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No Eastern cliché fits the small village of Wrodow in the state of Mecklenburg Vorpommern, about which Rosa von Praunheim filmed a documentary in the fall of 1999. No bitterness, no unemployment and no right-wing radicals, but instead 60 people full of joie de vivre and warmth. The people of Wrodow are proud of their castle, which was bought 6 years ago by a youth judge, his wife and the painter Sylvester Anthony from the West. It is the venue for opera balls, Venetian masked balls, modern exhibitions and concerts.

Documentary about the life and works of legendary Austrian actor Karl Merkatz.

For him, the accordion is like a box in which you can get an entire orchestra in order to always have it on your own. Dynamic portrait of the gifted and charismatic accordionist Martynas Levickis.

Short about Field Marshal Paul v. Hindenburg on the occasion of his 70th birthday on 02.10.1917.

Documentary short film.

World-renowned maestro Claudio Abbado opens up about his life and work in this profile that effectively combines images of the conductor in rehearsal and in concert and interviews with friends, colleagues and Abbado himself. The video includes footage of Bruno Ganz, Daniel Harding, Marcel Prawy, Albrecht Mayer, Wolfram Christ, Kolja Blacher, the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonics, the Lucerne Festival Orchestra and more.

More than twenty years after Vladimir Putin came to supreme power in Russia on May 7, 2000, Russian society is deeply divided. A young, modern generation opposes the growing repression by the regime, which still retains the support of many members of previous generations. Who are these ordinary citizens who dream of living in a different Russia? What price will they have to pay to achieve the freedom and justice they so desire?

Spanning the forests of Germany, Indonesia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, this layered essay in visual and political anthropology explores the diverse practices, tools, and motives behind timber exploitation

Helena Maksyom’s personal record of the war in Ukraine, filmed over more than a thousand days. When the invasion began, she was a filmmaker with no experience of combat. She volunteered, learned to treat the wounded, learned to fight, and, over time, became an officer leading others through the same fire that first consumed her.

Across the seasons, the film gives an account of life and work and the animals and visitors at Zurich Zoo, an institution that is one of the leading zoological gardens in Europe. Animals in their cages, humans in the cinema. What lies between them?

Instructions on how to make a Molotov Cocktail

A portrait of St. Pauli and its people.

Documentary about 41-year old Rüdiger Nehberg marching about 1000 kilometers from Hamburg in northern Germany to Oberstdorf in the south of Germany. Mainly living off his own body, he lost 25 pounds during his endeavor but gained on precious experiences.

An unlikely tourist group on a seaside vacation. A holiday spot in the low season as a backdrop for the stories, the protagonists’ inner journeys: once a year the Graz Advisory Centre for Mental and Social Concerns travels for one week to Kanegra, a resort in the north of Croatia. An unusual view on a holiday setting, on strangeness and on being a stranger.

Sir Simon Rattle was chief conductor of the Berliner Philharmoniker for 16 years, and the length of this time alone gives his tenure the feeling of an “era”. But also in a qualitative sense, this was a special chapter in the history of the orchestra. This is shown in Eric Schulz’s documentary, which traces the many highlights and achievements of Sir Simon’s Berlin years in interviews, concert excerpts and archive material. The relationship between upholding tradition and innovation is just as much a theme of this documentary as the collaboration between the conductor with his creative powers and his self-assured orchestra. And this much is certain: the fact that the British conductor quickly became one of the most recognizable faces of the Berliner Philharmoniker and the city of Berlin itself means that for them, the Rattle era will remain in the memory for many years to come.

Accompanies three soldiers that are trying to find a way back to life with the help of Equine Assisted Psychotherapy for PTSD. Where the conventional medicine is limited, Claudia Swiercek fills the gap with her horses.

Worn-down pavements, broken paving stones. Trees that jut out of the concrete, casting shadows on to crumbling façades. The centre of Tbilisi in the summer of 2013. Glimpses of side and main streets, over railings and under balconies, of an architectural cacophony. The voiceover spoken by Natja Brunckhorst reflects on the nature of streets and public spaces.

Several street children in Berlin talk about their daily life, referring not only to drug addiction and physical/traumatic injuries, but also to their talents and dreams.

Documentary musical essay on the topic of "Grenzwert". It was created in 72 hours.

Klaus Kinski has perhaps the most ferocious reputation of all screen actors: his volatility was documented to electrifying effect in Werner Herzog’s 1999 portrait My Best Fiend. This documentary provides further fascinating insight into the talent and the tantrums of the great man. Beset by hecklers, Kinski tries to deliver an epic monologue about the life of Christ (with whom he perhaps identifies a little too closely). The performance becomes a stand-off, as Kinski fights for control of the crowd and alters the words to bait his tormentors. Indispensable for Kinski fans, and a riveting introduction for newcomers, this is a unique document, which Variety called ‘a time capsule of societal ideals and personal demons.’

A documentary about the Staatsoper Stuttgart (Stuttgart State Opera) in Germany.

A 13-year-old Indian boy is found unconscious after being attacked in the jungle by the evil spirit Fayu Ujmu. A shaman attempts to ritually tame the spirit and advises the boy’s father to capture it. This story is based on a Chachi Indian legend; it was shot with indigenous inhabitants of the jungle community of Loma Linda, on the Rio Cayapas.

Documentary, trying to catch up with the latest developments in the field of communication.

Portrait on Marianne Rosenberg, underground icon Tabea Blumenschein dancing in the background.

A biography set in East and West Berlin in which singer-songwriter Bettina Wegner, born in 1947, sings about life in the GDR, her feelings of being uprooted in West Berlin, and looks back with humour and honesty on a life of resistance.

A documentary on the late East German rock singer Tamara Danz.

Knowledge is the Beginning is the story of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, where young Arabs and Jews perform and live side by side. It is a film about what music can do; the way it can transcend cultural barriers, bring people together, defeat prejudice and overcome religious and political differences. It also demonstrates the problems that crop up occasionally and how music can help people from different points of view find common ground. For Daniel Barenboim, founder of the ensemble, the orchestra is a symbol for what could be achieved in the Middle East.

Shortly after World War II, over 1,000 paintings were found in a cellar in southern France. The paintings were created by a young Jewish woman named Charlotte Salomon. She painted her turbulent life story in a unique creation called: ‘Life? Or Theater? – A Tri-Colored Operetta.’ Death and the Maiden unravels the story behind her creation.

A compilation of live performances from across Europe by the German electronicore band, Electric Callboy.

Tabu, a mythical tale shot in Tahiti, is yet another key to Ottinger’s cinema. Aloha is a dedication to Murnau, as well as Gauguin, Matisse and her other predecessors whose hearts and eyes had been enchanted by foreign cultures. By juxtaposing footage and outtakes from Tabu with scenes from her own films, the director creates a dialogue between fictional universes separated by time and space. A fish is caught by islanders in 1931 and eaten by pirates in Madame X forty years later. What is this film if not an ironic commentary on artistic legacy and succession?

Martha, a peasant woman expecting a child, experiences the fears typical of a woman in her condition. Encouraged by a neighbor, she decides to venture out into the world and join the working class fighting for a better future.

They are reclaiming their bodies and freely expressing their sexuality: Women musicians such as Rihanna, Cardi B, Liza Moet and Megan Thee Stallion are pushing the boundaries of female desire in pop culture just as Jane Birkin, Madonna and Donna Summer did in previous decades. A focus on sex positive popstars in contemporary culture.

A history of Nazi television programming and technology, from 1935 to 1944.

Television essay about Jean Renoir and his films, in which, among other things, the filming conditions of Partie de campagne are discussed.

An inspiring and provoking road trip through Germany between 2006 and 2009.

"Ich Bin Ein Berliner", Kennedy's pronouncement has passed into Legend and bears testimony to a period of exceptionally close German-American ties. A two hour documentary covering Kennedy's 1963 trip to the divided city of Berlin.

A double portrait of two dictators who were thousands of miles apart but were constantly fixated on each other.

Documentary portrait of a cheerful cook working at a Siberian oil mining camp.

Documentary about the region next to the river Memel.

How does dating and finding love work in an era where partnership has been radically redefined? All people share the yearning to connect and belong with others and the hope of experiencing genuine intimacy. Our three protagonists Sarah (Austria), Johanna (Germany) and Sampsa (Finland) search for love in very different ways and show that having faith in the most unusual of methods can open up undreamed of opportunities.

A look back at one of the biggest espionage cases of the post-war period, which in 1974 led to the resignation of West German Chancellor Willy Brandt.

A three-part documentary about four young men who were active members of the Zurich youth movement in the early 1980s and died tragically as a result of “accidents” with the involvement of the police. The exuberant Dani and Michi stole a motorbike to go on a joyride; a police car gave chase and caused their fatal crash. Renato, a young junkie raised in orphanages, was shot by the police while driving a stolen car. Max, an innocent bystander at a youth demonstration, was clubbed on the head by a police officer, and later died of complications caused by his head injuries. Taken together, these three incidents reflect the tense and violent atmosphere of the time and the conflict between repressive authority and a young generation desperate for freedom

John Irving's literary worlds are satirically exaggerated, socially critical, unexpectedly magical. But how do these dazzling, sometimes bizarre, narrative worlds emerge? A unique insight into his writing workshop and a search of the places and people who have become part of his stories.

The film reports on the development of the Berlin zoo. A sparrow tells the story of Berliners' love of animals. Many visitors seek joy and relaxation in the zoo every day. Above all, Berliners are happy that they created the park themselves.

For the members of the student fraternity "Corps Germania" it is a living democracy and a school for life - for outsiders, it is a claustrophobic, hierarchical microcosm with strict rules and strange rituals. What are these young men searching for?

A young woman's voice drifts among friends at a lakeside, where sunlight, water, and memory merge as she meditates on intimacy, desire, and the quiet urge to be free.

The film follows the daily life of the H. family; the footage shows the couple's workplaces, the daycare center, and their time at home.

The past 70 years in Switzerland as told from the perspective of a hidden minority: the history – and personal accounts – of lesbians, their relationships and international networks, their search for an identity and for meeting places. A narrative of their political struggle, masquerades and subculture in this country. Supplemented by well-known footage from films and television, the film portrays five women from different generations, giving us an insight into their lives and allowing us to see life “on the other side” in a different light.