There is something truly special about cinema under the open sky: the quiet buzz before the film begins, a cold drink in hand, and Berlin's summer atmosphere all around you. As the city moves into its most beautiful months, open-air screenings are the perfect way to welcome the season.
This weekend, until June 7, Doxumentale invites you to experience documentary cinema in some of Berlin's most atmospheric outdoor locations. Among our 21 festival venues, there are three selected screenings left in open-air spaces. Experience historic film grounds, a headphone cinema in Friedrichshain, and a screening beneath the stars at Germany's oldest public observatory.
Here are the open-air highlights to look forward to this weekend:
Located at Atelier Gardens on the southern edge of Tempelhofer Feld, Freiluftkino Insel offers open-air cinema on a site with more than 100 years of film and television history. Set on the grounds of the former Berliner Union-Film studios, the venue screens independent cinema, arthouse highlights, short films, documentaries, and festival specials from Wednesday to Sunday.
Expect a large screen, cool drinks, comfortable deck chairs, and a welcoming team. And if the weather does not play along, an indoor alternative is available at Atelier Gardens in the Rosa Haus.
THE BLIND COUPLE FROM MALI, June 5, 9:30 PM (Q+A)
Now in its eleventh year, hofkino.berlin brings carefully curated arthouse cinema to the beautiful courtyard of the FMP1 office building at Franz-Mehring-Platz 1 in Berlin-Friedrichshain.
To keep the experience enjoyable for guests and considerate for neighbours, hofkino.berlin operates as a headphone cinema: visitors receive wireless headphones, allowing them to enjoy the film undisturbed. All headphones are cleaned and disinfected before each use.
Cinema meets the cosmos at the Archenhold Observatory in Treptower Park. Founded in 1896, the Archenhold-Sternwarte is the oldest and largest public observatory in Germany and home to the longest movable refracting telescope in the world.
With the Great Refractor, the historic Einstein Hall, a planetarium, a Museum of Astronomy, and even a giant iron meteorite, this is one of Berlin's most extraordinary venues. For Doxumentale, it becomes a truly atmospheric open-air setting - a place to watch documentary cinema beneath the evening sky.
The screenings at Archenhold Observatory are supported by Freiluftkino Insel.
If you are in the mood for a night beneath the stars, this weekend is full of chances to experience documentary cinema outdoors. Grab your friends, bring an extra layer for the late evening, and start the summer season with film, fresh air, and Berlin at its best.
