Thomas Elsaesser Collection

Thomas Elsaesser, who passed away in 2019, entrusted his research archive, consisting of more than 400 boxes of documents, books, videotapes, as well as digital files, with the German Film Museum (DFF). The DFF is now gradually making this intellectual legacy available online on this website. The foundations of the project were laid by Thomas Elsaesser during his lifetime and the DFF has sought to be in keeping with its spirit. At its launch, the website publishes a broad selection of texts from Thomas Elsaesser’s bibliography spanning more than four decades, covering topics from early cinema to media archaeology to New German Cinema. His groundbreaking monograph on Rainer Werner Fassbinder is made accessible in its entirety. In the ensuing months and years, more materials from his archive and extensive bibliography will be published online.

The Thomas Elsaesser Collection was originally curated, organized, and preserved by his widow, Professor Silvia Vega-Llona, who was instrumental in entrusting the archives to the DFF. The initial concept of the website of the Thomas Elsaesser Collection was worked out between Thomas Elsaesser himself and the artist and designer Ayham Ghraowi, who, together with the developer Matt Wolff, has now brought the project to completion.

The development of the website is made possible by the support of the Martin Elsaesser Foundation, of which Thomas Elsaesser was chairman until his death.

The Thomas Elsaesser Collection is held at the DFF Text Archives, located at the German National Library in Frankfurt. To learn more about the Thomas Elsaesser Collection or how to access it, please write to: bibliothek@dff.film

DFF – Deutsches Filminstitut & Filmmuseum

The DFF – Deutsches Filminstitut & Filmmuseum is a leading, forward-thinking international film heritage organization. We are a pioneer in preserving and sharing film culture with a worldwide public, uniquely combining museum, cinema, archives and collections, festivals, digital platforms, research and digitization projects and numerous educational programs. Based in the diverse and dynamic city of Frankfurt, Germany, we actively work toward intercultural understanding, cultivating connections to institutions and initiatives in the film arts and sciences around the world. We link the history, materiality and meaning of film to the digital future.

Promoting film culture, in close collaboration with our audiences, is our mission. As a team of more than 200, we bring our professional knowledge and infinite passion for film to all that we do. For us, everything is film, and film is everything.

Every effort has been made to notify the original publishers of previously published materials. We apologize for any inadvertent errors.

Website designed by Ayham Ghraowi and Matt Wolff.

Funded by the Martin-Elsaesser-Stiftung.