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Preview

10. January 2026 - 21. February 2026

Natural Spectacles

Film, Nature and German History

The film series Natural Spectacles: Film, Nature, and German History accompanies the exhibition Natur und deutsche Geschichte. Glaube – Biologie – Macht , which can be visited at the German Historical Museum until June 7, 2026. 

16. January 2026 - 25. January 2026

Un-American Activities

Films of the “other America” at the Leipzig Documentary Film Week before 1990

During the Leipzig Documentary Film Week, more than 150 films from the USA were shown over a period of almost thirty years during the GDR era. Last year's DOK Leipzig Festival dedicated its highly acclaimed retrospective to this hitherto little-researched chapter in the festival's history. From January 15 to 25, 2026, the Filmmuseum Potsdam and the Zeughauskino will repeat parts of the Leipzig retrospective in seven programs.

20. January 2026 - 17. February 2026

Coups d'état

From coups staged in front of rolling cameras to the use of social media to attack the separation of powers: the series Coups d'état is a collaboration with the Mosse Lectures at Humboldt University in Berlin and presents documentary, feature and essay films from the last 20 years that show political upheavals from very different perspectives. 
 

30. Januar 2026 - 14. Februar 2026

Documentary Positions:

Pavel Schnabel

After emigrating to West Germany in 1968, Pavel Schnabel, who was born in Czechoslovakia, became a sought-after cameraman and committed documentary filmmaker with an interest in both everyday life and the major turning points of the 20th century. His eye for detail and people's everyday, often unconscious behaviors is unique, and his interest in contradictions and complex relationships is fascinating.

10. Februar 2026

Collected Works I & II

In memoriam Bernhard Marsch (1962-2025)

On June 15, 2025, the cineaste, collector, actor, film and cinema maker Bernhard Marsch died in a fatal accident in Cologne. Together with friends and companions, the Zeughauskino is dedicating a double program to him, commemorating Bernhard Marsch's many talents and passions.

23. February 2026 - 24. February 2026

In Focus

Dieter Chill: cameraman and filmmaker

For decades, cameraman and filmmaker Dieter Chill has been capturing current social conditions and revealing perspectives on the past and future. Now, a two-day exhibition offers the opportunity to get to know Chill's sensitive documentary filmmaking, which focuses on individual fates and extraordinary historical events.

27. February 2026 - 31. March 2026

Unfaithfully Yours

The films of Preston Sturges

Preston Sturges took American cinema by storm. For a few years, audiences were captivated by him and his fast-paced farces before he disappeared from the spotlight just as quickly as he had arrived. Among the greats of classic Hollywood cinema, he was the eccentric prodigy, always two or three steps ahead of the competition.

28. February 2026 - 21. March 2026

moving history

Festival of Historical Film

Films shape our image of the past. How do films influence our view of history? What narratives do they convey to future generations? These are the questions addressed by the Potsdam festival moving history, whose program can also be seen at the Zeughauskino cinema.

13. März 2026 - 22. März 2026

Between state interference and personal perspectives

The Filmmaker Gitta Nickel

Gitta Nickel learned the craft of filmmaking from scratch without any academic training and, thanks to her talent and assertiveness, became one of the few female documentary filmmakers to hold her own in the male-dominated world of the DEFA documentary film studio for a long time. 

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27. March 2026 - 28. March 2026

Collect Films!

The Collection of Gari Vanisian

Our series Collect Films! focuses on private collectors and independent archives. Filmmaker, curator, author, and translator Vanisian began collecting film copies nearly 15 years ago, at a time when the “digital wave” was sweeping through the cinema, and analog projection technology was being replaced by digital.