Bernd – Operation Germanenkind
Cornelius Schwalm
Bernd survived his own abortion – and today he is a disabled actor on the stage of a Berlin theatre collective. While the group is rehearsing their piece about a Nazi-"Wunderwaffe," the practised inclusion rhetoric tips into sheer overwhelm. Bernd becomes a fan of the third-reich ideologies and starts spouting nationalistic slogans. The rest of the crew can barely contain their anger. When everything goes out of control during the premiere, the audience first believes it is staged. But Bernd is no longer just playing a role.
Cornelius Schwalm presents this escalation in a biting dark comedy. Between rehearsals, group discussions and a ritualised "But we are tolerant", the borders blur. Formally raw, uncompromising, and in the spirit of Schlingensief, the movie reveals the mechanisms by which a society fails to live up to its own moral standards. Openness is turned into a façade, opposition into division. A movie that does not simply depict discussion, but causes it – right where it hurts.
30 April 2026
20:45 h, Elysee 2 im Festivalzentrum
More information
| Direction | Cornelius Schwalm |
| Country | Germany |
| Production year | 2025 |
| Duration | 93 min |
| Language | German |
| Language Version | original version |
| Production | Max Gleschinski, Torsten Wichner, Jean-Pierre Meyer-Gehrke |
| Production company | Von Anfang Anders Filmproduktion |
| Co-production | Maria Kron |
| Distribution | Filmgalerie 451 |
| Cast | Verena Unbehaun, Matthias Rheinheimer, Silvina Buchbauer, Mathias Znidarec, Sasha Weis, Michael Benthin, Jana Zöll |
| Director of Photography | Ute Freund, Yannick Hasse |
| Script | Cornelius Schwalm |
| Montage | Kai Wido Meyer |
| Sound | Niklas Kammertöns |
| Music | Philipp Haagen |
| Scenography | Susanne Füller |
Lincs International Film Festival 2026: Most Challenging Film und Best Acting (Verena Unbehaun)
About the director
Cornelius Schwalm has performed at numerous German-speaking theatres, including Schauspielhaus Bochum, Maxim Gorki Theater, and Schauspiel Frankfurt. He has also appeared in more than 50 films, working with directors such as Tom Tykwer, Christoph Hochhäusler and Jessica Hausner. He has maintained a long-standing collaboration with Rudolf Thome. For several years, he has also been directing for the stage. In 2018, he made his feature film debut with Hotel Auschwitz.
THE SCREENING IS SOLD OUT
Q&A with the director and the main actress
Future German Cinema