This silent film by Robert Siodmak, Edgar G. Ulmer and Billy Wilder was shot in 1930 in and around Berlin and tells the story of a group of friends who come together for fun at the beach at Wannsee. None of the people featured in the film were professional actors and the intention was to present the faces and spaces of 1930s Berlin. The film captures the mood of the day perfectly. It is considered an excellent example of Neue Sachlichkeit in film.

Germany 1930, 74 mins, directed by Robert Siodmak

The ACF London’s Cineclub series presents a selection of films from the interwar period to coincide with the Swept Away Festival at King’s Place, London (19 –21 June 2015). The four films screened at the ACF London includeSonnenstrahl, Sunrise: A Song of two Humans, Menschen am Sonntag and Dracula. The films capture the mood of these turbulent years and illustrate the change in cinematic language from silent films to the rise of the talkie.