Festival Highlights
A man’s double life as an underground poet and a Stasi agent in East Berlin in the 1980s comes back to haunt him 30 years later in this comedy starring David Kross and Tom Schilling.
Tempted by the offer of a prestigious professorship, ambitious scientist Franz Walter is convinced to work for the GDR's Stasi in 1981 East Berlin but is soon accused of espionage in this gripping historical drama starring Lars Eidinger.
An illuminating drama that follows the true story of Samson “Cioma” Schönhaus, a Jewish graphic artist who hid in plain sight in 1940s Berlin, moving freely about the city using fake documents, while secretly forging IDs to help hundreds of others.
This historical monochrome biopic of East German writer and filmmaker Thomas Brach, starring Albrecht Schuch, reveals a deeply subversive artist who finds comfort on neither side of the Wall.
New German Cinema
Based on the bestselling book, this wickedly funny comedy follows a couple approaching their 50s who set out to regain their long-lost youth.
In this crime-comedy caper starring Bernhard Schütz and Sandra Hüller, two art thieves who have stolen a famous painting plan to meet their clients on a cruise ship, but things do not go as planned.
While in a juvenile detention centre and tasked to write an essay on duty, a young man's memories of his childhood during the Second World War come flooding back to him in this compelling drama.
Tempted by the offer of a prestigious professorship, ambitious scientist Franz Walter is convinced to work for the GDR's Stasi in 1981 East Berlin but is soon accused of espionage in this gripping historical drama starring Lars Eidinger.
Beyond Berlin: Austrian Cinema
A feel-good biopic that follows legendary Austrian downhill skiing legend Franz Klammer over several days during the 1976 Winter Olympics.
This dark comedy starring Inka Friedrich and Samuel Finzi follows a woman’s kidney transplant journey that threatens to break-up her friendships and marriage.
Beyond Berlin: Swiss Cinema
Based on a true story, this intriguing drama set in the 1980s delves into the unlikely alliance between a young lawyer fighting Switzerland's antiquated prison system and a criminal.
A gorgeous historical drama set in the early 20th century that centres on a young mother and a group of society dropouts who search for a free-thinking paradise at Monte Verità.
Kino for Kids
Two boys set out on a search for a legendary cave in the Black Forest during their summer holidays in this tender and profound adventure story.
In this fun adventure, 12-year-old astronomy geek Uja, armed with a stolen hearse and a classmate as driver, journeys across Eastern Europe to monitor the impact of an asteroid.
A warm-hearted and charming adventure featuring CGI animated animals, this live-action family film centres on the new girl at an unusual school, where the children receive a magical animal as a companion.
In this family comedy based on Christine Nöstlinger’s bestselling book series, a primary school student, the smallest in his class, seeks the advice of an influencer much to the skepticism of his best friends.
When Anna from West Germany and GDR citizen Philipp meet in East Berlin in the mid-1980s, it is love at first sight, but the love-struck teenagers are separated by the heavily guarded border.
5 Films from 5 Decades
In Volker Schlöndorff’s adaptation of the Günter Grass novel, a three-year-old is determined to boycott the adult world and remain a child forever in this masterful coming-of-age story.
Presented by the Goethe-Institut.
An iconic DEFA film that follows an aspiring pop singer on tour and in the underground music scene in East Berlin that captures East Germany of the 1970s through its gritty-glitzy visuals and catchy soundtrack.
Presented by the Goethe-Institut.
When her boyfriend botches up a smuggling payment, Lola has 20 minutes to come up with 100,000 Deutschmarks in this exhilarating thriller set in Berlin and starring Franka Potente.
Presented by the Goethe-Institut
In his breakout role, Daniel Brühl stars in this charming comedy as a young man who must protect his fragile mother, recently awoken from a coma, from learning that her beloved East Germany is no more after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Presented by the Goethe-Institut
