28.04. ‐ 03.05.2026
Future German Cinema 2026
Gavagai
© PortAuPrincePictures

The film programme ‘Future German Cinema’ explores experimental narrative forms, stylistic innovations and social relevancy in German cinema. Whether political thrillers, intimate explorations of grief or satire – the films in this programme move, challenge and push boundaries. They showcase the diversity of German cinema and invite us to celebrate its as a cinematic art form that dares to take risks.

In Prosecution and Sometimes, I Imagine Them All at a Party, questions of responsibility, violence and institutional failure collide. I Understand Your Displeasure turns its gaze towards a precarious work environment. Whilst Gropiusstadt Supernova and No Good Men tell of threatened ways of life under the pressure of external circumstances, Babystar explores the demands of self-promotion and constant exposure. At the same time, films such as Gavagai, Rose and The Blood Countess revolve around role models, performances and power dynamics – sometimes as a reflection on art and privilege, sometimes as an archaic black-and-white drama, sometimes as a delightfully over-the-top farce.

The programme also unfolds its full strength in the personal sphere: Sechswochenamt and A Fading Man explore loss, memory and the fragile shifts in familial relationships, whilst Bernd – Operation Germanenkind probes the boundaries of tolerance, inclusion and moral self-assurance. It is precisely this breadth that defines the special quality of the selection: these films are tender and relentless, funny and poignant. They do not paint a uniform picture of the future of German cinema – but rather offer many vivid and must-see perspectives.

Programme Future German Cinema

Section

Location

Country

Language

language version

TUE, 28. AprLichter FilmfestLichter Filmfest

20:15 h

Staatsschutz

Prosecution

Section: Future German Cinema

Direction: Faraz Shariat

Berlinale 2026: Panorama Audience Award

HESSIAN PREMIERE
On April 28: Q&A with director Faraz Shariat, actor Chen Emilie Yan, producer Paulina Lorenz and screenwriter Claudia Schaefer

Tuesday 28 April 2026, 20:15 h, Esplanade im Festivalzentrum

After an assault on her life, young prosecutor Seyo Kim launches her own investigation and uncovers a far-right network. Could her own agency even be involved? Is the German justice system downplaying or covering up right-wing violence?

WED, 29. AprLichter FilmfestLichter Filmfest

19:30 h

Gavagai
© PortAuPrincePictures

Gavagai

Section: Future German Cinema

Direction: Ulrich Köhler

New York Film Festival 2025

HESSIAN PREMIERE
In attendance of the director and the main actress Maren Eggert

Wednesday 29 April 2026, 19:30 h, Mal Seh'n Kino

Power struggles over sex, money, great art and the buffet access: A filmic reinterpretation of the classical Myth of Medea is being made in Senegal. In the chaos of the film shoot, the actors of Medea and Jason fall in love. 

20:30 h

Rose2

Rose

Section: Future German Cinema

Direction: Markus Schleinzer

Berlinale 2026: Best Leading Actress

HESSIAN PREMIERE

Wednesday 29 April 2026, 20:30 h, Eldorado Filmtheater

In the war-torn Germany of the seventeenth century, a scarred soldier swindles his way into the ownership of an estate. When his deceitful ways are uncovered, his desire for recognitions turns into a tribunal.

20:30 h

Staatsschutz

Prosecution

Section: Future German Cinema

Direction: Faraz Shariat

Berlinale 2026: Panorama Audience Award

HESSIAN PREMIERE
On April 28: Q&A with director Faraz Shariat, actor Chen Emilie Yan, producer Paulina Lorenz and screenwriter Claudia Schaefer

Wednesday 29 April 2026, 20:30 h, Filmforum Höchst

After an assault on her life, young prosecutor Seyo Kim launches her own investigation and uncovers a far-right network. Could her own agency even be involved? Is the German justice system downplaying or covering up right-wing violence?

THU, 30. AprLichter FilmfestLichter Filmfest

18:00 h

Ich verstehe ihren Unmut

I Understand Your Displeasure

Section: Future German Cinema

Direction: Kilian Armando Friedrich

HESSIAN PREMIERE 

Q&A with the director

Thursday 30 April 2026, 18:00 h, Kino des DFF

The low-wage sector keeps the country running - and simultaneously wears down those who work in it. In a cleaning company, Heike battles the lack of staff, costumer complaints and financial pressure - until she can no longer cope with the stress.

18:00 h

Gropiusstadt Supernova
© Konrad Waldmann

Gropiusstadt Supernova

Section: Future German Cinema

Direction: Ben Voit

Max Ophüls Film Festival 2026: Best Feature Film

HESSIAN PREMIERE
In attendance of the director

Thursday 30 April 2026, 18:00 h, Esplanade im Festivalzentrum

New Year’s Eve in Gropiusstadt: as fireworks light up the sky, Luan faces the prospect of losing everything – his great love is moving away, and his brother is facing deportation. A frantic race against time, fear and his own dark visions begins.

20:00 h

Sechswochenamt
© Filmweh, Markus Ott

Sechswochenamt

Section: Future German Cinema

Direction: Jacqueline Jansen

Munich 2025: Best Emerging Producer and Best Emerging Actress, FIPRESCI Prize

HESSIAN PREMIERE
In attendance of the director of photography

Thursday 30 April 2026, 20:00 h, Mal Seh'n Kino

The death of a loved one is followed by overwhelm, anger and the humour of the absurd. Lore must confront all of this while the COVID-19 pandemic makes closeness impossible. In double isolation, she struggles to give her mother a dignified farewell. 

20:45 h

Bernd

Bernd – Operation Germanenkind

Section: Future German Cinema

Direction: Cornelius Schwalm

Lincs International Film Festival 2026: Most Challenging Film und Best Acting (Verena Unbehaun)

HESSIAN PREMIERE
In the presence of the director

Thursday 30 April 2026, 20:45 h, Elysee 2 im Festivalzentrum

A theatre collective celebrates inclusion, and Bernd is a part of it. Until his enthusiasm for Nazi-ideology drives the group into a spiral of appeasement, anger, and escalation. A biting dark comedy in the spirit of Schlingensief about tolerance as a facade.

FRI, 1. MayLichter FilmfestLichter Filmfest

20:15 h

Babystar

Babystar

Section: Future German Cinema

Direction: Joscha Bongard

On May 1: Q&A with the director

Friday 1 May 2026, 20:15 h, Kino des DFF

Luca has been part of her own brand since birth - her parents are influencers. Perfection and a hint of vulnerability make her a star. When her parents decide to have another child, Luca falls into a deep hole. Who is she when the screen goes black?

20:30 h

No Good Men
© Virginie Surdej

No Good Men

Section: Future German Cinema

Direction: Shahrbanoo Sadat

Berlinale 2026: Opening Film

HESSIAN PREMIERE
Q&A with the director

Friday 1 May 2026, 20:30 h, Eldorado Filmtheater

Shortly before the Taliban’s takeover in the year 2021: A camera woman in Kabul fights for self-determination amid patriarchal violence, hope and unexpected love.

SAT, 2. MayLichter FilmfestLichter Filmfest

15:00 h

Der verlorene Mann
© Micky Graeter

A Fading Man

Section: Future German Cinema

Direction: Welf Reinhart

GERMAN FESTIVAL PREMIERE

Q&A with the director

Saturday 2 May 2026, 15:00 h, Esplanade im Festivalzentrum

A Fading Man tells a poignant love triangle story about forgetting and remembering. With a keen sense of nuance, the film captures both the tragic and the comic moments of growing old.

16:00 h

Staatsschutz

Prosecution

Section: Future German Cinema

Direction: Faraz Shariat

Berlinale 2026: Panorama Audience Award

HESSIAN PREMIERE
On April 28: Q&A with director Faraz Shariat, actor Chen Emilie Yan, producer Paulina Lorenz and screenwriter Claudia Schaefer

Saturday 2 May 2026, 16:00 h, Eldorado Filmtheater

After an assault on her life, young prosecutor Seyo Kim launches her own investigation and uncovers a far-right network. Could her own agency even be involved? Is the German justice system downplaying or covering up right-wing violence?

20:30 h

Die Blütgräfin
© Martin Gschlacht

The Blood Countess

Section: Future German Cinema

Direction: Ulrike Ottinger

Berlinale 2026

HESSIAN PREMIERE

In attendance of Lars Eidinger

Saturday 2 May 2026, 20:30 h, Eldorado Filmtheater

Isabelle Huppert as resurrected blood countess Erzsébet Báthory and Ulrike Ottinger directing a bizarre vampire comedy: Vienna becomes the setting for a whimsical farce that blends operatic frenzy, social satire and a waltz of the undead.

SUN, 3. MayLichter FilmfestLichter Filmfest

18:00 h

Was an Empfindsamkeit bleibt

Sometimes, I Imagine Them All at a Party

Section: Future German Cinema

Direction: Daniela Magnani Hüller

Berlinale 2026: Special Mention Documentary Award

HESSIAN PREMIERE
Q&A with the director

Sunday 3 May 2026, 18:00 h, Elysee 2 im Festivalzentrum

Fourteen years after an attempted femicide, survivor Daniela Magnani Hüller looks for answers and underlying structures. She asks why people (didn't) act and who is responsible.

22:00 h

Babystar

Babystar

Section: Future German Cinema

Direction: Joscha Bongard

On May 1: Q&A with the director

Sunday 3 May 2026, 22:00 h, Mal Seh'n Kino

Luca has been part of her own brand since birth - her parents are influencers. Perfection and a hint of vulnerability make her a star. When her parents decide to have another child, Luca falls into a deep hole. Who is she when the screen goes black?