In Japan, the introduction of films into German lessons is not often discussed, because the students usually do not have enough language skills to understand the film without subtitles. However, students can learn a lot from watching subtitled films. For this purpose, it is necessary to consider which films to show, how to show the films, and which accompanying tasks to use.

At Hiroshima University, we are offering a German course for second-year students. In this course, students participate in a project known as the “Film-Viewing-Marathon”. The students have to watch at least one film DVD in German every month and write out film protocols, in which the title of the film in German and Japanese, the protagonists, the plot of the film, etc., are recorded.

A survey was conducted with the intention of gaining insights into the learning effects of films. A questionnaire was administered to 15 students, who participated in the Film-Viewing-Marathon in 2016. The results of this survey show that watching films gives students a valuable opportunity to gain knowledge about topics such as German history, politics, and daily life, and that it motivates them to learn.