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On April 9, 1938, the 1st Mountain Division was formed in Garmisch-Partenkirchen and quickly grew to a strength of 20,000 men. At the beginning of the Russian campaign on 22 June 1941, the "Edelweiss Division" ran into a buildup of 122 Red Army divisions with over 10,000 tanks and 91 air squadrons on the southern front alone. In the toughest of battles, the mountain troops fought their way to the summit of Mount Elbrus - the highest mountain in the Caucasus! - and set military as well as alpinistic standards of almost superhuman performance. In moving eyewitness accounts, illustrated by gripping original footage, the triumphant march and ordeal of the 1st Mountain Division from June 1941 to December 1942 is traced under the leadership of the renowned British book and film author.

Slovakia lies in the heart of Europe. What natural treasures the small country holds, what spectacular nature and what peculiarities of flora and fauna, it is told in "Wild Slovakia".

In the middle of the Indian Ocean, more than 1.500 km from the nearest continent, lies an untouched, mysterious archipelago – the Chagos Islands. This group of 60 islands is one of the last pristine wildernesses on Earth. The Chagos Archipelago is one of the world’s largest marine national parks, and is strictly protected. A scientific expedition has been granted access to this politically disputed territory for the first time. In times of climate change, as global reef communities face a growing crisis, the researchers seek to show how coral reefs fare in places with minimal human interference. During a journey into the unknown, we follow in the footsteps of internationally renowned scientists, who aim to unlock the secrets of a lost world and gain astonishing insights into one of the last true wildernesses on Earth.

With "Emil and the Detectives" Erich Kästner is revolutionizing children's book literature. In the Weimar Republic, he quickly rose as an editor, writer and screenwriter. His books were burned in 1933. Nevertheless, he does not emigrate, published under a pseudonym and abroad. In the post-war period, Kästner was a moral authority. But he can no longer build on his previous success, gets caught up in love affairs and fights his frustration with alcohol. Until his death in 1974, he struggled with the decision not to go into exile. The documentary drama takes a new look at Kästner's picture.

Kriegsende (War’s End) was produced in 1991, immediately after the collapse of the Soviet Union under the working title Russians in Berlin. The film was shot two years after the fall of the Berlin Wall between October 1991 and March 1992 in the eastern and western parts of Berlin. Filming took place around the former Soviet garrison in Potsdam, at the Wünsdorf headquarters, in one of the retreating Red Army’s military trains, at the Soviet border in Brest and along the Oder-Neisse line at the Seelow Heights.

You only die once. A film about the life of a corpse.

Yellowstone National Park is the oldest national park in the world. It contains the largest number of geysers and hot springs in the world. The park is known worldwide for the diversity of its species: it is home to herds of bison, bears, deer and many more fascinating species. Along with its amazing fauna and flora, the national park offers an insight into the history of Earth s formation. It takes visitors to an era when the free play of volcanos and forces of nature were shaping the world. Come with us and experience in pictures the unique beauty of one of the last paradises on our planet. This film was made with the most up-to-date 4K Ultra HD technology which presents you with a fabulous spectacle.

What actually happens to our plastic waste after we throw it in the recycling garbage can? Plastic pollution is becoming an ever greater problem worldwide. The film asks the question: Who earns from the plastic crisis?

What happens at a fox den when no one is watching? To authentically capture the first steps of young foxes outside their den, wildlife explorer David Cebulla spends days and weeks waiting for hours on end in his blind. This dedication provides an unusually deep insight into the life of a wild fox family. However, while David becomes one with his surroundings in a ghillie suit, the project is constantly at risk of failing due to the unpredictable rhythm of nature. Diseases among the cubs and sudden changes in weather threaten the small family.

A German Film Award gold medal winning short documentary.

Dutch pop singer and actor Bruce Low talks about his school days.

This documentary explores the diverse key players contributing to the success of the second-largest film industry in the world: Nigeria's Nollywood.

What lies hidden beneath Moscow? Subway palaces full of Soviet propaganda, Stalin's magnificent bunkers, centuries-old river systems. For decades, there have been repeated clues, cryptic statements and hints about Moscow's underground. The cinematic search for clues shows Stalin's command bunker and the government object GO-42, a headquarters of the Soviet military during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. A residential house with potted plants and curtains was built over GO-42 as camouflage. Until the end of the Cold War, specially trained soldiers took care of the bourgeois residential charm and turned on the lights in the evening while 2,000 people threatened the world around the clock with intercontinental missiles. The documentary also shows encounters with the illegal explorers of these complex transportation and housing systems, the Diggers.

Documentary about German town Demmin where hundreds of people commited suicide at the end of WWII.

Tracing the past of her deceased grandfather who worked as a young doctor in the Red Cross hospital of HirSwiss-Japanese filmmaker Aya Domenig, the granddaughter of a doctor on duty during the 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima, approaches the experience of her deceased grandfather by tracing the lives of a doctor and of former nurses who once shared the same experience. While gathering the memories and present views of these last survivors, the nuclear disaster in Fukushima strikes and history seems to repeat itself.oshima after the atomic bomb was dropped over the city, the filmmaker encounters doctors and nurses who went through similar experiences to his at the time. Right up until his death in 1991, her grandfather was never able to speak about his experiences, but the formidable stories and openness of her protagonists bring her closer to his past.

On August 4th, 2020, the catastrophic explosion at the port of Beirut leaves a large part of the Lebanese capital in ruins. In the midst of the chaos, a troubled film crew face an overwhelming decision: to continue the production of their movie or abandon it? As they face the aftermath of the catastrophe, they are torn between their firm belief in the transformative power of cinema and a deep sense of cynicism about its ability to effect change in a nation plagued by economic turmoil and societal collapse. Dancing on the Edge of a Volcano chronicles their struggles and highlights the crew's resilience as they strive to find meaning and purpose in their work amidst the devastation.

Germany, November 1992. In a racist attack, three of İbrahim Arslan’s family members perish in a fire. Thirty years later, İbrahim discovers thousands of letters of solidarity, forgotten in the city archive. We accompany the family as they navigate their profound trauma.

In February 1971, a majority of Swiss men finally granted women equal political rights. However, eight cantons were still unable to bring themselves to take this step, including three cantons with a long tradition in Switzerland.

An insight into the economic life and beauty of the city of Hamburg.

When the Congo became independent in 1960, clashes between rival groups ensued. White mercenaries with war experience are also involved in the conflicts. They include Germans who, under the leadership of the former Wehrmacht officer Siegfried Müller, brutally attack the black population. After the "Stern" reporter Gerd Heidemann had uncovered the machinations, the GDR filmmaker Walter Heynowski made a politically motivated documentary about Siegfried "Kongo Müller". Now Siegfried Ressel has reconstructed the story of the German mercenaries and the propaganda argument about their use.

Three Ukrainian girls break into the model business, a South African bachelor prepares for his shinto wedding and a priest from Finland runs for election… Just a few protagonists of the new documentary film by German director Veit Helmer. Japan was closed for foreigners until 1853. Now people from all over the world move to Tokyo to explore Japanese culture. Japanese meet foreigners with curiosity and anxiety. The film observes how foreigners struggle to make a living in a totally different society.

Documentary about German communist Max Hoelz (1889-1933).

Alexandra Stimmer, Dora Zinger, Liesel Binzer, Aviva Goldschmidt, and Abraham Rozen - were children or teenagers during the Holocaust. How can their stories about surviving the Holocaust be preserved? A theatre project by Frankfurt pupils attempts exactly this: to bring something virtually unspeakable to the stage.

Why does Doris Dörrie have a bag on her head in the interview? Consistent in the sense that in her works she always poses the question of how we want to be perceived. Dörrie takes us through the most important stages of her life, her films, her work as a mentor and teacher, and also addresses existential themes: Identity, motherhood, her role as a woman. And she talks openly about fears, setbacks and crises, such as the untimely death of her partner and cameraman Helge Weindler. "Shut up and breathe", the advice of a Tibetan lama, carries her through life - even beyond the screen.

This is the story of a vegetable garden, from the first seeds to the harvest. But this garden is different, because here the gardener has decided to banish pesticides and other chemicals, and to be helped only by discreet workers, the insects. As we dive into the heart of this plant kingdom, we discover thousands of tiny lives that organize themselves as in a micro-society: decomposing insects, recyclers, pollinators, the workers of the garden work to maintain a fragile balance within the vegetable garden. As the plants grow and begin to produce their first vegetables, the incredible interactions between insects and plants help protect the future harvest. But it is also their personal stories that punctuate the life of the garden. Between parades, mutual aid and attempted putsch, the story of the vegetable garden thus takes the form of a true nature tale.

Sketches from a store cashier's everyday life.

Giefer documents the International Vietnam Congress, which took place on February 17 and 18, 1968 in the Audimax of the Technical University of Berlin (TU). With his photographs of the counter-demonstration, which was organized on 21 February 1968 under the slogan "Berlin stands for freedom and peace" on John-F.-Kennedy-Platz in Berlin-Schöneberg, Giefer also shows the counter-movement.

Queen rearing is one of the most important areas of beekeeping. After explaining the breeding objectives, the three most common methods for rearing queen bees are described: Breeding in the queenless colony; breeding via the pre-brood box; breeding via starter and finisher. Special attention is also paid to the selection and presentation of the breeding material, selection and preparation of the care colony, controlled mating and the safe introduction of queens into the colonies.

The film shines a light onto federal chancellor Angela Merkel and her now ending 16-year-long tenure. An era, not an episode. And a vagarious relationship history between the chancellor and the Germans. Who has changed whom here?

Lauded artist-filmmaker Heinz Emigholz (Schindler's Houses) offers an exquisite excursus on the work of pioneering French architect Auguste Perret, including privileged views of his innovative concrete structures in Algeria and such magnificent landmarks as Paris' Art Deco Théâtre des Champs Elysées. (TIFF)

The German producer Bernd Eichinger talks about his career.

Wundbrand is a document of war and life. Through images, conversations and sound collage, the film reveals the reality of the destruction of Sarajevo and its inhabitants.

Germany's first Open Source movie. A gonzo style documentary.

Approximately 4 million people in Germany have a brother or sister who is chronically ill or disabled. They have to deal with issues such as responsibility, renunciation and loss much earlier than their peers. Their reality is fundamentally different from that of other children and adolescents. Quietly observing and with great respect for all family members, the film approaches the different life realities of such siblings and depicts their everyday lives.

Dark Rooms is an exploration of human psychology through the prism of sexuality. The viewer and two other participants are invited to explore four inner spaces, each one a private, intimate story told and co-created by real people. A unique, embodied experience, guiding the users step by step into the heart of human desire and the shadows it casts. Dark Rooms is a sensory, site-specific and immersive installation that confronts the audience with their own bias and boundaries, exposing our deepest longings and the forces that may shape our sexual identities.

Energie Cottbus, a small soccer club from the periphery of the republic, got promoted to the first division of the Bundesliga. Everyone was sure: They will get relegated immediately again! But everything turned out differently! The underdog club gave Cottbus — which was to many only known from scare stories about lack of prospects and unemployment – joy, hope, and pride. The film looks behind the scenes and shares the thrill of the people for the finale of the season.

Douglas speaks about some of the stars he has directed, like Asta Nielsen, Lili Dagover, Zarah Leander, George Sanders, Signe Hasso, Barbara Stanwyck, Jane Wyman, and many others.

A look at the current state of the world, from the hand of six intellectuals and scientists who reflect on the present and postulate about the future.

A documentary essay on the 1960s women's liberation movement in Germany and it's developments and conflicts through the following decades.

Between Dorothy Lange and Walker Evans, a realistic and sensitive snapshot of the 1965 rural world in the South of West Germany.

A docu-fiction re-imagining of the Cologne school shooting in the 1960s.

Portraits six lesbian protagonists from rural and metropolitan parts of the formerly socialist Republic and has them tell their captivating and sometimes outrageous life stories.

Short film about the formation and extraction of petroleum

Fairy tales are never just fairy tales. They shape how we think about power, inequality, and society. This film reveals what lies behind the colorful facade.

On June 26, 1813, Austrian Foreign Minister Klemens von Metternich went to meet Napoleon Bonaparte at his headquarters in Dresden, in the Kingdom of Saxony. Although the French emperor still dominated Europe, the disastrous Russian campaign had sapped his military power. Could France continue to count on Austria's support? A nine-hour private meeting would decide the fate of Europe.

One week each year Iranians stay out all night. Women abandon legal curfews. Men weep. Communities gather to mourn their saint's death, ask that wishes be granted, give thanks for prayers answered. While this week showcases Iran's most restrictive religious elements, it offers openings for this culture's most intimate connections. Is a change in the perception of love inherently political because it affects individuals and their view of the world? As we follow three couples negotiating love, we learn freedom is not what we assume it is and love is more than we imagine it to be.

A family who emigrated to Germany, escaping from Nicolae Ceausescu's dictatorship in Romania, recalls a world without opportunities or hope for the future, of ever-present fear and a constant struggle for survival. They look back on what made them exchange their home for the promise of freedom in an uncertain future.