Holocaust survivors that were children at the time tell their devastating stories: One of them is Eva Szepesi, who spoke in the German Bundestag in 2024 about her childhood and her family’s suffering. Other contemporary witnesses like Alexandra Stimmer, Dora Zinger, Liesel Binzer, Aviva Goldschmidt, and Abraham Rozen survived the Nazi period with some luck, too. But how do you preserve their memories? A theatre project by Frankfurt pupils attempts exactly this: to bring something virtually unspeakable to the stage with delicacy. Important in the course of this: a gentle handling of the deeply traumatic experiences – both for the survivors and for the young actors.

A burnt Quran, a lost key, stolen film spools. While shooting a film on the arson attack in Solingen, assistant director Elif (superbly played by Devrim Lingnau) gets caught up in a whirl of suspicion and accusations. Between political dynamite, social study and meta-commentary on the film industry, Mehmet Akif Büyükatalay stages a thriller that never lets you rest for even a second. The result is one of the best German films (with Hessian participation) of recent years, which also raises an important question: Who do we actually see as German in German film?

A woman on the roof, a musician in search of silence, and a city in a state of emergency. When Klara decides to give away all her possessions to move onto her rooftop, she triggers a wave of fascination and outrage. As the media and the masses gather, Jean and Helena, a young musician couple, see their chance: Klara is not asking for rent any longer. What starts out as luck quickly turns into an absurd experiment of freedom, property, and societal expectations. Anatol Schuster dramatizes a poetic, hilarious open air chamber play – shot in Darmstadt, where city and sound become the stage of an unconventional rebellion.

Raising awareness for societal issues through film - that is what three activists in Brazil have made their goal. Without fear, they denounce social and political injustice. For three years the team behind this documentary film followed the activists engagement, show the conditions under which they fight and what it takes for their voices to be heard. Boalândia - the title refers to an “utopian place that can only be opened up by filmmaking.” Functioning without any distracting voice-over, the sensibly chosen pictures put the focus on the strong words of the protagonists.

What is the origin of human creativity and what conditions help us most to be creative? Getting to the bottom of these questions, Hermann Vaske sends Lilith Stangenberg and Blixa Bargeld as dark messengers of the arts to Creative Paradiso. In search of the source of creative power we meet artists from a variety of disciplines and decades and can pick up the wisdom of greats such as Wim Wenders and Marina Abramović. The result is a beautiful, kaleidoscopic collage that combines interviews, archive material, and artistically animated sequences, capturing the ultimate formula for creativity once and for all.

From the South to the big city and all the way to the north - from all of Hesse and the Rhine-Main region, filmmakers are presenting their works in the regional short film competition.

Mathilda (Barbara Sukowa) has returned to her hometown of Frankfurt, where she now serves as the EU Minister in the state government, enforcing a strict border policy. But one day, her longtime friend Richard shows up at her door with 17-year-old Malik, whom he has smuggled from Morocco to Germany—now he expects Mathilda to fast-track a visa for him. However, Malik wants to leave and soon finds himself in Frankfurt’s red-light district, where he encounters other Moroccan migrants, some of whom are involved in a bombing plot. Suddenly, he is falsely suspected of terrorism—only Mathilda’s assistant is still willing to help him. A gripping Frankfurt-set thriller that explores the clash between personal emotions and high-stakes political realities.

Ein verbrannter Koran, ein verlorener Schlüssel, geklaute Filmrollen. Während der Dreharbeiten zu einem Film über den Brandanschlag von Solingen gerät Regieassistentin Elif (großartig gespielt von Devrim Lingnau) in einen Strudel aus Verdacht und Anschuldigungen. Zwischen politischem Zündstoff, Gesellschaftsstudie und Meta-Kommentar über die Filmbranche inszeniert Mehmet Akif Büyükatalay einen Thriller, der einen keine Sekunde loslässt. Das Ergebnis ist einer der besten deutschen Filme (mit hessischer Beteiligung) der letzten Jahre, der gleichzeitig die wichtige Frage aufwirft: Wen sehen wir eigentlich als deutsch im deutschen Film?

No amount of sympathy will ever bring their children back – the bereaved of the victims of the racist attack in Hanau know this. The families speak of their sorrow, their fury, and their impotence against a system that baulks at any responsibility and vehemently denies its complicity. For years, they had to fight for an appropriate accounting of the events. But now, following the fifth anniversary of the cruel killing spree and the return of the social acceptability of racist slogans, Marcin Wierzchowski’s impressive documentary film Das Deutsche Volk is an important monument reminding us of our duty to remember.

Death and goodbyes are still taboo subjects. Why do we find it so difficult to talk about them? Berlin mortician Eric Wrede and his team try to approach death with less reservations, more honesty and empathy. For them, the deceased are not just everyday business and mourners are not just customers. Wrede believes it is important to take time for the bereaved and to take their concerns seriously. He is not interested in traditional coffin sales; there is only one model at cost price. Every case is different and individual - but when a fatally ill friend asks them to accompany her, the funeral professionals reach their personal limits.

Sasha is situated somewhere in between: between genders, between hometowns, between identities. In the places of his past, he searches for a feeling of familiarity but only finds dust and long repressed memories. Only when his family dog Remi, formerly believed to be dead, and some old video cassettes appear, a door opens to a painful past and unexpected new connections. Batim revolves around the search for comfort and the things that makes a place a home. Told through poetic imagery, the film continuously casts a spell. The Hessian-Israeli co-production celebrated its premiere at the Berlinale.

An attic as a world, a family at a standstill: Sven has lived in isolation in his parents' house for 30 years, shut off by his schizophrenia. His sister Holle, a spiritual healer, falters between closeness and distance. When their mother is hospitalized, Holle is forced to confront her brother, the past and the fragile family ties. Im Haus meiner Eltern is a cinematic meditation on responsibility, care and the limits of closeness. Its black-and-white aesthetic, abrupt cuts and occasional black screens make the film an experience that is quietly but deeply memorable.

From the South to the big city and all the way to the north - from all of Hesse and the Rhine-Main region, filmmakers are presenting their works in the regional short film competition.

Santino is living the dream of many early teenagers: He is a circus boy, moving from city to city with his large family, every week. Wondering what talent he could contribute to the show, he gets told old stories by his great-grandpa Georg, alias “Opa Ehe”. They are stories of the magic of the manege, his beloved elephant August and the special sense of community within circus families, but also about social exclusion and persecution. Tenderly crafted animations and the adorable Frank family will draw you into their world in this documentary (not only) for children.

Art without limits, creativity without compromises – Zeppelin oben rechts takes us into Atelier23 of the care service centre Lebenshilfe Gießen, where seven artists with disabilities or mental illnesses reveal their particular views on the world. We closely follow over years how ideas turn into stunning works of art: from glowing portraits to detail-oriented miniatures. Director Olli Duerr omits any commentary and thus allows the art and its creators to speak for themselves – with honesty, intimacy and a lot of humour. A movie that touches, inspires and opens new perspectives for its audience.

Henriette is considered to be a “system crasher”. Multiple neurological diseases have led to long hospital stays during her childhood – in complete isolation from her family. Shaped by these experiences, she has become a needy but also aggressive person. Guido is the first person to offer her safety and to stand by Henriette even when she clashes with society over and over again. Following in the footsteps of her artistic forebears, she starts exploring her identity and dares to take the stage with the help of a dance educator – desiring acceptance, but most of all respect. An extraordinary story about inclusion, endurance, solidarity – and love.

Young Carola lives with her father Pacifico in the Atacama Desert in Chile. With a team of day laborers, they secretly dig for gold in a closed-down mine. Yet when Pacifico is badly wounded, Carola suddenly finds herself alone. In a world where the strongest prevail, she has to stand her ground against ruthless competitors and fight for her survival. Hessen goes South America: Oro Amargo was produced with the support of HessenFilm and the Hessian production company plotlessfilm. The neo-western not only captivates with its rough impressive landscape but also with the intense portrayal of the strong-willed Carola, played by Katalina Sánchez.

From the South to the big city and all the way to the north - from all of Hesse and the Rhine-Main region, filmmakers are presenting their works in the regional short film competition.

From the South to the big city and all the way to the north - from all of Hesse and the Rhine-Main region, filmmakers are presenting their works in the regional short film competition.

Santino is living the dream of many early teenagers: He is a circus boy, moving from city to city with his large family, every week. Wondering what talent he could contribute to the show, he gets told old stories by his great-grandpa Georg, alias “Opa Ehe”. They are stories of the magic of the manege, his beloved elephant August and the special sense of community within circus families, but also about social exclusion and persecution. Tenderly crafted animations and the adorable Frank family will draw you into their world in this documentary (not only) for children.

No amount of sympathy will ever bring their children back – the bereaved of the victims of the racist attack in Hanau know this. The families speak of their sorrow, their fury, and their impotence against a system that baulks at any responsibility and vehemently denies its complicity. For years, they had to fight for an appropriate accounting of the events. But now, following the fifth anniversary of the cruel killing spree and the return of the social acceptability of racist slogans, Marcin Wierzchowski’s impressive documentary film Das Deutsche Volk is an important monument reminding us of our duty to remember.

In Dream a little Cream, director Jochen Hasmanis tells the story of the legendary music shop “Cream-Music” in the Frankfurt Bahnhofsviertel. Not only did it accompany generations of musicians, it also attracted world stars like Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix, and the Rolling Stones. In 1900, instrument maker Heinrich Hummel and his wife Babette came to Frankfurt and founded the musical centre of the metropolis on Taunusstraße. Stars like Markus (“Ich will Spass”), Gerd Knebel and Henni Nachtsheim from Badesalz and guitarist Ali Neander talk about the shop’s lively history and share thrilling anecdotes in this documentary.

Repetition of the winning film of the regional feature film competition