Discoveries from Germany World Cinema

German TV movie

The wife of the Düsseldorf Police Council Rainer Bachmann is kidnapped. While trying to save his mother Monika, the adult son is shot dead. His widow Nicola desperately seeks support.

The US writer Henry Miller (1891-1980), scandalous and nonconformist creator, hated by the most recalcitrant puritans, was a vilified genius, considered a threat, accused of being a sexist, of consciously pursuing the destruction of every civic principle; but he was also someone venerated as a saint, as a sex guru; and today as one of the most important characters of the twentieth century.

Lehar's The Land of Smiles touches the heart as it provides unforgetable melodies from start to finish. There are no weak links in the cast. Too often, we think of operetta as musical fluff, tired cliches, and obligatory dance scenes when things start slowing down. Not so in this classic operetta. We feel the pain of loss suffered by the two main characters, who make their roles natural and believable. There is more to this work than "Yours Is My Heart Alone." There is dramatic consistency and people you find yourself caring about as much as the music, the costumes, and the colorful sets.

The wife of the English consul in British-occupied Egypt at the turn of the century falls in love with a French foreign legionnaire, and her husband takes advantage of this to spy on secret plans for an uprising instigated by the French. An action by the French in the desert is then bloodily suppressed by the English. The legionnaire survives, but he cannot forgive the woman who loves him for the fact that many of his comrades have died as a result of her betrayal.

The naive 18 year old Dobrila leaves her little Serbian village to travel to Hamburg, Germany, where her boyfriend lives. The trip is not easy. Finally in Hamburg she has to realize her boyfriend is not very interested in a relationship. She doesn't tell him she's pregnant and starts on her way home to Serbia, which turns out to be even more exhausting.

When the wife of a crime boss is accidentally killed, the hit man who was hired to protect the remote house in which she was living tries to keep her death under wraps. Fearing vengeance from the gangster, he's soon locked in a fight for survival.

A bodyguard who is supposed to protect a world-class tennis player from her violent uncle and ex-manager is confronted with the kidnapping of his charge and is subjected to a rollercoaster of emotions as he falls in love with the athlete.

They were, at best mocked or ridiculed, at worst incarcerated, tortured, or even beheaded. But they would not be deterred. For decades ten thousands of women in Germany, Great Britain, in France, the U.S. and many other countries fought for their right to vote. Some used the institutions, others turned into media savvy politicians, and still others turned to terrorism, went on hunger strike, or died as martyrs. 100 years later we tell a multi-perspective and emotional story of the international fight, against all odds, for women’s suffrage as an important step towards equal rights.

Unofficial Germany-produced spin-off of the popular "Faces of Death" series, not to be confused with "Faces of Death V", the official fifth installment in the series.

Jan Hinrichs is an experienced ship and salvage inspector. After the bankruptcy of his last employer, however, he is not above working as a simple diver. The widower has two children to support and soon a third eater is on board, as his daughter Lena is pregnant. The only problem is that Hinrichs is 55 and, in the eyes of the shipowners, too old for this job that requires bones and fitness. And so he pretends to be 10 years younger at a job interview. He falsifies his diving book and gets himself a fake passport. The world wants to be deceived. Now things are suddenly working out: Hinrichs does his job, he does it well and his boss is happy with him - for the time being.

Ingeborg starts her new job at the hospital. Her boss is the venerable Professor Burger, a famous heart surgeon who devotes himself entirely to his work. His son, womanizer Manfred, is an assistant doctor on the same ward. After an affair between Ingeborg and Manfred, the father sends his son away and dismisses Ingeborg, unaware that she is expecting Manfred's child. She gives birth in secret. Only when Manfred has a car accident and the father saves his son's life in a costly operation is there a reconciliation at his bedside.

One evening, the once successful architect Helmut is tired of the recession giving no jobs, he gets the idea of robbing a bank. He recruits members of his golf club that are not paying their fees.

In the last years of his life, Bavarian king Ludwig II (1845 – 1886) devotes himself to ambitious architectural projects, which strain the state coffers to the extreme. The monarch, who is afraid of people, also withdraws more and more into a dream world at his various castles. His brother is already in a psychiatric institute and Ludwig is also eventually put under the care of psychiatrist Bernhard von Gudden. The king attempts to get out from under this guardianship at Starnberg lake…

Celebrated violinist David Garrett gives an unforgettable concert at the ancient theatre in Taormina, Sicily with a selection of rearranged works by Dvorak, Saint-Saëns, Schumann, Vivaldi and Fritz Kreisler.

In a world where humanity counts for nothing, a man has lost his value for society and is therefore to be transformed into an uncaring artificial intelligence.

1905: Heinrich Vogeler is celebrated as the star of German Jugendstil. But self-doubt increasingly torments him. In search of new inspirations he moves to the First World War and returns as a changed man.

Micha has disappeared! The talented 17-year-old son of unemployed construction manager Klaus Aßmann and his wife Anne refused to go to school. Despite his many talents, he saw no point in getting his high school diploma. After a bitter argument with his father, Micha has now vanished without a trace. Klaus and Anne Aßmann turn to the police.

An international gang of gun dealers in the USA has stolen the prototype of a laser rifle from a German laboratory. The FBI agent Cormoran is being sent to recover the state-of-the-art and highly effective weapon. But there are some indications that he has defected to the enemy. Since agent 007 is currently on another mission, the chief of intelligence has to fall back on his second best man, the previous number 006. And so the German secret agent John Krim is given the assignment to get the rifle back, find evidence of Cormoran’s treachery and finally eliminate the colleague. Krim’s journey takes him across the ocean, and there he experiences incredible adventures in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Two women get in his way, and Krim can’t be sure whether he can trust them or whether they too are working for the other side.

Admiral Dagobert von Kattnig develops a rescue system for the German Navy. The mountain troops are to test the device in Upper Bavaria and Dagobert sends his son and his staff boatman there. Instead of testing the device, however, the two marvel at the cozy country life. When an inspection is due, the mountain troops are fortunately mistaken and escape the initial chaos. But when they all meet up, chaos is inevitable.

All men are under lovely Maritza's spell.Tired of working for the old woman Yelina, who forces her to cajole customs officials to help the smugglers, she flees and finds work at Mrs. Avricolos' farm. Mostly lost, one reel survives.

Think of a really nice person, a friend of yours, someone who could never hurt a fly. Imagine finding out that he is supposed to have killed someone. You're told that he has shot a person in a bar, for no obvious reason. He has already confessed. He says the murder was planned. He expects a life sentence. He even longs for it. He wants to pay for his crime. The psychiatrist cannot see any mental illness. People around him don't think him to be evil. They like him. They want to help him and protect him from himself. And they all ask the same question: Why....?

Historical television comedy around Friedrich Alfred Krupp, whose connection to the imperial court and the influence of Kaiser Wilhelm II. to the Krupp family. Not yet 50 years old, the "cannon king" dies in 1902. The emperor holds a memorial speech sown with threats against the "inner enemies". Telltale secret files emerge, strange amorous adventures are in the game.

Despite the fact that production manager Kruse doesn't have the actors or the crew for the job, he recklessly boasts that he could direct a revue film. To prevent him losing face, Kruse brings together four people - a dramaturg, a composer, a writer and an architect - and gives them the thankless task of turning his idea into a film. Except for the relatively unknown composer Alexander Ritter, who is enthusiastically committed to the project, the other members of the team find themselves stuck in this mess.

Taking place around the German reunification of 1990, a group of East Germans cross the border to visit West Germany and get slaughtered by a psychopathic cannibal family who want to turn them into sausages.

Old scholar realizes he has wasted his life in vain trying to find a deeper meaning of life. He sells his soul to the devil to get a second chance at life.

An alien from the planet Algol gives a man a device that creates enough energy to power the entire world.

A young black man is verbally harassed by an older woman on a streetcar, while the other passengers remain silent. He finally exacts his revenge.

For almost 30 years, bookseller Jordan has lived and worked in a neighborhood in Berlin that has become a social hotbed. As Jordan witnesses a teenager brutally beating up an older man, he intervenes and files a complaint - with unimaginable consequences ... Director Dror Zahavi ("Everything for my father", "My life - Marcel Reich-Ranicki") succeeded after a screenplay by Jürgen Werner ("Tatort - With a steady hand", "Schimanski - layer in the pit", also with Götz George) an atmospherically tightly staged and outstandingly played portrait of a so-called problem district. Here nothing is glossed over, but instead the reality shown and the powerlessness of our judicial system mercilessly layed bare. A highlight of 2010!

During a storm surge on the North Sea coast in 2007, farm worker Iven takes 3-year old Wienke, the daughter of dike warden Hauke Haien and his wife Elke, to Hamburg and leaves her outside a children’s home. Iven becomes a doorman in St. Pauli. 15 years later, he is visited by a young woman. She wants to know who she is and where she comes from. And she wants him to find her parents. Unwillingly, for he too has a past he would prefer to forget, Iven takes her to the village of Stegebüll on the coast. For the pair, a dramatic journey back in time begins to the fateful events in Stegebüll and the downfall of Hauke Haien and his family.

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.

The mechanic Kobja wants to start a new life in New Zealand. But the necessary money for the overflight is missing.

A long-separated German mother and her half-Turkish daughter are reconciled in a splendidly serene dramatic comedy.

Christine Keller, successful at work, but still single, has a burning desire for a child. However, the search for the right father gave her up in frustration. She would like to have a child without a husband - but where does she get a grower from? Isa, her best friend from youth days, would love to help and has a tricky idea: Fabian, Isa's partner, should be "loaned" to the girlfriend - and may not notice. But the not quite everyday friendship service has unimaginable consequences.

The Return of The Neanderthal Man is a screwball comedy with a Freudian twist. The story of a young woman's quest to find the perfect mate, who is embodied in a 10,000 year old Neanderthal Man. A tongue in cheek look at relationships in our modern age, The Return of the Neanderthal playfully examines all of our preconceived notions about love and romance and turns them inside out and upside down.

At some point, a dead fox lies in the star lawyer's empty swimming pool. Later, much later, the former Attorney General Jasper Dänert lies dead in an empty bed. In between, an entire life comes to an end. Or rather, what was left of it. A powerful drama that tragically paints the biblical story of the prodigal son in the dreary autumn colors of East Germany. Full of guilt, denial, manslaughter - and a lack of atonement, which should have been the responsibility of Brandenburg's highest prosecutor. But when the murder happened, when the young hustler Jimmy was found dead in a rotten tree trunk, he was biased. More than that. He was the perpetrator.

Augustus is reputed to have been a violent, adventurous, power-hungry and unscrupulous warlord. Yet as founder of the Roman Empire, he ushered in a period of peace and prosperity. Drawing on the analysis of several historians, this documentary traces an extraordinary destiny: posthumously adopted by his great-uncle Julius Caesar, Octavian, the future Augustus, accepted an inheritance fraught with consequences. Having made his own empire prosper, he wrote his political will at the age of 76, without naming an heir. How was the succession of this childless strategist organized?

A lonely man is taunted by the voice of a woman he once knew.

11-year-old Michi lives in a children's home, every day fighting to win the respect of the other kids, till the day he finds his real dad, Tom - who happens to be a dwarf, even shorter than Michi is, the opposite of his idea of manliness and strength. When the kids find out, Michi's life becomes hell and he flees. With nowhere to go, he moves in with Tom, who is new to this fatherhood thing, while Michi tried to hide his embarrassment and shame from his fellow school kids. This forces Tom, who had coped well till now, to confront his handicap head on. As time passes, they discover they have more in common than other sons and fathers, until their relationship is again suddenly put to the hard test...

The moving story and amazing new insights into the life of the legendary entertainer! Udo Jürgens looks back on his life and career with disarming honesty. He does not shy away from uncomfortable topics such as the agonizing doubts of the early years, the high price of success and the fears and desires that drove him. Celebrities and personal companions also contribute many exciting insights.

At nine, Miroslav flees the Eastern Front alone after his mother’s disappearance. In postwar Germany, the Czech boy drifts between zones, lands in reform schools and prisons, and suffers a crippling accident. Rejected by society and facing deportation, he joins Berlin’s underworld, is arrested for murder, and confronts whether society or he is to blame.

Gerhard Lamprecht sketches a cross-section of Germany's new post-war society, with its winners, social climbers, and losers, represented by the social microcosm of an apartment building. The gossip-mad Frau Mierig from the rear building gives the newly-arrived Frau Kaminski, the janitor's wife, a lively initiation into the tenants and their peculiarities.

A woman discovers that her husband is having an affair. She demands a divorce, her husband does not agree to it. She decides to sleep with ten men, then her husband will surely divorce her.

Straight to the heart: a fleeting collision on a street corner, Mathilda and Bronski's first encounter. Andi will meet Johanna, who has to tame her daughter Mandy. Andi will meet David, who is trying to cope with his girlfriend Ali's ambitious career aspirations with an extensive load of booze. Tragicomic stories of encounters, relationships, loneliness and love....

This story is told by the boy's father: "My father wrote letters from the front. He didn't come back from the war. In my dream, I saw a hundred thousand letters falling from the sky." The letters are memories and trauma. No one talks about them. The boy knows nothing yet about the legacy of all wars. The setting for this story is a former military airfield and its surroundings.

Teenage girl Lys is discovered inside the reactor of the newly build TERRA Power Plant and finds she is developing special powers that connect her to the energy of all living things.

Something unbelievable happens during a live television broadcast! Minister Kollmann is speaking at a rally of protesting farmers when he is suddenly shot dead. Television director Basler, head of a local TV station, sees the assassination as the opportunity of a lifetime.

Klaus is a young man in post-war Berlin. He is drawn to his friend Manfred and, under the encouragement of their acquaintance, Dr. Winkler, explore the underground world of gay clubs and electronic music. His family begins to learn of his other life and do everything they can to set him straight.

In Imperial Russia, Anna, wife of the officer Karenin, goes to Moscow to visit her brother. On the way, she meets charming cavalry officer Vronsky, to whom she's immediately attracted. But in St. Petersburg’s high society, a relationship like this could destroy a woman’s reputation.

A production of Strauss' opera 'Der Rosenkavalier' performed at the Saltzburg Festival in 1984. Includes the Vienna State Opera Choir, the Philharmonic Orchestra with singers Wilma Lipp, Anna Tomowa-Sintow and Agnes Baltsa. Conducted by Herbert Von Karaja