Discover Movies

Home movies shot on Super 8mm by W+B Hein over 10 years.

German musician Alexander Hacke explores Istanbul's rich music culture and attempts to create a portrait of Turkey through music genres. On this journey, he encounters a mosaic that covers countless genres from rock to arabesque, electronic to hip-hop.

On December 21, 1975, six terrorists from the Revolutionary Cells, led by Carlos 'The Jackal' forced their way into the conference room of the OPEC headquarters in Vienna and took seventy ministers hostage. A gun battle with the police ensued, and three people were killed. One terrorist was seriously wounded. The terrorists managed to escape to Algiers with a few hostages and the wounded man. There the hostages were released. The wounded terrorist was Hans-Joachim Klein. At the moment that Klein arrived in Algiers, he decided to quit terrorism.

An account of the life and work of Irish writer James Joyce (1882-1941) narrated by US actress Anjelica Huston.

The Loiblpass is situated in the mountains between Austria and Yugoslavia: 12km from the village of Neumarktl and 10km from Ferlach in Carinthia. Between 1943 and 1945, political prisoners from the Mauthausen concentration camp drove a tunnel into the mountains at an altitude of 1200m. To this day, two people have been linked by this tunnel: Janko Tisler was an engineer in charge of the building site in 1944; today he lives in Krize, south of the tunnel. Dr. Sigbert Ramsauer, the SS doctor of the camp at the site then, at the age of 80 still practises in Klagenfurt. Janko Tisler fights against forgetting, Dr. Ramsauer wishes he were forgotten. The history of the tunnel has become theirs as well.

A tragic expedition to the Himalayas, told by the great mountaineer Reinhold Messner, who lost his brother there in 1970, swept away by an avalanche during the descent. An epic tale set against a grandiose backdrop.

A documentary about the history and the urban development of the city of Erlangen in northern Bavaria, Germany.

In Germany, jazz had a voice: Inge Brandenburg. This is the story of a woman in the 1950s and 1960s, when there was no place in Germany for self-assured women with international aspirations, a dramatic performance style and an emancipated attitude to love.

Jan Haft is without doubt a nature filmmaker with a gifted knack for the very special regions of the world. A few years ago, in Das grüne Wunder - Unser Wald, he dedicated himself to the place that all Germans long for, and in his new film he explores a similarly mythologically and historically charged topography, which is nevertheless much less present than the murmur of the forests. It is about the mainly northern European moorland landscapes and their rich and unique flora and fauna, whose magic he traces in an opulent visual arc of exquisite beauty.

Documentary about the famous German robber Michael Heigl.

Bern, 1979: a tower block called Tscharnergut. Together with a few friends (among them famous Swiss actor Stefan Kurt), director Aron Nick's father and uncle shoot the idealistic Super 8 film "Dr Tscharniblues" ("The Tscharni Blues") – a wild, unvarnished self-portrait of their generation. 40 years later, Nick gathers the friends at Tscharnergut and asks what has happened to them and their ideals in the meantime. What have the achieved? What have they lost? Past, present, and future clash and form a journey of personal disappointments, hopes, and a collective search for identity. In "Tscharniblues II," Aron Nick discovers a kind of friendship that can weather anything.

A life-time after the Shoah: Forgetting is not an option and memory only goes so far. When prayers are not enough, music can keep us going. It's not too late to mourn, And not too soon to replenish. In Redemption Blues, a feature-length documentary shot in New York, Vienna, Oswiecim, and Bethlehem, director Peter Stastny engages with several outspoken Holocaust survivors whose lives have been shaped by their experiences from more than 70 years ago. As the director's personal narrative guides us along, we watch these humorous, wise, hardened and joyful individuals rise above the despair and loss. A rich emotional landscape comes to life, containing some of the deep questions with which the world is still grappling today. In the end, we see these people as leaders and visionaries in moments of homecoming, renewal and progression, not merely as captives of their past.

This film shows the splendor, enormous scope and indescribable beauty of this untouched land far to the north of Alaska, one of the last havens for caribou herds and polar bears. Shot over a period of four years, this film offers a unique insight in the lives of the most charismatic arctic animals.

A visit to the Bantu in Cameroon and the indigenous town of Kumbo. The living and working conditions of the Bantu and Bororo tribes are shown as part of this expedition.

When Gaia the bear kills Andrea Papi in Trentino, Italy, the region’s inhabitants sound the alarm: could the tragedy have been avoided? Gaia is one of several problem children from a “troublesome bear family.” Her brother Bruno achieved questionable fame in Germany and met his death there. Can humans and bears coexist at all in the densely populated Alpine region?

Documentary about the "chinese Oskar Schindler" John Rabe, who saved 600 people in house in Nanking during the Nanking Massacre. In China he was a hero, in his native country Germany he received no recognition for his deeds. He died in 1950.

A documentary about the three Woodstock music festivals.

Through previously undiscovered private letters, photos and diaries that were found in the Himmler family house in 1945, the "The Decent One" exposes a unique and at times uncomfortable access to the life and mind of the merciless "Architect of the Final Solution" Heinrich Himmler.

In the remote village of El Echo that exists outside of time, the children care for the sheep and their elders. While the frost and drought punish the land, they learn to understand death, illness and love with each act, word and silence of their parents. A story about the echo of what clings to the soul, about the certainty of shelter provided by those around us, about rebellion and vertigo in the face of life. About growing up.

Rainer Werner Fassbinder reflects on the various stages of his career, discusses how his motives behind filmmaking evolved up his film Despair.

The story of a powerful political and economic dynasty, fundamental to understanding the turbulent destiny of the United States of America throughout the 20th century; of nine brothers who had truly extraordinary lives, marked by both greatness and tragedy: the story of the Kennedy family.

The amazing story of stunts, men and women who risk their lives every day on set to get the perfect action scene.

The story of rivalry between two forms of winter transport: the horse-drawn sleigh which can take the short cut over the frozen lake and the red minibus which needs to be more devious to beat its rival. While the race goes on other tales of intransigence are told in this land of bards and minstrels.

Documentary made in two parts by Luciano Berriatúa. This first part focuses on childhood, personal life and the early works in films by German director F.W. Murnau.

That loquacious cynic known as “Old White Male,” played by John Erdman in Heinz Emigholz’s 2020 film The Lobby, returns in this delirious, sci-fi-comic follow-up that covers an even wider spectrum of human absurdity and wrestles with the biggest question mark of all: The Future.

A film about jailed refugees waiting for deportation and the many conflicts which affect their personal fates, the efforts of refugee organizations and the problems of the affected authorities.

Relationships between mothers and daughters are often very complex. Love and protective instincts, recognition and pride play just as important a role as patronization and envy, dependency and jealousy. This documentary allows prominent mother-daughter pairs to have their say, being surprisingly open about birth and puberty, growing up, sexuality and old age.

The Lord of the Rings and Star Wars, Gremlins 2 and Hammer Film’s The Mummy. Iconic actor Christopher Lee died in virtually every other role he played. Jan Soldat’s nerdy short film compilation lines up one death after another and, amid this involuntary stream, reveals entertaining gems and various connections as well – not only those relevant to the advance of Lee’s acting career.

In 2008, Natasha, a newly rich woman, decides to open an independent TV station in Russia and builds an open-minded team of outcasts. By 2020, Natasha has lost everything to Russia's war between Propaganda and Truth.

Documentary film about the 20-year-old Turkish guest worker's son Kadir, who tries to find his way between his father's traditional ideas and

Does farmer Ly have dealings with the Chinese, who have recently been tampering with the infrastructure of the village of Sitabaomba, not far from the Malagasy capital of Antananarivo, director Nantenaina Lova asks as bluntly as mischievously. Ly denies it. However, it becomes increasingly clear in the course of “Where Zebus Speak French” that the various development measures, often introduced by foreign initiatives and fuelled by corrupted politicians, also affect him.

At an exhibition, graphic designer Stefanie is thrilled by the work of John Heartfield, the inventor of political photomontage 100 years ago. While trying to understand his life on the run, she suddenly finds herself in Heartfield's studio.

The Alps – wild mountains, extreme lives, but also a magical world. This majestic mountain range connects eight countries and reaches heights of up to 4,000 metres above sea level. At a length of 1,200 kilometres, the Alps form both a connecting bridge between western and eastern Europe and a high barrier between southern and central Europe. The mountains act as a mighty water reservoir and continental watershed, feeding innumerable rivers that flow into three different oceans. Their highest peak, Mont Blanc, is surrounded by long, soaring mountains with ice-covered slopes. These great summits are just one reason the so-called “Roof of Europe” continues to fascinate – across the continent and around the world. The incredible diversity of landscapes, flora and fauna makes the Alps a unique natural treasure at the heart of Europe.

The film’s subtitle identifies it as a “study of the constructive discontent of a composer”. It is a portrait of the pugnacious musician Paul Dessau (1894 – 1979), who was controversial in East Germany, as a teacher. It follows the composer as he rehearses the “Bach Variations” with the Berlin state opera orchestra, as well during classes at the Polytechnic School I in Zeuthen, where he strives to teach the students a critical attitude. In an interview, Dessau bemoans the simplification of artistic media and elucidates the meaning and necessity of “hard sounds in an era that is not soft”. As we see when he works, “pleasure requires effort” … “art is never comfortable. Building socialism is not comfortable at all. That’s why I’m in favour of the uncomfortable”.

After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Ukrainians abroad decide to confront the challenge and join the volunteer center "Blue-Yellow Cross" in Cologne to provide humanitarian aid. Vika, recently returned from Ukraine, and Anna, whose daughter is still in Ukraine, because she is waiting for her dad, he is currently serving in the military. The film reflects the dedication of Ukrainians who left their country and caring individuals actively participating in the volunteer movement to assist those affected by the war.

The filmmaker travels to the mysterious land of the “poor souls.” He visits eyewitnesses in rural areas of Central Switzerland. They offer their account of mystifying experiences in connection with the afterlife, of evil deeds by people who passed away long ago in need of atonement. The film investigates the hidden signs of mountain magic and reminds us of our own myths, ghosts and primal images. It also looks for paths to self-awareness that could be revealed to us within and under layers of centuries-old Catholic cultural sediment.

On January 10th, the investigative editorial team of CORRECTIV published research into a secret meeting of right-wing extremists, which no one was supposed to know about and which led to demonstrations and protests all over Germany. AfD politicians, CDU politicians, members of the WerteUnion, neo-Nazis and financially strong entrepreneurs came together in November 2023 in a hotel near Potsdam near the Villa on Wannsee, where the “final solution to the Jewish question” was once decided. They met to debate to expel millions of people from Germany, including non-German citizens with a migration background, as well as German citizens with a migration background and German citizens without a migration background who do not want to adapt to the ideological worldviews of those present. On January 17, 2024, the research premiered in the Berliner Ensemble as a staged reading with a political satirical character.

Nearly twice the size of the United States, Russia is the biggest country on Earth. From the subtropics to the arctic and the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific; giant lakes, active volcanoes and endless forests.

Nazi propaganda film contrasting Germany in the days before Adolf Hitler became Chancellor with the Germany of "today" and how much better it is.

As Pope Benedict XVI, Joseph Ratzinger wanted to lead the Church back to its former strength, but instead he plunged it into a deep crisis. He reacted largely inactive to the revelations of multiple cases of abuse by clergy. In order to understand the thinking of this unconditional hardliner, documentary filmmaker Christoph Röhl delves deep into Ratzinger's past - but what really leaves us speechless are the testimonies of how the church, on a large and small scale, dealt with the crimes of its priests.

In his film, Rosa von Praunheim approaches the famous communist theater director Erwin Piscator by developing irreverent improvisations in the spirit of Piscator together with acting students from the Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Arts in East Berlin. Interspersed with this are statements by theater professor Peter Jung, which serve as a biographical guide and shed light on the background of Piscator's epic and total theater.

An interview with RWF in the kitchen in a house he had rented close to Paris at that time. Four years before his untimely death, the interview shows a quite relaxed and patient Fassbinder who answers all kinds of (often contrafactual or at least uninformed) questions and reveals quite a lot about his childhood and current personal drama. Sober, chainsmoking, but very lightheaded, RWF.

Short documentary film by Dagmar Knöpfel shot on the river Würm in Munich.

Driven by a personal interest in finding out how people deal with the sudden loss of their familiar structures and surroundings, director Jonas Kaufmann embarks on an emotional journey on behalf of Generation Z. A journey with the aim of finding the one inviolable point of human existence that gives us support when everything is lost. In our documentary, protagonist Roman Sachuk and Jonas Kaufmann take on the challenge of providing partial answers to the central questions of a generation in crisis.

Behind the pulpit of the Gothic church, speakers take turns. A thousand names are written on the rustling pages: that’s how many people committed suicide in the town of Demmin in the spring of 1945. For decades, their fate was a taboo subject in Germany. Eighty years after the end of the war, the film classic Hans-Jürgen Sieberberg voices their names and, with the help of Mozart and Brahms, performs a requiem for them, creating a space of remembrance and cross-border cultural solidarity.

OG Keemo faces his demons: An intense documentary about music, mental health, fatherhood, and a new album.

"Sometimes the ball is bewitched," says legendary soccer coach Rudi Gutendorf. He's the one who would know, after having coached 6 first division soccer teams in Germany alone and countless others in 38 countries around the world.

ECHTZEIT by Hellmuth Costard and Jürgen Ebert is a film like thoughts. About reality and the digitalized world. A film about Ruth and Georg, who may no longer exist. A film about "imaginary cameras", synthetic landscapes, about (flight) simulators and Pershing II.

There are large paintings showing views of houses wherever you look. Each house is meticulously outlined; at first glance, they all look the same. Sometimes they keep their distance from each other, sometimes they seem to float in the void. Combined in ever new arrangements, these houses seem strangely unlocalised. With stencil and brush, Johannes Kloosterhuis is already working on the next painting. Each house has its own story, but perhaps the idea of privately owned homes is an outdated ideal, he muses aloud.