The first public film event at Biebrich Palace on the Rhine took place on February 24, 1984 on the initiative of filmmaker and critic Joachim Kreck in the new screening room of the Wiesbaden State Film Rating Agency, since 2009 the German Film and Media Rating Agency (FBW), in the rebuilt east wing. Under the motto "Made in Wiesbaden", it was dedicated to local short films, with contributions from five Wiesbaden Federal Film Award winners, among others. The event was the starting point of the successful "Filme-im-Schloss" series under the sponsorship of the Cultural Office and the programme management of Kreck, who had already organized numerous film weeks and other film events (festivals) in Wiesbaden. In 1999, the sponsorship was continued by the three organizers (alongside Kreck, the dramaturge Detelina Grigorova-Kreck and Michael Fechner) under the name "Freunde der Filme im Schloss", supported by the Department of Culture.

Over the years, the event has developed into an important cultural institution in Wiesbaden, with exclusive programs and national and international guests who present their films in person. All genres are shown: feature films, documentaries, experimental and animated films, each in the unadulterated original version. The focus is on remarkable films that are rarely shown in regular cinemas. They are often shown as part of series (Misunderstood Films; Cult Films; Clint Eastwood; Alfred Hitchcock; Blake Edwards; Female Directors; Classic Hollywood Musicals etc.).

Part of "Filme im Schloss" is the "Wiesbaden International Animated Film Weekend", which the press has described as a "unique event of its kind" (FAZ) and which has been held annually in the second half of October since 1999. Apart from Stuttgart, it is the only film festival in Germany dedicated exclusively to animated film. The festival presents a selection of the best current animated films from all over the world, as well as retrospectives. All films are shown by invitation, usually as Rhine-Main premieres or German premieres. Prominent animated filmmakers from Germany and abroad meet here. In 2001, the "Prize of the Cultural Office of the State Capital of Wiesbaden" was established, which is awarded annually to an animated filmmaker, a studio or a school. The festival is a member of the Hessen Film Festival Association. It is supported by grants from the Cultural Office, the Hessian Film Fund and the Ministry of Science and Art.

In 2013, "Filme im Schloss" was awarded the Hessian Cinema Culture Prize for the sixth time and for the fourth time in a row. In 2010, the event series received the Cultural Award of the State Capital of Wiesbaden.