The German film and cinema industry boomed during the 1920s. The main features of the industry were as follows:

• The economic disruption of the Weimar period produced an expressionist style in German film-making, with films often having unrealistic sets and featuring exaggerated acting techniques.
• The shortage of funding gave rise to the Kammerspielfilm movement, with atmospheric films made on small sets with low budgets.
• Expressionist film-makers favoured darker storylines and themes, including horror and crime.
• The most prominent film directors of the time were Fritz Lang and F.W. Murnau.
• The most famous films of the period were The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari (1920), Nosferatu (1922 – based on the Dracula story), Phantom (1922), The Last Laugh (1924) and Metropolis (1927).