Discoveries from Germany World Cinema

A woman (Maria Emo) cares for her older husband (Hugo Gottschlich) who makes his living smuggling things across the Tyrolian Mountains in this tragic drama. The police know the husband is up to no good but have been unable to catch him in the act. A young policeman (Sieghardt Rupp) is assigned in hopes of cracking the case, and the wife falls in love with the cop. When the husband discovers the two are in love, he picks up a knife and goes to fight the policeman for the woman he loves.

An encounter between a young nurse and her patient of the same age, Frida, on the border of professional distance and the desire for closeness.

Jonas's father expresses his enthusiasm about Conchita Wurst's victory at the Eurovision Song Contest 2014. Hence, his 18-year-old son works up the courage to come out as a homosexual and introduce his boyfriend to his parents unexpectedly, his father's euphoria about the tolerance and open-mindedness displayed at the Song Contest comes to a sudden end.

Angela works at an advertising agency and is engaged to her boss, Stefan. Their wedding is just around the corner. Unexpectedly, she meets the artist Peter, who introduces her to a whole new world. His life as an artist is full of adventure, romance, and fascinating stories. Angela begins an affair with him, but without calling off the wedding. Her double life soon leads to trouble.

The story opens with Bica, a solvent abusing waif, trying in vain to evade the Romanian police with her infant brother in tow. Separated from her sibling she is taken to Germany, concealed in the trunk of a car. There she is trained as a thief, picking the pockets of strangers to fill those of her patron. One of her victims is the separated father of Milka, a brat with razor sharp tongue. From this unlikely start a friendship forms and Bica gets a glimpse into a world of material security, if not emotional closeness...

Principal Gottlieb Taft's twin brother Gotthold Taft partakes in the most recent prank by faking his death and promising a large inheritance to the Mommsen-Gymnasium and the principal. Of course, the inheritance is tied to many embarrassing conditions.

With the young Friedrich Engel’s letters and drawings from the years between 1838 and 1842, a unique cinematic portrait is created. The viewer thus gets to know the young Engels personally, learning about the significant moments of his development from a bourgeois-liberal upbringing to the theoretical partner of Karl Marx. Later be awarded the Gold Dove at the International Leipzig Documentary and Short Film Week.

Study of the passengers of a steamship during a Mediterranean cruise. (uniFrance)

Director Hüseyin Tabak explores the legacy of Yilmaz Güney — political dissident, convicted murderer, and visionary Kurdish filmmaker — who directed the 1982 Palme d'Or–winning Yol from inside prison and died in exile just two years later.

Anger discusses his Aleister Crowley-inspired theories of art: How he views his camera like a wand and how he casts his films, preferring to consider his actors, not human beings but as elemental spirits. In fact, he reveals that he goes so far as to use astrology when making these choices. This is as direct an explanation of Anger’s cinemagical modus operandi as I have ever heard him articulate anywhere. It’s a must see for anyone interested in his work and showcases the Magus of cinema at the very height of his artistic powers. Fascinating. (Dangerous Minds)

In this film, outspokenly homosexual filmmaker Rosa von Praunheim has documented his encounters with friends in the New York "underground" arts movement, the better-known of whom are William Burroughs (who says nothing for the camera), Andy Warhol (seen in the distance) and Fernando Arrabal (who is interviewed in Spanish). The emigrants named in the title are notable Germans who left the country before World War II, such as Greta Keller and Grete Mosheim. Reviewers at the time of the film's release considered it to have been a sort of paid vacation for the filmmaker rather than a serious effort. (Clarke Fountain, Rovi)

Helene was tough as nails in her job. Not only defendants but also some of her colleagues are relieved that the unapproachable judge is finally retiring. One glass too many at the farewell party, a car accident and suddenly Helene's life is turned upside down. On the advice of her lawyer, she takes care of the young woman whose father was injured in the accident. With her spontaneous warmth, Michalina, who has Down's syndrome, appeals to a side of Helene that she herself no longer knows.

The relationship between the little half-orphan Florian and his father is very close. Nevertheless, Florian longs for a mother. He decides to help his father find a wife.

Linda is a teenage girl whose own insecurities and frustrations lead her to viciously act out against others. By inviting Linda‘s boyfriend to her birthday party, Susanne unknowingly sets off a chain of horrific events. Is Linda a product of environment and circumstance or was she simply (in her own mother’s words) “born evil”?

After plotting a way to get kicked out of boarding school, the twins diverge for the first time in their lives when Nanni starts enjoying her stay.

Because of a name mix-up, hair artist Burkharda Meier is hired as a singer on a dreamboat. At first, she sounds no better than a crybaby, but a few singing lessons, love affairs and minor murders later, she becomes an audience favorite as Nancy Meyer...

After fighting for their country in the Army, friends Chris and Johnny return to South London only to find their home town has changed beyond recognition. With no jobs the two join local gangs, work their way to the top and become feared hooligan bosses. The only thing that can top war, and threaten friendships, is money and power, but who will stand their ground and come out on top in the violent and bloody battle between North and South?

Hanna Forster is still waiting eagerly for the return of her husband Karl, who has been in Russian captivity for seven years. Hanna brought the family and joinery on her own through the war and post-war years. When Karl finally returns, Hanna is overjoyed, but luck does not last long. Heavily injured and traumatized, Karl finds it difficult to get used to everyday and family life again. To prevent the bankruptcy of the joinery, Hanna makes a momentous decision.

Greta Lund leads her own jazz band with charm and flair, but she’s not interested in romantic entanglements with her musicians. Then the popular trumpeter and singer Peter joins her band and falls in love with her. He tries in creative ways to convince her that musicians are real men after all. After a chaotic concert, a brawl, and a series of mix-ups, the two finally find their way to each other.

Leo the foreign legionnaire, Wilhelm the priest and Charly the brothel owner are unequal brothers. Wilhelm is determined to have Charly's brothel closed down. When Charly kidnaps Wilhelm to his brothel, he recognizes his brother - and promptly pretends to be him. And then Leo comes along as well.

East German-Syrian co-production about archaeological excavations in Syria.

Master hairdresser Karl Holzer has his own hairdressing salon, has been happily married to his wife Elsa for many years and his beloved granddaughter Nora also contributes to his idyllic life in a small German town. However, when his son Thomas, Nora's father, is suspected of having been involved in serious crimes with a right-wing terrorist background with his recently deceased childhood friend, Karl begins to doubt his ability as head of the family. Meanwhile, 15-year-old Anyá's life is also shaken: Anya's parents' right to stay has expired after 17 years and the family is to be sent back to Kosovo. Anyá is the only member of her family to manage to escape. While trying to get in touch with her parents, the girl meets Karl Holzer, who soon has a terrible suspicion...

Adaptation of Robert Walser's novel about a young man who enters an oppressive servant school.

The life of the successful publishing house manager Julia Berger is fully aligned with her job. This attitude not only suffers from the relationship of the career woman to the lawyer Fred, but also the contact with her family. However, one day, when her ten-year-old nephew, Stefan, whom she loves as her own son, suffers from cancer, Julia is forced to make a decision: should she assist her nephew, whose fragile mother is being treated in a mental hospital? Or should she push her career, which is currently at a crucial turning point?

A tourist guide in Naples is taken on by a Viennese woman impressed by his singing, and who regards him as her protege. This film was released as a German version and English Version known as "The City of Song". Brigitte Helm once portrays a beautiful femme fatale who displays her affection and lust for her tourist guide which is paralleled with the main bodied theme of the early romanticist songs played throughout.

Second-hand car sales man Willenbrock has everything that he could ever wish for. He is married, has two lovers, a cottage in the German city Grünen, and a BMW. Yet one day while at his cottage he gets mugged and his life is drastically changed. Little by little the world he once felt safe in falls apart around him.

Deniz returns to her hometown to attend her widowed mother's wedding. The anger, fear, and guilt she thought she'd left behind, resurface during the visit. As her mother leaves her the family house, a tragedy haunts her. She can't stop thinking about her father drowning at sea. Moreover, she feels her mother blames her and has abandoned her for it. She realizes she won't be able to move on like her mother unless she faces her problems head-on. Following a confrontation, Deniz accepts the past and takes a real step into adulthood. Sitting by the sea, she is at peace. The sea is no longer a threat but a sign of liberation. She jumps in.

After a restless night, Reiner's doorbell rings. In front of it stands Morten de Sarg, which is actually his death. To his amazement, he is unable to let Reiner die; instead, the doorbell rings again. Sophia has a date with her ex-boyfriend for his mother Lore's birthday. Together they set out on a journey that ultimately leads them to Reiner's seven-year-old son Johnny, whom he hasn't seen for ages - all under the strict supervision of God and Archangel Michaela.

The manufacturer Xaver Frey is forced into bankruptcy by his bank and decides to commit suicide in a sleeping car from Vienna to Venice. There he encounters the sleeping car attendant Horak, who is about to retire and who uses every legal and illegal means to prevent his suicide.

A borderline psychotic young man named Rahul is dangerously obsessed with college student Kiran. When Rahul realizes she's engaged to a naval officer, he vows to stop the wedding and possess her once and for all.

The enterprising but chronically indebted factory owner Gustav Mummelmann meets the supposedly wealthy Tyrolean innkeeper Mariele through a marriage advertisement. To fund the trip, he once again takes advantage of his nephew, the record producer Peter Weigand. Peter accompanies Gustav to Tyrol to escape his persistent girlfriend Marion-Madeleine, who is pressuring him to marry her.

An enlightening investigative report on Rosatom, Russia's powerful atomic energy agency and Vladimir Putin's formidable geopolitical tool for increasing his influence around the world.

When forest animals invade our cities, the world is in disarray. Office vixen Fiona struggles with her banana phone addiction. Will she succumb to it? Temperamental bunny Barbara only gives her stag sugar daddy Nestor his special massage, after he dines her and plays the big spender. This obscure short film pinpoints postmodern tropes of consumerism, eroticism, and art with an homage to the theater stage and references to literature. This work uses a fantasy language and needs no subtitles.

An extreme athlete falls while climbing and ends up living with a doctor who performs surgery on himself. He turns out to be an alcoholic who loses his medical license shortly thereafter. In her attempt to help him overcome his addiction, she loses touch with her friends.

The true story of a German agent sent to the USA in 1944 in order to stop the development of the atomic bomb.

The clumsy manager of a milk advertising company is suddenly treated with excessive friendliness by the people around him because they believe he has won a million dollars.

An illegal Polish worker on a building site falls from the scaffolding in the Ruhr region. Everyone wants to hush up the accident except the well-educated trainee.

Grace Ravenglass is the owner of Luckenham House, an estate in the picturesque Hudson Valley near the metropolis of New York. Grace is just about to break up her marriage and has to come to terms with her husband Edward moving out to be with his younger lover when she meets Ellie Summers. The young artist earns her living with commissioned drawings of private houses. She also offers her services to Grace. As different as the women seem, they like each other straight away. Grace understands how Ellie feels, having been left pregnant by her boyfriend, and offers her a place to stay at Luckenham.

It is about brawls, prostitution, a prison escapee, murder and manslaughter. The film wants to be documentary, the director himself appears as moderator and interviewer.

How is it possible that North Korea, one of the poorest countries on earth finances a nuclear weapons program large enough to challenge the USA? The answer: Bureau 39, a legendary organization nestled deep inside the government apparatus. Its aim is to procure foreign exchange by any means possible to provide Kim Jong-un’s regime with money.

Ex-judge Lena Kalbach has to represent a Catholic priest, of all people, in her first appearance as a lawyer. The priest Lukas Schloss has embezzled a large sum of money and is facing a prison sentence and expulsion from the church. However, Lena discovers that the young priest had good reasons for his illegal actions. The lawyer wants to help him, but it's a difficult task: her husband Friedrich, of all people, is representing the church in this sensitive matter. In this episode of the family series, Michaela May, alias Lena Kalbach, once again amazes viewers with a legitimate form of legal malpractice.

A train with all the passengers disappears in the subway. Sometimes the sound of a passing train can be heard in the tunnels, but no one sees it. A young mathematician develops a theory: because of the opening of a new line, the train has fallen into another dimension.

A new house in a new town could mean the beginning of a phase of domestic bliss for a small family. Nina, a doctor, has taken a few days off. Her husband Frieder is busy laying tiles, while their daughter Charlotte plays in her new room. But Nina is having her doubts; she stands about in the half-empty rooms, feeling thoroughly alienated. Suddenly, without saying a word, she decides to leave...

Laura and Clemens spend their holidays at the sea in Northern Germany. Laura is bored and invents a game: She pretends to be blind. Over the course of a few days the couple gets entangled in their lie, revealing the emptiness of their relationship.

Adaptation of Hermann Sudermann's novel about the troubled relationship between the strong willed Erdme and her irascible husband Jons in the Lithunian moors.

1986 - The protest movement against the construction of the nuclear power plant in Brokdorf is on its last legs. Only one rural commune remains: the "Alternative Wohnkollektiv Regenbogen". For them, it could go on and on with endless consensus discussions, shearing sheep and naked communal bathing. One day, the lowland communards are joined by two city dwellers, Hanne and her son Niels. While Hanne gets used to scream therapy and raising vegetables surprisingly quickly - and even more quickly to the tantra games with commune guru Peter - Niels has less and less desire for the dogmatic commune rules. Out of defiance, he joins the violent nuclear power plant resistance, thus upsetting the tranquil chaos of the commune. The big bang, however, comes when a reactor explodes in distant Chernobyl. Exactly on the day Bobby Ewing dies, the petroleum prince from "Dallas" and series favorite of the commune.

The first cinematic review after the fall of the Wall and the end of the GDR. In the context of a reunion of the "children of Golzow" on the 1st anniversary of German unity and their joint trip to Hamburg also a workshop report documenting the thirty-year history of the Golzow Chronicle from the new German situation as well as the thoughts and feelings, hopes, fears and objective changes in the lives of now already 13 portrayed.

A psychiatrist should assess the guilt of a woman abuser.

A young photographer has fallen in love with his girlfriend's sister, throwing the trio into chaos.

Berlin, 1948: Paralyzed and robbed of her memory, Fleur regains consciousness after a serious fall. The doctor treating her recognizes that her problem is of a psychological nature and encourages her to face up to her past. The daughter of a brothel owner is reluctant to look back: on a hapless childhood, her relationships with bon vivant Dr. Goldner and the politically committed locksmith Philipp (Hilmar Thate) as well as the difficult period of fascism... This exciting journey into the German past is based on Dinah Nelken's novel "Das angstvolle Heldenleben einer gewissen Fleur Lafontaine".