Agnieszka Holland to Direct Non-Linear Dietrich Biopic
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- Agnieszka Holland will direct "Berlinweh – Yearning for a Home," a Marlene Dietrich biopic with a screenplay by German writer Ingo Rasper.
- The film is built around four decisive days in four different decades — Paris in 1937, Bergen-Belsen in 1945, Tel Aviv in 1960, and Paris in 1983 — rather than a continuous, linear biography.
- Holland called Dietrich "a tangle of contradictions" — a glamour star and soldier, a fighter for human rights, and a German viewed as a traitor by many countrymen — and said the film seeks "turning moments" that resonate today.
- Producers include Berlin-based X Filme Creative Pool (Uwe Schott, Josephine Blume), Czech company Marlene Film Production (Šárka Cimbalová), British-Irish producer Mike Downey, and Jean-Christophe Simon co-producing for Parallel45 on the French side.
- The production trio previously collaborated with Holland on "Franz" (2025), and world sales will be handled by Films Boutique.
Why it matters: The same team behind Holland's recent "Franz" (2025) is re-teaming, giving the project a proven working relationship from day one. The non-linear, four-day structure emphasizes Dietrich's wartime and exile identity — Bergen-Belsen 1945, Tel Aviv 1960 — over Hollywood stardom, distinguishing it from prior Dietrich biopics. Films Boutique handling world sales out of Berlin signals an international festival play rather than a domestic-first release.
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