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

The screening on opening night is sold out. Tickets are available for the additional screenings on April 29 and May 2.

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

THE SCREENING IS SOLD OUT

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

THE SCREENING IS SOLD OUT

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

The screening on opening night is sold out. Tickets are available for the additional screenings on April 29 and May 2.

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 and the main actress Sabine Thalau

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
Q&A with 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
Q&A with 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)

THE SCREENING IS SOLD OUT
Q&A with the director and the main actress

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 on 1 May

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

The screening on opening night is sold out. Tickets are available for the additional screenings on April 29 and May 2.

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 and Burghart Klaußner

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

14:00 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 on 1 May

Sunday, 3 May 2026, 14:00 h, Esplanade im Festivalzentrum

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.

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?