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  • Wanda

    Wanda

    A film by Barbara Loden. In English with German sub­tit­les. Starts April 9th at the fsk. 

    [Credits] [Tickets & Termine] [Trailer]

    Wanda Goronski, an unhap­py house­wi­fe from rural eas­tern Pennsylvania, stays on her sister’s couch after lea­ving her hus­band. After wal­king across a coal field and hit­ching a ride, she arri­ves late to a divorce court hea­ring, relin­quis­hes her rights to her child­ren, and grants her hus­band a divorce.

    After losing her job at a sewing fac­to­ry, Wanda runs away with a man she had a one-night stand with, only for him to aban­don her at an ice cream shop. Nearly pen­ni­less, she takes a nap in a movie thea­ter, whe­re she is rob­bed while asleep. Desperate, she goes to a bar to use the rest­room and clings to an older man she mista­kes for the bar­ten­der. The man, Norman Dennis, is a cri­mi­nal in the pro­cess of rob­bing the bar. Unable to shake Wanda off, he takes her on the run with him. Even after lear­ning about his cri­mi­nal life­style, Wanda deci­des to stay with Norman, whom she calls „Mr. Dennis.”

    Wanda spends some time on the road with Norman, during which he beco­mes phy­si­cal­ly and emo­tio­nal­ly abu­si­ve. He sends her to a mall to shop for new clo­thes while he robs cars in the par­king lot. Later, they visit the Holy Land USA the­me park, whe­re Norman meets his Evangelical Christian father, to whom he shows unu­su­al cour­te­sy and respect. Afterward, Norman con­vin­ces Wanda to act as his loo­kout for a kid­nap­ping and bank rob­be­ry. The rob­be­ry goes wrong, and Norman is shot and kil­led in the lob­by. Wanda arri­ves late and wat­ches from the street as poli­ce swarm the sce­ne and onloo­kers gather.

    Once again alo­ne, Wanda hitch­hi­kes with a man who attempts to sexu­al­ly assault her. She escapes and flees through the woods. At night­fall, she stumbles upon a back­woods road­house, whe­re stran­gers offer her food, alco­hol, and cigarettes.

    Wanda
    Wanda
    Wanda
    Wanda
    Credits:

    US 1970, 103 Min., engl. OmU
    Regie: Barbara Loden
    Kamera, Schnitt: Nicholas T. Proferes
    mit:  Barbara Loden, Michael Higgins, Dorothy Shupenes, Peter Shupenes, Jerome Thier, Marian Thier u. a.

    Trailer:
    Wanda (offi­zi­el­ler Trailer) | Ein Film von Barbara Loden | Ab 09. April zum ers­ten Mal im Kino
    nach oben

  • Luisa

    Luisa

    A film byJulia Roesler. In German with English subtitles.

    [Credits] [Tickets & Termine] [Trailer]

    Luisa lives in a resi­den­ti­al group at a faci­li­ty for peo­p­le with disa­bi­li­ties on the out­skirts of a small German town. It is unex­pec­ted­ly dis­co­ver­ed that she is pregnant. Everyone knows that her boy­fri­end, Anton, is infer­ti­le. The sus­pi­ci­on of sexu­al abu­se is evi­dent.
    Luisa deci­des to ter­mi­na­te the pregnan­cy. The poli­ce are cal­led in to deter­mi­ne whe­ther a crime has been com­mit­ted. The inves­ti­ga­ti­on beco­mes a test of endu­rance for Luisa, her rela­ti­onship with Anton, and for the enti­re staff at the resi­den­ti­al facility.

    Luisa
    Luisa
    Luisa
    Luisa
    Credits:

    DE 2025, 94 Min., Deutsche OmeU
    Regie: Julia Roesler
    Kamera: Frank Amann
    Schnitt: Anne Jünemann
    mit: Celina Scharff, Trixi Strobel, Dennis Seidel, Eva Löbau, Bernd Hölscher, Katharina Bromka, Hadi Khanjanpour, Martin Schnippa, Peter Lohmeyer

    Trailer:
    LUISA – Offizieller Trailer
    nach oben

  • Gavagai

    Gavagai

    A film by Ulrich Köhler. Starts April 30th at the fsk . In French, English, German and Wolof with German subtitles.

    [Credits] [Tickets & Termine] [Trailer]

    Actors Maja and Nourou have an affair while shoo­ting a modern adapt­a­ti­on of Medea in Senegal, but things take a dark turn after the film’s pre­mie­re. An unflin­chin­gly com­plex look at racial ten­si­ons, film­ma­king and power dynamics.

    In Dakar, during the making of a moder­nist take on the Medea myth, fel­low actors Maja and Nourou start an affair to ease the pres­su­res on set and the pier­cing fee­lings of loneli­ne­ss. Once the shoot is over, they meet again only for the pre­mie­re in Berlin – which turns into a dis­as­ter when the press ques­ti­ons the film pro­jec­ting a European nar­ra­ti­ve onto a for­mer colony.

    The word ‘gava­gai’ ori­gi­na­tes from a thought expe­ri­ment by phi­lo­so­pher and logi­ci­an W.V. Quine, who sug­gested that trans­la­ti­on is inex­tri­ca­bly tied to con­text – wit­hout it, ever­y­thing can theo­re­ti­cal­ly mean ever­y­thing. Berlin School out­lier Ulrich Köhler (In My Room, IFFR 2019) turns this idea into an essay on our modern socie­ty in which appearance is ever­y­thing and all is ruled by the laws of click­bait. Köhler refu­ses to give into the lazi­ness, frus­tra­ti­on and anger that is so pre­va­lent in today’s media and art dis­cour­se. One of the most poli­ti­cal­ly per­ti­nent films of the year.

    – IFFR

    GavagaiGavagai
    Gavagai
    Gavagai
    Credits:

    DE/FR 2025, 89 Min., Französisch, Englisch, Deutsch. Wolof OmU
    Regie: Ulrich Köhler
    Kamera: Patrick Orth
    Schnitt: Lorna Hoefler Steffen
    mit: Jean-Christophe Folly, Maren Eggert, Nathalie Richard, Anna Diakhere Thiandoum

    Trailer:
    GAVAGAI by Ulrich Köhler – Trailer

    Im Kino mit deut­schen Untertiteln

    nach oben

  • sr

    sr

    A film by Lea Hartlaub. On March 23rd with QnA. in German.

    [Credits] [Tickets & Termine] [Trailer]

    Regisseurin Lea Hartlaub unter­nimmt in ihrem fil­mi­schen Essay anhand eines Objekts – der Giraffe – eine Welterzählung über Kontinente und Jahrhunderte hin­weg.
    Ein Filmexperiment, das inter­na­tio­nal viel Beachtung gefun­den hat und in Form und Inhalt sei­nes­glei­chen sucht.

    In einer puris­ti­schen Filmsprache und büh­nen­haf­ten Tableaus erzählt SR vom Menschen und von durch ihn geschaf­fe­ne Wirklichkeiten. 16 frag­men­ta­ri­sche Episoden füh­ren in 91 Einstellungen an 30 Handlungsorte – unter ande­rem auf eine Insel im Westpazifik, in einen Lesesaal in New York, zu einer Keramikfabrik bei Peking, auf eine Landebahn im Niger.
    Dabei trifft der Film auf Vermutungen, Behauptungen und die Relativität von Wissen, auf kolo­nia­le Relikte, hege­mo­nia­le Strukturen, auf Aneignungen und den Umgang mit Exotik. Ein wie­der­keh­ren­des Motiv, die Giraffe, erscheint mal direkt, mal am Rande. Eine Vielschichtigkeit ent­steht, in der sich weit mehr andeu­tet, als das, was auf den ers­ten Blick sicht­bar wird.

    Credits:

    DE 2024, 103 Min., Deutsch, Swahili, Englisch, Hebräisch, Chinesisch, Persisch, Tamaschek OmU
    Regie, Kamera, Schnitt: Lea Hartlaub

    Trailer:
    sr – Offizieller Trailer
    nach oben

  • Das Glück der Tüchtigen

    Das Glück der Tüchtigen

    A film by Franz Müller. In German with English subtitles.

    [Credits] [Tickets & Termine] [Trailer]

    Mira is hap­py. She has just star­ted a job as mana­ger of a super­mar­ket on the out­skirts of town. She has a loving rela­ti­onship with her hus­band Tarik and their two daugh­ters. But a serious breach of trust sud­den­ly calls her who­le life into ques­ti­on. Franz Müller takes an empa­the­tic look at a world lar­ge­ly unex­plo­red by German cine­ma: the sub­urbs with their all-too-human pro­blems. But on the hori­zon a uto­pia appears, a soli­da­ri­ty-based coexis­tence out­side the pres­su­re coo­ker of late capi­ta­list logic.

    Das Glück der Tüchtigen
    Das Glück der Tüchtigen
    Das Glück der Tüchtigen
    Credits:

    DE 2025, 104 Min., deut­sche OmeU
    Regie: Franz Müller
    Kamera: Julia Daschner
    Schnitt: Stefan Stabenow
    mit: Katharina Derr, Alex Brendemühl, Leonidas Emre Pakkan, Lana Cooper

    Trailer:
    DAS GLÜCK DER TÜCHTIGEN – Offizieller Trailer
    nach oben

  • Der Tod wird kommen

    Der Tod wird kommen

    A film by Christoph Hochhäusler. In French with German subtitles.

    [Credits] [Tickets & Termine] [Trailer]

    Tez kills for money. Charles Mahr, a legen­da­ry gangs­ter, hires her to aven­ge the mur­der of one of his cou­riers. Once in Brussels, she gets caught up in the thi­c­ket of an intri­gue in which she hers­elf beco­mes the prey. Tez has to deci­de who­se instru­ment she wants to be.

    Der Tod wird kommen
    Der Tod wird kommen
    Der Tod wird kommen
    Der Tod wird kommen
    Credits:

    DE/BE/LU 2024, 101 Min., fran­zö­si­che OmU
    Regie: Christoph Hochhäusler
    Kamera: Reinhold Vorschneider
    Schnitt: Stefan Stabenow
    mit: Sophie Verbeeck, Louis-Do De Lencquesaing, Marc Limpach, Mourade Zeguendi, Nassim Rachi

    Trailer:
    Der Tod wird kom­men / La mort vien­dra [Offizieller Trailer FRANZÖSISCH HD] – Ab 12. März im Kino
    nach oben

  • filmPOLSKA reloaded – This Is Not My Film

    filmPOLSKA reloaded – This Is Not My Film

    Sorry, this ent­ry is only available in Deutsch.

    To nie mój film / It’s Not My Film

    [Tickets]

    PL 2024
    R/B/K: Maria Zbąska
    99 min, OmdU
    S: Andrzej Kowalski
    M: Anja Garbarek
    D: Zofia Chabiera, Marcin Sztabiński u. a.

    Die impul­si­ve Wanda ist nur noch genervt. Sie und ihr Freund Janek haben sich aus­ein­an­der­ge­lebt, ihre Beziehung steckt fest. Das Geld ist chro­nisch knapp, stän­dig gibt es Streit, der freud­lo­se Alltag ist nur noch die Wiederholung des ewig Gleichen und Janeks rou­ti­nier­ter Pragmatismus bringt sie zur Weißglut. Haben sie über­haupt noch eine gemein­sa­me Zukunft?

    Für Wanda steht fest: Sie müs­sen durch gemein­sa­me Grenzerfahrungen wie­der zuein­an­der fin­den – oder für immer aus­ein­an­der­ge­hen. Also bre­chen sie auf, mit­ten im Winter, ein­mal 400 km den pol­ni­schen Ostseestrand ent­lang von West nach Ost. Es gilt die eiser­ne Regel: Sie dür­fen den Strand nicht ver­las­sen. Wird sie gebro­chen, ist das Projekt been­det – das gilt für die Wanderung, aber auch für ihre Beziehung. Wind, Kälte und Erschöpfung set­zen ihnen eben­so zu wie die Notwendigkeit, trotz unter­schied­li­cher Charaktere immer wie­der einen kleins­ten gemein­sa­men Nenner zu finden.

    Maria Zbąska insze­niert in ihrem Debüt eine Reise, die kei­nen Anfang und kein Ende zu haben scheint – ein bit­ter­süß-poe­ti­sches Psycho-Kammerspiel und ein Road-Movie ohne Straßen. [Rainer Mende]

    Maria Zbąska (geb. 1975) absol­vier­te ein Kamera-Studium an der Filmhochschule Łódź und ver­öf­fent­lich­te ab 2001 sie­ben Kurzfilme, bevor sie 2024 mit „Das ist nicht mein Film“ ihren ers­ten Langfilm dreh­te. Für alle ihre Filme stand sie auch hin­ter der Kamera.

  • Wohin der Wind uns trägt

    Wohin der Wind uns trägt

    A film by Amel Guellaty. In Arabic and French with German subtitles.

    [Credits] [Tickets & Termine] [Trailer]

    Alyssa, a rebel­lious 19-year-old girl, and her fri­end Mehdi, an intro­ver­ted 23-year-old man, use their ima­gi­na­ti­on to escape their unpro­mi­sing rea­li­ty. When they dis­co­ver a con­test in the south of Tunisia that may allow them to flee, they under­ta­ke a road trip regard­less of the obs­ta­cles in their way.

    Director Amel Guellaty offers us a win­dow into a side of Tunisia we have rare­ly seen, imbuing the world of her char­ming debut fea­ture with sur­re­al visu­al flou­ris­hes that trans­form and brigh­ten ever­y­day moments. Eya Bellagha and Slim Baccar have unde­niable che­mis­try as Alyssa and Mehdi, orga­ni­cal­ly cap­tu­ring the cross­fi­re ban­ter of their fri­end­ship as well as their shared strugg­le to break free from the respon­si­bi­li­ties and rest­ric­tions that hold them back from pur­suing their dreams. Their unex­pec­ted­ly chao­tic jour­ney to Djerba is unders­cored by a thoughtful come­dic touch and a hyp­no­tic indie sound­track from the region.

    With crea­ti­vi­ty, warmth, and spi­rit, Where the Wind Comes From honors Tunisian youth while reco­gni­zing the uncer­tain road that lies ahead of them.

    Wohin der Wind uns trägt
    Wohin der Wind uns trägt
    Wohin der Wind uns trägt
    Wohin der Wind uns trägt
    Credits:

    TN/FR 2025, 99 Min., Arabisch-fran­zö­si­sche OmU
    Regie: Amel Guellaty
    Kamera: Frida Marzouk
    Schnitt: Amel Guellaty, Ghalya Lacroix, Malek Kammoun
    mit:  Eya Bellagha, Slim Baccar, Maya Blouza, Firas Khoury

    Trailer:
    Trailer „Wohin der Wind uns trägt”
    nach oben

  • A Missing Part

    A Missing Part

    A film by Guillaume Senez. In French with German subtitles.

    [Credits] [Tickets & Termine] [Trailer]

    A father’s despe­ra­te quest to reu­ni­te with his daugh­ter beco­mes the source of rising ten­si­on and heart-ren­ding poignan­cy in this sen­si­tively ren­de­red third fea­ture by Belgian film­ma­ker Guillaume Senez.
    Reuniting with direc­tor Guillaume Senez after their very suc­cessful col­la­bo­ra­ti­on on 2018’s Our Struggles, Romain Duris gives a won­derful­ly lived-in per­for­mance as Jay, a French man now living in Tokyo and making a living as a dri­ver for a pri­va­te car ser­vice. Through Jay’s encoun­ters with Jessica (Judith Chemla), ano­ther French expat, and his con­ver­sa­ti­ons with others sym­pa­the­tic to his plight, Senez’s film gra­du­al­ly reve­als the cir­cum­s­tances that have kept him in the coun­try. Like others who share his plight, Jay is sub­ject to a legal sys­tem that pro­vi­des few rights to for­eign par­ents in cus­t­ody con­flicts. As a result of Japan’s “clean break” approach to fami­ly law, a parent may be unable to even cont­act their child after a divorce. After nine pain­ful years, Jay is on the ver­ge of giving up on the pos­si­bi­li­ty he might ever see his daugh­ter Lily again. But then one mor­ning, a new pas­sen­ger in his car takes his sto­ry in ano­ther direction.By groun­ding the nar­ra­ti­ve in small details and never resort­ing to easy sen­ti­men­ta­li­ty, even in its most char­ged moments, Senez imbues his film with gre­at authen­ti­ci­ty and huma­ni­ty. Likewise, the director’s empha­sis on the quo­ti­di­an helps it avo­id exo­ti­ci­zing Jay’s expe­ri­ence or per­spec­ti­ve as an out­si­der in Japan. Through the­se quiet, careful methods, Senez has craf­ted an unu­sual­ly thoughtful fami­ly sto­ry that con­ta­ins a rare wealth of fee­ling. JASON ANDERSON | TIFF

    A missing part
    A missing part
    A missing part
    A missing part
    Credits:

    Une part man­quan­te
    FR/BE 2024, 98 Min., franz. OmU
    Regie: Guillaume Senez
    Kamera: Elin Kirschfink
    Schnitt: Julie Brenta
    mit:  Romain Duris, Judith Chemla, Mei Cirne-Masuki, Tsuyu

    Trailer:
    nach oben

  • Alpha

    Alpha

    A film by Julia Ducournau. In French with German subtitles.

    [Credits] [Tickets & Termine] [Trailer]

    Alpha, a trou­bled 13-year-old lives with her sin­gle mom. Their world col­lap­ses the day she returns from school with a tat­too on her arm.

    Alpha
    Alpha
    Alpha
    Alpha
    Credits:

    FR/BE 2025, 128 Min., fran­zö­si­che OmU
    Regie: Julia Ducournau
    Kamera: Ruben Impens
    Schnitt: Jean-Christophe Bouzy
    mit: Tahar Rahim, Golshifteh Faharani, Mélissa Boros, Finnegan Oldfield, Emma Mackey

    Trailer:
    nach oben