I heard Germany and Berlin used to be much bigger in movie production than the US?

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That’s a fascinating piece of film history! You’re right that during the 1920s, especially the Weimar Republic era, Germany centered on Berlin was the only true global competitor to Hollywood. In artistic innovation and technical prestige, many historians would even call it more advanced than the US industry at the time. Here’s why Berlin became a cinematic capital for a golden decade: 1. The "Hollywood on the Spree" Berlin earned the nickname "Hollywood on the Spree" because of its huge production infrastructure. At the center was Studio Babelsberg, founded in 1912 and still the oldest large-scale film studio in the world. Hollywood produced more films by volume, but Germany’s UFA was among the most technically advanced studios anywhere. It pioneered the "unchained camera," elaborate crane and dolly movement, and special effects that shaped modern filmmaking. 2. The birth of visual masterpieces Many of the silent era’s most influential films were German. German Expressionism used distorted sets, dramatic shadows, and psychological depth to define later horror, science fiction, and Film Noir. Metropolis) (1927): Fritz Lang’s landmark science fiction film, with enormous sets and imagery Hollywood could barely match. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920): A film that helped invent the visual language of horror and noir. Nosferatu (1922): F.W. Murnau’s unofficial Dracula adaptation, still one of cinema’s most striking horror films. 3. Why it changed Berlin’s dominance faded in the early 1930s for two main reasons: 1. Economic crisis: The Great Depression hit Germany hard, and expensive epics like Metropolis nearly bankrupted studios. 2. The rise of Nazism: After 1933, many Jewish and anti-Nazi artists fled to the United States. Directors like Fritz Lang, Billy Wilder, and Ernst Lubitsch, plus stars like Marlene Dietrich, brought the Berlin style to Hollywood. That is one reason 1940s American noir and Universal horror owe so much to 1920s German cinema. 4. Babelsberg today Studio Babelsberg is still active. Since the 2000s, productions such as The Grand Budapest Hotel, Inglourious Basterds, and John Wick: Chapter 4 have filmed there. Have you seen any of those silent classics, or are you more interested in modern films shot in Berlin? I can also help find where to watch them or set a reminder to look up a documentary.

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