– The Oscar-nominated Polish filmmaker will revisit one of the 20th century’s most iconic and controversial figures through a non-linear portrait spanning four decades
Director Agnieszka Holland (© Fabrizio de Gennaro for Cineuropa – fadege.it, @fadege.it)
Internationally acclaimed Polish filmmaker Agnieszka Holland has unveiled her next feature-length project, Berlinweh – Yearning for a Home, a biographical drama exploring the life and legacy of legendary German-US actress and singer Marlene Dietrich. The film will not follow a linear narration of Dietrich’s life, and will instead focus on four important moments that shaped her personal, artistic and political identity.
According to the producers, Berlinweh, which is penned by German screenwriter Ingo Rasper, tells the story of a woman who spent much of her life standing in opposition to her home country, while at the same time struggling with a deep longing to return. The film follows Marlene Dietrich across four decisive days in four different decades, portraying her in shifting cultural and political contexts: Paris in 1937, Bergen- Belsen in 1945, Tel Aviv in 1960 and once again Paris in 1983. Through these episodes, the film examines the complex relationship between the actress and her homeland, as well as her lifelong struggle between exile and belonging.
Dietrich was born in Berlin in 1901 and rose to international fame through films such as The Blue Angel, Morocco and Shanghai Express, becoming one of the defining screen icons of the 20th century. After publicly opposing the Nazi regime and becoming a US citizen in 1939, she remained a divisive figure in Germany for decades, admired by many for her anti-fascist stance while being regarded as a traitor by others. She passed away in Paris in 1992 and was buried in her native Berlin.
Commenting on the project, Holland said: “Every time I tell myself I won’t make films about real, famous people any more, someone emerges from the past who asks me the most important and timely questions – someone in whose choices I can find my own choices and anxieties. Marlene Dietrich was a tangle of contradictions: a glamorous star, yet an outstanding actress, singer and soldier; a selfish egocentrist and a loyal, magnanimous friend and lover; a fighter for human rights, full of fears and uncertainties; a German who, in the eyes of many of her countrymen, became a traitor. We do not tell her life in a continuous, linear narrative. We look for those few turning points in which what was most important and most universal – what resonates most strongly today in her fate – is reflected. The fate of a woman, an artist, a citizen, a human being.” Holland was Oscar-nominated for Europa, Europa, In Darkness and Angry Harvest, and won Venice’s Special Jury Prize for Green Border.
The project reunites Holland with several of the collaborators behind Franz, her recent biographical drama about Franz Kafka. Producers Šárka Cimbalová and Mike Downey described the screenplay as an exploration of Dietrich’s fierce independence, her unwavering commitment to anti-fascism and her willingness to challenge conventional gender expectations, while also examining the personal costs of those choices.
No casting has yet been announced for the role of Dietrich. Principal photography is expected to begin in autumn 2027.
Berlinweh – Yearning for a Home is being produced by Uwe Schott and Josephine Blume for Berlin-based X Filme Creative Pool, Cimbalová for Czech outfit Marlene Film Production and Downey, with Jean-Christophe Simon serving as co-producer for France’s Parallel45. International sales will be handled by Films Boutique.
