Festival Highlights
Elyas M’Barek and Jonas Nay deliver star performances in this exciting new drama from Balloon director Michael ‘Bully’ Herbig, about the real-life 2018 fake news scandal involving a disgraced Der Spiegel journalist.
A dedicated, idealistic teacher is pushed to the brink when she investigates a series of thefts at her new school in this tense drama starring European Shooting Star Leonie Benesch.
Vicky Krieps shines as charismatic Austrian writer Ingeborg Bachmann in this stylish biopic from Margarethe von Trotta, which chronicles Bachmann’s unconventional life and tumultuous romance with Swiss playwright Max Frisch.
Twenty-six years ago, four women vowed to celebrate their weddings together and now one of them invites the others to Italy, resulting in a chaotic road trip in this female-led and directed drama.
Direct from Berlinale
A dedicated, idealistic teacher is pushed to the brink when she investigates a series of thefts at her new school in this tense drama starring European Shooting Star Leonie Benesch.
Vicky Krieps shines as charismatic Austrian writer Ingeborg Bachmann in this stylish biopic from Margarethe von Trotta, which chronicles Bachmann’s unconventional life and tumultuous romance with Swiss playwright Max Frisch.
Set in 1990 during a warm summer in Thuringia in the former East Germany, this seductive drama from Emily Atef follows a young woman who begins a relationship with a charismatic middle-aged farmer.
A smart, subtle blend of genre and auteur cinema, in this thriller undercover cop Robert is supposed to gain the trust of a drug dealer by faking a relationship.
New German Cinema
Elyas M’Barek and Jonas Nay deliver star performances in this exciting new drama from Balloon director Michael ‘Bully’ Herbig, about the real-life 2018 fake news scandal involving a disgraced Der Spiegel journalist.
Family conflicts are brought to the surface on the stunning Spanish island of Lanzarote in this all-star caustic comedy of manners and sequel to 2019 hit How About Adolf?, from acclaimed director Sönke Wortmann.
A success story at 150bpm, this music documentary follows Germany's undisputed techno superstars Scooter and their eccentric front man H.P Baxxter in the two and a half years since 2020.
In this quirky dramatic comedy, Franky has a hotel in her head, inhabited by four weird but lovable characters who can switch into her body in the real world by using the elevator.
Inspired by director Aelrun Goette’s experiences as a model in the late 1980s in the German Democratic Republic, this enchanting drama tells a story of beauty, fashion and freedom in 1989 East Berlin.
Vicky Krieps shines as charismatic Austrian writer Ingeborg Bachmann in this stylish biopic from Margarethe von Trotta, which chronicles Bachmann’s unconventional life and tumultuous romance with Swiss playwright Max Frisch.
Inspired by true events, this drama set in April 1945 explores the unexpected friendship that emerges after a chance encounter between three very different women; Russian sniper Vera, German village girl Winnie and Jewish-Dutch woman Simone.
On the run from the media and his own past, Germany’s biggest movie star dives into a campaign to save a small feminist theatre in this entertaining romcom starring Elyas M'Barek and Alexandra Maria Lara.
Twenty-six years ago, four women vowed to celebrate their weddings together and now one of them invites the others to Italy, resulting in a chaotic road trip in this female-led and directed drama.
An all-star ensemble featuring Tom Schilling and David Kross adapts Isabel Bogdan's bestselling novel in this variation of the classic crime comedy set on a Scottish country estate.
Set in 1990 during a warm summer in Thuringia in the former East Germany, this seductive drama from Emily Atef follows a young woman who begins a relationship with a charismatic middle-aged farmer.
A dedicated, idealistic teacher is pushed to the brink when she investigates a series of thefts at her new school in this tense drama starring European Shooting Star Leonie Benesch.
A smart, subtle blend of genre and auteur cinema, in this thriller undercover cop Robert is supposed to gain the trust of a drug dealer by faking a relationship.
Based on the bestselling book by Mariana Leky, this whimsical drama set in a small village follows a series of eccentric characters who have their lives upended when a premonition occurs.
Frauen am Werk: Focus on Female Directors
A success story at 150bpm, this music documentary follows Germany's undisputed techno superstars Scooter and their eccentric front man H.P Baxxter in the two and a half years since 2020.
In this quirky dramatic comedy, Franky has a hotel in her head, inhabited by four weird but lovable characters who can switch into her body in the real world by using the elevator.
Newly retired, Alice and her husband Peter are ready to finally enjoy their life as seniors, but their pent-up marital problems bubble to the surface on a cruise through the Mediterranean in this clever Swiss box office hit.
Inspired by director Aelrun Goette’s experiences as a model in the late 1980s in the German Democratic Republic, this enchanting drama tells a story of beauty, fashion and freedom in 1989 East Berlin.
Vicky Krieps shines as charismatic Austrian writer Ingeborg Bachmann in this stylish biopic from Margarethe von Trotta, which chronicles Bachmann’s unconventional life and tumultuous romance with Swiss playwright Max Frisch.
Inspired by true events, this drama set in April 1945 explores the unexpected friendship that emerges after a chance encounter between three very different women; Russian sniper Vera, German village girl Winnie and Jewish-Dutch woman Simone.
On the run from the media and his own past, Germany’s biggest movie star dives into a campaign to save a small feminist theatre in this entertaining romcom starring Elyas M'Barek and Alexandra Maria Lara.
Twenty-six years ago, four women vowed to celebrate their weddings together and now one of them invites the others to Italy, resulting in a chaotic road trip in this female-led and directed drama.
Set in 1990 during a warm summer in Thuringia in the former East Germany, this seductive drama from Emily Atef follows a young woman who begins a relationship with a charismatic middle-aged farmer.
Documentaries
A success story at 150bpm, this music documentary follows Germany's undisputed techno superstars Scooter and their eccentric front man H.P Baxxter in the two and a half years since 2020.
Beyond Berlin: Austrian Cinema
A historical romantic drama set in 1912, Alma & Oskar follows the torrid love affair between Viennese grand dame Alma Mahler and expressionist artist Oskar Kokoschka, the Enfant Terrible of Vienna’s art scene.
A quirky fairytale-like drama with touches of Amélie, love attempts to conquer all in this playful Vienna-set urban love story.
Vicky Krieps shines as charismatic Austrian writer Ingeborg Bachmann in this stylish biopic from Margarethe von Trotta, which chronicles Bachmann’s unconventional life and tumultuous romance with Swiss playwright Max Frisch.
Beyond Berlin: Swiss Cinema
Based on incredible true events from 2011, this intense drama tells the story of Daniela Widmer and David Och, two Swiss citizens who were kidnapped and held hostage by the Taliban whilst travelling along the Silk Road.
Newly retired, Alice and her husband Peter are ready to finally enjoy their life as seniors, but their pent-up marital problems bubble to the surface on a cruise through the Mediterranean in this clever Swiss box office hit.
Vicky Krieps shines as charismatic Austrian writer Ingeborg Bachmann in this stylish biopic from Margarethe von Trotta, which chronicles Bachmann’s unconventional life and tumultuous romance with Swiss playwright Max Frisch.
Kino for Kids
Flying macaroni with tomato sauce, exciting nights around the campfire and a suitcase mix up turn a class trip to the Baltic Sea into one that Alfons and his friends will never forget.
Full of friendship, communal spirit, mysterious puzzles and lots of fun dialogue, this family comedy follows Lotta on her adventures of her first school trip, based on the best-selling book series of the same name.
A coming-of-age documentary about success and loneliness in the age of social media, friendship, first love, coming out as queer and having the courage to find your voice.
The most popular German film of 2022, this live-action adventure sequel returns us to Winterstein School for its 250th anniversary, where the students and their magical animals are rehearsing a musical to celebrate.
In this remake of Otfried Preußler's classic children's book, Kasperl and his friend Seppel set out on an adventure to retrieve his grandmother's stolen coffee grinder.
Retrospective: Music, Art and Chaos
A powder keg of music, art and chaos erupts in 1980s West Berlin in this blistering documentary that fuses unreleased film footage and original interviews to reveal the story of life in the divided city and cultural interzone where anything seemed possible.
Based on a true story cult film Christiane F. offers a bleakly realistic portrayal of a bored, aimless 14-year-old girl who falls into the drug scene in West Berlin in the 1970s. Shot guerrilla style, it also features David Bowie as himself and providing much of the soundtrack.
Art, music and noise converge in this video history of German industrial band Einstürzende Neubauten from 1980 to 1993. Captured on low-fi analogue equipment of the time, it showcases rare footage, interviews with band members and concert performances.
Wim Wender’s heartfelt opus Wings of Desire, starring Bruno Ganz, offers a cinematic symphony of emotions. Two angels glide through the streets of Berlin, providing invisible rays of hope to the distressed but never interacting with them. When one falls in love, he longs to experience life in the physical world.