The art of film

Berlin's last cinema artist on his vibrant bespoke work

- Deborah Cole

Götz Valien is Berlin's last movie poster artist, for more than three decades earning a modest living producing giant hand-painted film adverts to hang at the city's beloved historic cinemas - a craft he says will probably die with him, at least in Western Europe.

The studios' own promotional posters serve as a template, but the Austrian-born Valien, 65, adds a distinctive pop art flourish to each image coupled with the beauty of imperfection - part of the reason he has managed to extend his career well into the 21st century.

"Advertising is about drawing attention and I add the human touch, which is why it works," he said. Valien's work plays up the image's essence: the imposing bow of a ship, the haunting eyes of a screen siren, a mysterious smile. He jokingly calls himself a Kinosaurier - a play on the German words for cinema and dinosaur.

His nearly 7-metre by 9-metre canvases long graced the "film palaces" of the German capital, including the majestic Delphi in the west and the socialist modernist masterpiece Kino International on Karl Marx Allee in the east.

But the former's adverts finally went digital in 2024, while the latter is closed for a years-long top-to-bottom revamp. Dozens of independent cinemas among his clients have simply gone out of business.

The century-old Filmtheater am Friedrichshain (FaF) is the last movie theatre in Berlin still employing Valien to tout its new releases, with his large-format posters covering its facade and interior walls around the ticket-and-popcorn counter.