap opera with cuddly cast-off, stuffed toys as actors), readings and a weekly variety show – and a truly off cinema program. Fans of bizarro cinema shouldn’t miss their selection from “the wild side of cinema” where you’ll find B-movie offerings from around the world. Whether you love home-made Japanese horror movies or budget slasher films or crappy sci-fi from the 1950s, Z-inema serves it all up with no judgment. 

Best of all, the Z-inema is also available to rent. So if you don’t like their lineup, rent out the cinema, invite your friends and throw your own party!

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Z-Bar | Bars, Cinemas | Cocktail from € 5.00
Bergstr. 2 | Mitte | +493028389121
19:00 – open end daily

Image by Sharon Mertins

The Moviemento can be found on a street where you would most certainly not expect to find a cinema of this sort. It lives among Turkish supermarkets and Imbisses and its film poster covered entrance is surrounded by colorful vegetables six days a week. But regardless of its colorful location, I find their programming fantastic.

Most current films are shown in German but sometimes they also show original versions. Just make sure you keep a good watch on the program. In the evening they often have special presentations of classic cinema, almost always original language, and they also host small film festivals and often show political documentaries.

The inside of the cinema is well worth a look, and you can always have a quick drink while you check the program.

What I like most about this place is that they truly have a film-loving spirit. It is very often the favorite place for local independent filmmakers to show their films. And after applying for a job there when I first moved here, they replied saying that they didn’t have anything available but were happy to put me in touch with all the people they knew who worked in the film business here. And to this day, they still send me job postings from friends of theirs who are looking for crew members. Their good-natured concern for local cinema has been ever since a major selling point for me.

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Moviemento | Cinemas | Ticket from € 5.00
Kottbusser Damm 22 | Kreuzberg | +49306924785
Opening times vary according to showings

Image by Herrmann Koenigs

To find the cinema “Central”, you first have to point out Haus Schwarzenberg (see the Haus Schwartzenberg article). Go through to the end of the backyard and find the actual cinema on the right.

Their programme of movies makes this little cinema one of my favorites. It is nothing of the big commercial cinemas that (only) screen mainstream films from Hollywood. People on the search for interesting, independent and international films are right here. Usually they play films in their original language and have subtitles in English or German, respectively.

The chairs in the two show rooms are extremely comfortable; the Central’s website is really user-friendly and partly in English (sometimes descriptions of movies are not in English). So check the programme!

A movie that I can still (!) recommend is “Berlin Calling”. It runs successfully here for more than three years, letting the audience dive into the Berlin world of Techno. Paul Kalkbrenner, a famous Berliner DJ, plays the main character – a DJ who has to go for a withdrawal treatment after a drug overdose. Great & famous soundtrack included! Everyone with a taste for the Berliner Techno scene should watch this!

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Central | Cinemas | Regular Admission € 6.50
Rosenthaler Strasse 39 | Mitte | +493028599973
First movie ca. 15:00 – last movie ca. 23:30

Image by Herrmann Königs

I challenge you to find a better cinema in Berlin when it comes down to variety and internationality. It never stops surprising me with what they come up and where the hell they get it from…

Starts off with dozens of annual film festivals and regular programmes they run over the year. Often several different ones at the same time. Most international movies are shown in original version and subtitled. Here a few examples:

- Cine En Español: Regular Monday movies in Spanish

- CinemAperitivo: Regular Sunday (16:00) Italian movies, with Italian aperitif afterwards

- New German Cinema: every Thursday

Special events can be seen on the website of the Babylon.

Sometimes the Babylon is also used for other events such as Readings, cabaret or concerts. Which is not really surprising: The huge main hall still keeps the air from 1929, when the cinema opened first. Furthermore, keeping its history in mind, they screen silent films with live piano music.

The two smaller showrooms in the back of the building are spots of movies only. And as I can confirm, they are really cosy. Gives you the feeling of non-mainstreamism, which I love.

Be aware that there are two Babylons in Berlin (both are cinemas!). Which is why both cinemas need to index themselves with the district: Mitte or Kreuzberg. This article deals with the one in Mitte.

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Babylon: Mitte | Cinemas | Normal admission € 6.50
Rosa-Luxemburg-Str. 30 | Mitte | +49302425969
Daily (times see website)