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This film addresses the emotional absence of parents in a digitalized world. Inspired by Edward Tronick's scientific "still face" experiment, it shows how children are suddenly left alone in shared moments—not physically, but emotionally. Adults disappear behind glass panes, symbolic of smartphone screens, into their own reality, while children desperately seek attention.

This production from Regensburg observes stone sculptures as they are created and in turn creates a sound sculpture from these images.

What if an old clock could show us our memories? An elderly woman finds it. And soon even the king knows about it...

A chance find at the flea market: an old football-fan vest, covered with the patches and slogans of the football team SV Darmstadt. To whom did it once belong? Moreover, what is behind the phenomenon? Those colourful, never-washed denim frocks worn by rock fans at heavy metal concerts or football fans in sports stadiums? A good-humoured road trip exploring passion, rivalry, and belonging.

How do historical revisionism and negationism work today? The film examines this question using the example of the peace statues for the "comfort women" of World War II—victims of human trafficking—which are to be removed from public spaces. It is a rarely told story of decades of revisionism and worldwide resistance. The victims were mostly poor women and girls whose stories were long ignored. Can denial and erasure completely wipe out the past? Will the truth remain hidden forever, or will it be replaced by an idealized past?

A dream in a dream in a dream.

In Between the Waves Charlotte Ming examines the narratives of German colonial rule in her hometown Qingdao, reaching into personal and historical recollections, interwoven with her own migration experience in Berlin.

A building collapses in Mumbai, tenants film the ruins of their apartments. Cinema switches from celluloid to digital, veterans lament the loss of their craft. A candy store causes traffic jams and is demolished. On a soap opera set, 200 crew members watch as a leopard kills a stray dog.

Until his retirement, Irakli worked as a neurologist in a hospital in the valley. Only then did he return to the mountains in Tusheti and become a mountain doctor. Since then, he and Bitschola have saved 51 lives. In winter, when the shepherds move down into the valley with their sheep, there are hardly any people left in Tusheti. But even the few who remain need a doctor. Irakli perseveres and is there for them. "Sometimes I envy the wolves," he says. "They run in pairs. And I'm alone here in the snow." But as long as the 81-year-old can still mount his horse, he will continue to do so.

Interviews with the last living contemporary witnesses of the Nazi era, focusing on those who were involved at the time, the followers and accomplices of the regime. Almost no one from this generation ever spoke about that time after 1945; in German families, the subject was taboo—the unspoken.

In Kazakhstan, every house is protected by a guarding spirit called Domovoi. When the family leaves the house, it accompanies them. But when the family is separated, the ghost haunts them night after night in their dreams, always present, always protective. Childhood memories and family biography interweave in a magical, mystical atmosphere. A lot is gone and passed, while the garden remains as a silent witness to these stories.

The same circumstances led three people to flee: they are Russian and queer. But their experiences in exile in Germany could not be more different. David longs for community, Evgeniy struggles with professional and language barriers, while Sanya experiences the feeling of being normal for the first time. The film accompanies the three protagonists in a kaleidoscope of memories, belonging, and the future.

In Mother’s Letter, Sylvia Schedelbauer evokes her mother’s perspective. Drawing from her family archive, the film addresses the complexities of the mother-daughter relationship, often defined by unspoken tensions and unresolved histories. These dynamics are further explored within the context of mixed heritage between Japan and Germany, where differing life experiences shape their connection. These complexities unfold through a delicate interplay of fragmented images, archival material, and evocative soundscapes. Schedelbauer’s distinct formal approach, a meticulous choreography of light, texture, and rhythm, invites the viewer into the layered emotional terrain of their relationship, which, like personal history and cultural identity, is shaped by time and memory.

Two sisters reconstruct the memories of their Ukrainian-born grandmother, who was sentenced to forced labor in the Soviet Union as a national traitor. In conversation with their mother, a dialog between three generations about war, expulsion, motherhood and loss emerges.

A man’s voice from offscreen. He lists individual words, has problems of articulation. At first these are abstract terms, the screen stays black. Sky, street, village and house, however, are accompanied by suitable images. They take us into the speaker’s life. It is his house. These are his automatic shutters. We look into the kitchen where his wife is preparing something. He exercises in a specially equipped room. Later he sits in front of the microphone again, obviously recording his voice to preserve it. Another dimension opens between the recorded words and sentences and beyond the images. There is an inevitability in the room – and a great love. The robot vacuum makes its rounds. Who will put the words stored on the computer into a meaningful context later?

As a nun, Elisabeth‘s faith is unshakeable. But shortly before taking her final vows, a love from her youth reappears, stirring memories of the past and long-buried desires. Now Elisabeth must choose: will she devote her life to the convent, or is love more important after all?

Environmental disasters, pollution, war. No wonder the alien doesn't want to stay on Earth. Off to new planets!

What happens when we can no longer agree on a collective reality, when the line between truth and delusion blurs? When Emma introduces her boyfriend, who is invisible, to her parents, the dinner escalates, and Emma realizes that she must choose between two realities.

House With a Voice tells the story of six Burrneshas who, for different reasons, have decided to take on the social role of men. They have done this to circumvent patriarchal structures, to avoid misogynistic attacks, to support the family economically, to avoid compelled marriage and to be free. Our characters communicate with us intimately as they talk about their lives and bring us closely into their personal journey. They speak about freedom and oppression, about the promise of sacrificing their lives for the sake of their families’ survival. But also about the breaking of gender barriers and the power of the human mind to decide who we want to be.

Spiritbox live at Rock am Ring Festival - June 8th 2025 - Nürburgring, Germany. Fata Morgana // Black Rainbow // Perfect Soul // Jaded // The Void // Secret Garden // Circle With Me // Holy Roller // Sew Me Up // Soft Spine // No Loss, No Love // Ride The Wave // Cellar Door

A serene young man works at a hotline for people with heartbreak.

With his film "Serengeti Shall Not Die," Bernhard Grzimek became an icon of nature conservation. But his commitment also meant the loss of homeland for the indigenous Maasai people. This documentary tells the story of his moving legacy and the question: How can we protect nature in the future without further displacing indigenous communities?

Four friends dare to have a sleepover in school by sneaking in at the night before their holidays. When hearing the news that their school is posessed they first choose not to believe it.

A short documentary film.

Between Before and After is a 56-minute performative film inspired by Lina Kostenko’s Berestechko and the war dreams of Ukrainians. Moving between myth and reality, it follows figures such as Bogdan Khmelnytsky, Ukraine, The Witch, The Child, the Refugees, and The Artist, each searching for Ukraine. Through a mythopoetic language, the film reflects on history, war, and cultural memory, offering a poetic meditation on identity, loss, and resilience.

Over a hundred years ago, the Dadaist Kurt Schwitters wrote the enigmatic love poem "An Anna Blume" - a poetic blend of romance, comedy, and absurdity whose addressee remains unknown to this day. In 2023, a young Hamburg film crew brings the famous poem to the screen in a fresh, creative film adaptation, inviting viewers to rediscover Anna Blume.

The mayor of Oberarschenberg collects welcome gifts for a refugee family in a box. Unfortunately, not everyone in the village is as welcoming to the refugees as the mayor would like. The carpenter entrusted with building the box maliciously hides a bomb under a false bottom. The mayor carries the box through the village and asks for gifts for the new arrivals—sometimes with more success, sometimes with less.

Neuleben in Mecklenburg-West Pommerania, near the Wakenitz River, 1973. The workday is over, and 21-year-old Willi and his friends spontaneously decide to “go over”. A life-threatening adventure in which he leaves a lot behind – including his girlfriend, Renate. They don't see each other again until years later.

In her essayistic documentary film, Katrin Esser stages the story of her mother, who suffers from Alzheimer's disease. The course of the illness is told from two perspectives: that of the Polish caregiver Violetta and that of the daughter. They take turns recounting their experiences, the limits of care, excessive demands, working conditions, exploitation within the system, and death. The only filming location is the apartment, which alternates between living space, museum, and crime scene. Esser's staging reveals layers of memory and shows that remembering and forgetting are very individual processes.

When religious-patriarchal dogmas take precedence over women's right to self-determination: the documentary takes a critical look at the consequences of a merger between two hospitals in Flensburg.

In the early 1990s, undercover informant Ronny infiltrates a right-wing extremist cell. But when he realizes the state’s inaction, he begins to doubt his mission. To prevent an imminent attack and force the authorities to respond, he pushes the group toward further radicalization, bringing himself dangerously close to the very thing he was meant to fight.

The promotion of Sorbian culture is increasingly encountering political resistance. One woman speaks out.

After a hard day at work, all Arnold wants is to sink into the comfy couch and get lost in a good book. His peaceful evening suddenly spirals out of control as his craving for peace is drowned by his guilty conscience and a whole lot of meowing. So… who’s going to save Arnold’s evening? And more importantly - who’s going to save this annoying cat?

Nawal moved to Berlin from the West Bank to establish a life away from occupation, leaving behind her mother, an Israeli activist living in the West Bank. A meditation on daughterhood, motherhood and complex inheritance, the film explores the legacies of resistance passed down between Neta and Nawal at a moment of immense turmoil.

A short film about…

How do you face the unknown? 8-year-old deaf Ron fears his first camping trip. His mother comforts him with a story about 'Eddie the Camper,' a friendly forest monster. Despite her efforts, Ron’s fear lingers. After falling asleep, he awakens in a surreal forest and meets you, as Eddie. Together, you embark on an adventure, but there’s a barrier: Ron can’t hear, and you don’t know sign language. In this 25-minute VR journey, you’ll join Ron, learn to communicate, and navigate the forest together.

DESIRE is a non-chronological collage constructed from a corpus of materials drawn from the genre of melodrama. The work, grounded in the practice of decoupage, spans approximately three decades—from 1932 to 1958—and includes titles from the United States, Argentina, Great Britain, Finland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, and Spain.

This short poetry film combines 3D modeling, digital animation, and performance. The artist scanned herself to let her avatar perform in her stead. The 3D models are studies of organic shapes, while the textures are taken from ornamentally collaged videos of flowers, plants, fruits and vegetables. The background is composed of astro images, adding to a hint of mysticism. The poem is an ironic love poem: Every organism with a cell nucleus is descended from the same eukaryote.

A white whale once appeared on the banks of the Rhine; eventually it disappeared in the hustle and bustle of people. When I arrived at Duisburg Zoo with my camera, I began to look at this place differently, while the traces of the past gradually faded away like the sound of the waves.

After his family's deadly accident, Ben is in free fall.

Dreaming Is Not Sleeping is an introspective essay film exploring the relationship between memory, existence, and time, narrated by a spectral voice drifting through ancient ruins. The film contemplates perception, clairvoyance, and whether the present can be seen through the lens of memory, blurring the lines between past, present, and future. As the voice moves through decaying structures, it reflects on human impermanence and defiance of time. Vignettes of past lives illustrate universal human experiences. The film concludes by pondering existence, consciousness, and humanity’s drive to create meaning amidst an indifferent universe, challenging viewers to reflect on their own place in time and memory.

The empire of high-powered executives unravels after a shocking public assassination linked to their unethical practices. As tensions rise and personal fears take over, past decisions come back to haunt them in unpredictable ways.

The director stages her grandmother, who always provides food for the family, as a pop star. Kimchi is of the utmost importance to her.

In a dystopian future, a German journalist is deported to Nigeria under a fascist regime's "remigration pact." There, he struggles against a dehumanizing bureaucracy and, in his desperate attempt to reach his family in Ghana, must grapple with the limits of pride and morality.

The death of a loved one sometimes comes unexpectedly. The sudden death of his mother has left Paul adrift, with a feeling of great emptiness. Trapped between the past and the present, he undertakes a trip to his old home. It is a painful fall into an abyss, and a way to let go.

The traces of three characters, Maria, Daniel, and Jackpot, can be read like an experimental coming-of-age film. What effects do intergenerational traumas have on the psyche, on desire, on the formation of our identity?

What does homesickness taste like? In her found footage self-portrait, Jisu Kim outlines her search for the origin of sadness. No diagnosis strengthens the patient; rather, it is the question that does so: What helps when the diagnosis will never bring a cure?

Omar struggles with his self-esteem when Lina's ex Fabian returns and humiliates him. He takes up boxing to gain confidence. In the decisive fight, Omar realizes that true happiness and self-esteem do not depend on Lina, but on self-respect and his own strength.

Bound by responsibilities, we fill ourselves out piece by piece.