Wes Anderson, Made in Babelsberg

Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel, courtesy of Searchlight Pictures

Wes Anderson, Made in Babelsberg

Presented by the Goethe-Institut, TIFF Cinematheque & Cinespace Studios x Studio Babelsberg

October 2 + 15 + 21, 2025
TIFF Lightbox, Toronto
For more information, visit goethe.de/toronto/events.
For tickets, visit TIFF.

Celebrating the art & craft of Germany’s oldest studio realizing Wes Anderson’s iconic vision.

Hollywood, made in Germany: Discover how legendary Studio Babelsberg has been bringing Wes Anderson’s meticulous vision to life. Through three of his most iconic films, the series reveals why the American cult director—with his fifth Babelsberg collaboration The Phoenician Scheme in cinemas—keeps returning to this centre of excellence just outside of Berlin to harness the highest production value to build his universe. This is also the success story of Cinespace Studios, just voted best global Studio of the Year, acquiring one of Europe’s largest and oldest film production houses in 2022. Wes Anderson, Made in Babelsberg celebrates the master director as well as Studio Babelsberg’s unique art department with some of the world’s best trained craftspeople, creatives and innovators, now contributing to Cinespace’s international reputation.

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), Isle of Dogs (2018), and The French Dispatch (2021) showcase the marriage of Anderson’s signature worlds with Babelsberg’s century-old craftsmanship. Industry experts and Anderson collaborators illuminate the beloved auteur’s approach in a panel conversation and through introductions. A German book club contextualizes Wes Anderson’s fascination with Stefan Zweig, the mid-century Austrian writer who influences his narrative structure and aesthetic sensibility, alongside a Wes Anderson and German film history reading room at the Goethe-Institut.

A special edition of GOETHE FILMS @ TIFF Lightbox as part of the TIFF Cinematheque season. Curated by Jutta Brendemühl.

The Program:

October 2, 2025, 6pm

The Grand Budapest Hotel (Germany/USA 2014, 100min)
by Wes Anderson, starring Ralph Fiennes, Tilda Swinton, Jude Law, Saoirse Ronan, Léa Seydoux, Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, Harvey Keitel, Bill Murray, Edward Norton, Jason Schwartzman, and others

A writer encounters the owner of an aging high-class hotel, who tells him of serving as a lobby boy in the hotel’s glorious years under an exceptional concierge. A confectionary-coloured caper set in the fictional Eastern European republic of Zubrowka (shot in eastern Germany), the multi-layered narrative showcases Babelsberg’s ability to construct Anderson’s most ambitious world yet. Anderson drew visually from Europe-set mid-century Hollywood films and the Library of Congress’s photochrom print collection of alpine resorts. Studio Babelsberg’s craftspeople transformed an abandoned department store into the titular hotel, building everything from tiny furnicular railways to period elevators. The film, which won four Academy Awards, including for Production Design, proves that every frame benefited from Babelsberg’s legendary attention to detail.

Premiered in competition at the 64th Berlin International Film Festival
Nominated for nine awards at the 87th Academy Awards including Best Picture

“Discerning travellers and Anderson fans will luxuriate in the glorious Mittel-European kitsch of one of the director’s funniest and most exquisitely designed movies in years.” — Times

Introduced by Magali Simard, Director of Industry & Community Relations, Cinespace Toronto

Preceded by a hybrid panel discussion “Crafting Wes Anderson’s World” with Eike Wolf, Director Studio Operations Studio Babelsberg; Berlin-based miniature model maker & Anderson collaborator Simon Weisse; moderated by Jutta Brendemühl, Goethe-Institut Toronto.

Speak German and wonder where Wes Anderson gets his inspiration? Join the Goethe-Institut’s free Stefan Zweig Buchclub on the mid-century Viennese writer who heavily influences the American director’s narrative structure and aesthetic sensibility and whose writing The Grand Budapest Hotel is based on. September 25, 6pm, register for free.

October 15, 2025, 6pm

Isle of Dogs (Germany/USA 2018, 101min)
by Wes Anderson, starring Bryan Cranston, Koyu Rankin, Greta Gerwig, Edward Norton, Frances McDormand, Scarlett Johansson, Harvey Keitel, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Murray, and others

Set in Japan, Isle of Dogs follows a boy’s odyssey in search of his lost dog. This stop-motion marvel required a completely new workflow for its animation department. Each meticulously crafted puppet and set piece was handmade, utilizing both traditional techniques and cutting-edge technology. The miniature unit based at Studio Babelsberg and led by Wes Anderson’s trusted prop and model maker Simon Weisse constructed more than 30 detailed miniature sets that became the film’s tactile, authentic backdrops.

Opened the 68th Berlin International Film Festival, where Anderson was awarded the Silver Bear for Best Director
Winner of 34 awards & nominated for two Academy Awards

“So effortlessly cinematic and inventive, it’s best in show.” — Richard Crouse

“A feat of animation worthy of your marvel.” — New Musical Express

With a recorded introduction by Berlinale Chief of Staff Florian Weghorn

Preceded by the stop motion and 2D hand-painted animation short film Freshwater (Canada 2025, 2′53″) by OCAD U graduate Olivia Wilyman.

October 21, 2025, 6:30pm

The French Dispatch (Germany/USA 2021, 108min)
by Wes Anderson, starring Benicio Del Toro, Adrien Brody, Tilda Swinton, Léa Seydoux, and others

This love letter to journalists set in an outpost of an American newspaper in a fictional 20th century French city features detailed miniatures and precisely crafted sets that contribute to the film’s distinct visual language. Many of these miniatures—including a scaled-down version of the fictional town of Ennui-sur-Blasé and other key elements, each with its own colour palette and architectural style—were designed and built by Berlin-based prop and model maker Simon Weisse and his miniature unit and filmed at Studio Babelsberg. The result is another example of how Anderson blends handcrafted artistry with European production expertise to build his signature worlds. The French Dispatch exemplifies Anderson’s collaborative partnership with Babelsberg, demonstrating why this historic studio remains his creative home in Europe.

Chicago Film Critics Association Awards Winner Best Art Direction/Production Design
BAFTA Film Award Nominee Best Production Design
London Critics Circle Film Awards Nominee Technical Achievement of the Year
Art Directors Guild Nominee Excellence in Production Design Award Period Film

“Perhaps Anderson’s best film to date.” — The New Yorker

“The French Dispatch is the film equivalent of a Wes Anderson amusement park, captivating audiences with color, chaos, and countless curious characters.” — Loud and Clear Reviews

Preceded by behind-the-scenes teaser footage from Anderson’s latest Studio Babelsberg film, The Phoenician Scheme.

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