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What do OV, OmU, or DF mean?

German cinemas put a short code on every screening. It tells you which language you will hear, and which subtitles, if any, you will read.

The four labels

What you hear, what you read

Every label covers the same two things, the audio and the subtitles. The last column is how German cinemas actually use each one.

OV
Originalversion
Audio
Original language
whatever the film was shot in
Subtitles
None
What it means in practice
Almost only used for English-language films. If the original is French or Korean, a German cinema will normally add subtitles and call it OmU instead.
OmU
Original mit Untertiteln
Audio
Original language
nothing is dubbed
Subtitles
German
What it means in practice
How arthouse and independent cinemas usually show foreign-language films. Original voices, German text.
OmeU
Original mit englischen Untertiteln
Audio
Original language
nothing is dubbed
Subtitles
English
What it means in practice
Like OmU, but with English text. Cinemas programme it for international audiences, so it turns up mostly in the larger cities.
DF
Deutsche Fassung
Audio
German
dubbed, or German from the start
Subtitles
None
What it means in practice
The default in mainstream cinemas. It is also the one label that covers two different situations (see below). Showtimes with no label at all are DF.
Read this one twice

DF covers two different films

01
A foreign film dubbed into German

German voice actors have replaced the original dialogue. Germany dubs nearly everything, so most blockbusters play this way.

02
A German film in its own language

Nothing was dubbed. For a German production, DF is the original version.

Either way you get German audio and no subtitles.

The other catch

OV nearly always means English

The abbreviation names no language. It says "original version" and nothing more. German cinemas give it almost exclusively to English-language films, because those are the ones an audience here can follow without subtitles.

A film originally in French, Korean or Danish nearly always gets German subtitles and runs as OmU. Screenings of those without subtitles are rare.

See OV on a showtime? Expect English audio and nothing on screen.
Also spotted on posters

Rarer labels, same logic

OmdUOriginal mit deutschen Untertiteln. The long way of writing OmU.
OFOriginalfassung. Same thing as OV, original audio only.
OmU (engl.)Some cinemas note the subtitle language in brackets instead of using OmeU.
UkrFAudio dubbed into Ukrainian. Cinemas write it as Ukrainisch or ukrainische Sprachversion. A few chains programme these screenings for Ukrainian speakers.
Still asked a lot

Good to know

Is OV always English?

Strictly speaking, no. OV means the film's own language. German cinemas use it almost only for English-language films, so in practice expect English.

Does DF mean the film is dubbed?

Not necessarily. DF promises German audio, nothing more. For a foreign film that is a dub. For a German film it is the original.

Which language are the subtitles in?

German, unless the label says otherwise. The extra e in OmeU means English.

A showtime has no label. What now?

It runs with German audio. Mainstream cinemas treat DF as the norm and only mark the exceptions.