Fiction Film
The Fiction Film section shows the stories that move aspiring filmmakers from the most diverse corners of the world. Films of all lengths address current trends in the film world, tell highly personal stories or question the medium. The awards for Best Fiction Film (awarded to the director) and Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film (awarded to Cinematography, Montage, Original Film Music, Screenplay, Acting, Scenography, Sound Design or Special Effects) will be presented.
悄悄告訴她 / Swimming in the Dark
Wen is about to participate in a big swim meet and is under a lot of pressure. Her friend, Ann, feels neglected by Wen's increasing devotion to the sport. As Wen tries to resolve the conflict, she discovers the deeper issue.
DirectorPin Ru Chen
Running forBest Fiction Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Screenings:
Aimé
Young drug dealer Aimé just wants a customer to settle his outstanding bill. But then he is unceremoniously left alone with her daughter. Unexpectedly, a heartwarming, if only temporary, bond between the two unfolds in the dreary apartment.
DirectorsGillie CinneriAnouk Ferreira da Silva
Running forBest Fiction Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Screenings:
Das Andere Ende der Straße / The Other End of the Street
Ábel is teased by a fellow student. Hoping to resolve the situation, his father drives to the alleged bully’s family home. After the conversation escalates, the two find themselves in a moral dilemma.
DirectorKálmán NagyProducersAlisa FrischholzZsolt NagyScreenplayKálmán Nagy
Running forBest Fiction Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Screenings:
Der Antrag / The Application
B. appears at the Asylum Seekers' Registration Office to obtain his residence permit. His confidence starts to dwindle as he is sent from office to office by officials. In the corridor, he meets another young man who shares his experience and shows B. the way.
DirectorAntonia LindnerProducersRafael KouszFelix MannScreenplaySandra KatzlmayrAntonia Lindner
Running forBest Fiction Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Screenings:
Dispatchers
Pau, an exhausted emergency dispatcher, is considering quitting her job. One day, however, she receives an unusual call that turns out to be a woman’s desperate cry for help. Pau is the only one who can help her in this situation.
DirectorAitor PadillaProducersMateu ParelladaIrene AguilarScreenplayIsaac Sastre
Running forBest Fiction Film
Best Genre Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Best Genre Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Screenings:
Content WarningContains mentions/depictions of:domestic violence
femicide
femicide
El Secuestro de la Novia / The Kidnapping of the Bride
Luisa from Buenos Aires and Fred from Brandenburg want to get married. At their wedding they are confronted with social and cultural prejudices that culminate in a traditional kidnapping of the bride.
DirectorSophia MocorreaProducerSarah Valerie RaduScreenplaySophia Mocorrea
Running forBest Fiction Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Screenings:
Content WarningContains mentions/depictions of:Racism
Elaha
The 22-year-old Elaha is about to marry her fiancé. Due to the upcoming wedding, the topic of her supposed "innocence" becomes the subject of scrutiny. She lost it before the wedding and is now trying to regain it by all means.
DirectorMilena AboyanProducersMatthias GrevingJanina Sara HennemannKirsten LukaczikEmina SmajicScreenplayMilena AboyanConstantin Hatz
Running forBest Fiction Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Screenings:
Content WarningContains mentions/depictions of:Implied suicide
Sexual abuse
Sexual abuse
Erich, 37, sucht Wohnung / Erich, 37, looking for a flat
Heinz and Erich are cellmates and act out the viewing of an imaginary apartment. A comedic interpretation of the challenges of resocialization.
DirectorJulia Von dem BergeProducersFelice KaufmannJulia Von dem BergeScreenplayFelice KaufmannJulia Von dem Berge
Running forBest Fiction Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Screenings:
Family Toast
When a mother discovers her daughter with a cigarette, the father suspects that it is no ordinary cigarette. The seemingly harmonious and orderly family life threatens to fall apart.
DirectorJunhyung KIMProducerHyungwoo KIMScreenplayJunhyung KIM
Running forBest Fiction Film
Best Genre Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Best Genre Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Screenings:
Father's Footsteps
Between cold concrete walls, riddled with holes from the ongoing war, a mother tries to protect her son from the loss of his father and keep him away from the attacks raging outside. Left completely to her own devices, she tries to embody both father and mother at the same time and soon reaches her limits.
DirectorMohamad AliProducersYoussef AliIshita MehtaScreenplayMohamad Ali
Running forBest Fiction Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Screenings:
Content WarningContains mentions/depictions of:War
Fin / The end
Carmen lovingly cares for her partner, Rosa, who has Alzheimer's disease. She fondly remembers their time together and has difficulty letting go of the past until a pivotal event forces her to.
DirectorFernando ReinaldosProducerFernando Reinaldos
Running forBest Fiction Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Screenings:
Content WarningContains mentions/depictions of:Suicide
Flores del otro Patio
A group of queer activists plan an uprising to highlight social injustices. To do so, they resort to sophisticated costumes and a performance act. In the process, the group also exposes themselves to danger that shakes their cohesion.
DirectorJorge CadenaScreenplayJorge CadenaLi Aparicio Candama
Running forBest Fiction Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Screenings:
Content WarningContains mentions/depictions of:Racism
Discriminating language
Discriminating language
Gangrena / Gangrene
Two brothers with contrasting personalities try to escape a dreaded plague that has spread through their home village. In the process, the disease eats away not only their bodies, but also their trust in each other.
DirectorIgnacio Gil-Toresano FernándezProducersVictor Sevilleja SilvaXavier JalloisScreenplayAlba Mocho Lizcano
Running forBest Fiction Film
Best Genre Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Best Genre Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Screenings:
Content WarningContains mentions/depictions of:Explicit violence
Hogy ne győzzünk / Winners
Ádám and his friend Bálint live in the violent outskirts of Budapest. When a friend of theirs is beaten up, they decide to take revenge. Ádám begins to question his understanding of masculinity.
DirectorDániel FüzesProducersGábor OsváthMarcell SzyScreenplayZsombor Aurél Biró
Running forBest Fiction Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Screenings:
Content WarningContains mentions/depictions of:Explicit violence
Hollywood
Anna is an aspiring actress, but her career doesn't seem to want to take off. Instead, she's doomed to star in fire drills as a wounded woman. That still seems better to her than an apprenticeship at the bank, though - which is what Anna's father wants.
DirectorsLeni GruberAlexander ReinbergProducersDominik WimmerPatrick WallyLeni GruberAlexander ReinbergScreenplayLeni GruberAlexander Reinberg
Running forBest Fiction Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Screenings:
In The Dry Stream
On the South Korean peninsula of Jeju-do live two boys who have discovered the perfect hiding place to play in a dry stream in the dying jungle. While no one else wants to understand their enthusiasm, the island seems to be facing drastic changes.
DirectorJi-hyo KANGScreenplayJi-Hyo KANG
Running forBest Fiction Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Screenings:
Korruption auf Erden / Corruption on Earth
Corruption on Earth is a satire about the inhumane regime in Iran. At a fictional award ceremony for the "Best Regime in the World", the regime is honoured for its political deeds. The cinematic footage is mixed with real cell phone footage of the current Iran protests.
DirectorOmid MirnourProducersDimitri HempelOmid MirnourGregor MöllersScreenplayOmid Mirnour
Running forBest Fiction Film
Best Genre Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Best Genre Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Screenings:
Content WarningContains mentions/depictions of:Explicit violence
La Balade des Gens Heureux / Ballad of the Happy Kind
Mona and Simon are in a happy relationship. On a road trip together, they start role-playing. At first, it’s all fun and games as they open up to each other and talk about their relationship. Slowly, it is revealed that they may not be as happy as they seem.
DirectorLouis KempeneersProducer MédiadiffusionScreenplayLouis Kempeneers
Running forBest Fiction Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Screenings:
La herida luminosa / Daydreaming so vividly about our Spanish holidays
A sun-starved teenager leaves his home in search of light and warmth. On the Balearic Islands, he tries to soak up the rays and bring them back to his bleak homeland of Great Britain. Hypnotised, he falls prey to the sun.
DirectorChristian AvilésProducerNica FazioScreenplayChristian Avilés
Running forBest Fiction Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Screenings:
Content WarningContains mentions/depictions of:Implied suicide
Love at first byte
Are love and obsession exclusive to the human experience? A thought experiment taking on the question of how AI would behave if it gained consciousness and what would happen if a subway surveillance camera fell in love with a passerby.
DirectorTheresa Hoffmann
Running forBest Fiction Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Screenings:
Meccs / MATCH
Glued to the TV, Áron’s father forgot that they wanted to practise archery together. So Áron leaves with his bored sister instead to find targets for his arrows.
DirectorAnna GyimesiProducersSombit MondalErika WinklerGabor SzaboScreenplayAnna GyimesiSombit Mondal
Running forBest Fiction Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Screenings:
Content WarningContains mentions/depictions of:Explicit violence
My Hometown
A young woman named Teruko lives in a housing estate in Japan, her family doesn’t have much money. Studying in Tokyo is supposed to offer her a better life. When her father reaches out to her after a long absence, the family risks descending into an unsolvable conflict before her departure.
DirectorAoi FURUKAWA
Running forBest Fiction Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Screenings:
Przed po / Before after
Self-doubt, fear, and loss drive the characters in Przed Po back and forth in their self-talk. They seem trapped in an intangible mood, as murky as the thoughts that won't let them go.
DirectorFilip BojarskiProducerMaria WaldowskaScreenplayFilip Bojarski
Running forBest Fiction Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Screenings:
Return
The soldier Husam gets 24 hours of home leave. After a long absence, he visits his mother, who praises him as a hero, while he would like nothing more than to escape.
DirectorGhiath Al Mhitawi
Running forBest Fiction Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Screenings:
Schabernack / MOMS POTATOES
Robin's mother is a single parent and mentally ill. As her eldest son, he sees himself responsible for raising his little brother in her stead and shielding his mother from unnecessary stress. However, in an unexpected chain of confrontation, Robin finds himself at his breaking point.
DirectorLili Zahavi
Running forBest Fiction Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Screenings:
Content WarningContains mentions/depictions of:mental problems
bullying
child abuse
bullying
child abuse
Sixtine
Sixtine is 19 years old and wants to be sterilised. Before she can undergo the procedure, she must write a letter to the child she will never have and question her deepest convictions.
DirectorsEtienne BarrèreLudmila BergeonScreenplayEtienne BarrèreLudmila Bergeon
Running forBest Fiction Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Screenings:
Sprich mit mir / Talk to me
After a breakup, Karo struggles with resurfacing memories of an absent father. She is abruptly transported to the past when she meets Jochen and his daughter on vacation with her mother Michaela.
DirectorJanin HalischProducerClara GerstScreenplayJanin HalischHannah Sioda
Running forBest Fiction Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Screenings:
Content WarningContains mentions/depictions of:Sexual abuse
Stier / Bull
Ronja and Bruno are moving into a new flat together and thus, about to enter into domestic bliss. If only their intrusive landlord and this odd religious sect would stop appearing in their lives... Taurus is as peculiar as it is memorable in its negotiation of the current state of the housing market.
DirectorTim OppermannProducerKonrad SulzmannScreenplayUhl Lorenz
Running forBest Fiction Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Screenings:
Tabu La Rasa
Thea's supposedly perfect life comes apart when a seemingly harmless question triggers an avalanche of possibilities that could bring down her carefully constructed facade. Will she find the courage to tear down her framework of lies?
DirectorEmma BadingProducersLisa Marie BardouxMey Woelke
Running forBest Fiction Film
Best Genre Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Best Genre Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Screenings:
Warum begeht Helen Koch schweren Kraftwagendiebstahl? / Why does Helen Koch commit serious vehicle theft?
After a conflict between teacher Helen Koch and problem student Mia, they set out together to break away from their hated social roles. What follows is a cross-genre excursion through Berlin that turns social and narrative structures upside down.
DirectorMoritz GeiserProducerMilena MichalekScreenplayMoritz Geiser
Running forBest Fiction Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Screenings:
Content WarningContains mentions/depictions of:Explicit violence
Where No One Lives
Despite huge populations, life in the big city is often defined by loneliness. A widow, a brother and sister, and a young woman – all residents of an old apartment building – coexist wall to wall until one day the rooms merge.
DirectorLi Anne Liew
Running forBest Fiction Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Screenings:
¡Sé como José! / Be like José!
José, trapped in a sitcom, has to process an endless flood of documents in order to make a career. His boss determines his amount of work and success. Once full of zest, José soon begins to rebel.
DirectorLeonardo OrtizProducerMabel QuizhpiScreenplayLeonardo Ortiz
Running forBest Fiction Film
Best Genre Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Best Genre Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Screenings:
Content WarningContains mentions/depictions of:Suicide
Documentary Film
From a snapshot to a portrait of an interesting personality to the exposing reportage, everything that is gripping and innovative can be found in our Documentary Film section. Films of all lengths deal with historical and current developments, tell of touching fates and bigger contexts. In this section the awards Best Documentary Film (awarded to the director) and Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Documentary Film (awarded to cinematography, montage, original film music, book or sound design) are presented.
Одеса уві сні / Dear Odesa
Afraid of losing touch with his hometown, Kyrylo visits Odessa once again. There, he tries to find out what home means to him by talking to his mother and childhood friends. The documentary sketches a portrait of the city just before the outbreak of war.
DirectorKyrylo NaumkoProducersHeidi GronauerLorenzo Paccagnella
Running forBest Documentary Film
Screenings:
Ama Osa
Nao works as a camgirl on the internet. Her profession is not only a job, but also an outlet for artistic, self-determined expression. Nao stages, performs and reflects her own body and thus constantly discovers new sides of herself.
DirectorMarija Stefanija Linuža
Running forBest Documentary Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Documentary Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Documentary Film
Screenings:
Angelique
This powerful portrait takes a look at the impressive life of 70-year-old Angelique Nagel and how she found her way to her true self against all odds. A strong-willed, courageous woman who had to fight to make a living.
DirectorElisabeth Kratzer
Running forBest Documentary Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Documentary Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Documentary Film
Screenings:
Aralkum
Where once man coexisted with a vibrant nature at the Aral Sea, today there is only desert. Aralkum combines past and present in an experimental portrait.
DirectorsMila ZhluktenkoDaniel Asadi FaeziProducersMila ZhluktenkoDaniel Asadi FaeziScreenplayMila ZhluktenkoDaniel Asadi Faezi
Running forBest Documentary Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Documentary Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Documentary Film
Screenings:
Dang wo wang xiang ni de shi hou / Will You Look At Me
An intimate and personal look into the life of a young man returning to his hometown. In conversations with his mother, painful differences emerge in their views on love, family and togetherness.
DirectorShuli Huang
Running forBest Documentary Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Documentary Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Documentary Film
Screenings:
Content WarningContains mentions/depictions of:Homophobia
Ein Ort des ständigen Kampfes gegen die Entropie / A place of constant struggle against entropy
Every Monday, Peter and his friends meet at the clubhouse to reenact movie scenes from famous Hollywood blockbusters. The attention to detail (and to film) is unmistakable, but it also sometimes takes years to complete a film.
DirectorKevin KochProducerFranziska Unger
Running forBest Documentary Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Documentary Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Documentary Film
Screenings:
El cielo es muy bonito / The Sky Is Very Pretty
In a protected shelter in the south of Mexico, women and children talk about their violent experiences while migrating. The film offers a hopeful glimpse of motherhood, while also showing the fear of an uncertain future.
DirectorAracely MéndezProducersDaniela ContrerasNicolas Défossé
Running forBest Documentary Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Documentary Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Documentary Film
Screenings:
Filho
Actually, Tomas knows his parents. Born in Brazil in 1993 and adopted from there, he now lives with them in the Netherlands. Now he is faced with the question of whether he should look for his biological mother, or if there are reasons not to do so.
DirectorTomas PonsteenProducersRobijn BoekelmanMyrthe LaarakkerRoosje Vermeulen
Running forBest Documentary Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Documentary Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Documentary Film
Screenings:
Geschichten Hinter Kleinanzeigen / Unexpected tales of small ads
Simply a practical object for some, a hidden gem in the memories of their lives for others: This documentary takes a look at the different personalities and stories behind small ads.
DirectorsEric FeldmannPaul Pietrek
Running forBest Documentary Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Documentary Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Documentary Film
Screenings:
Golem's Breath
This semi-fictional short film follows the protagonist to Prague and explores how the medium of film can access the memories of a city. The film is based on the family history of the director, who fled Czechoslovakia after the Warsaw Pact invasion of 1968.
DirectorVincent Rabas-Kolominsky
Running forBest Documentary Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Documentary Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Documentary Film
Screenings:
Great Bugs
From above, people look like ants. Or like a virus, driven by consumerism and mass production, that pounces on the earth's resources.
DirectorCio ParkProducerCio Park
Running forBest Documentary Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Documentary Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Documentary Film
Screenings:
Heimweh / Homesick
In the essayistic short film Heimweh (Homesick), a woman's voice tells of the state of her body after being sexually assaulted by a man.
DirectorMaja Bresink
Running forBest Documentary Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Documentary Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Documentary Film
Screenings:
Content WarningContains mentions/depictions of:Sexual abuse
Liminal Space: Diving Within
Das Verarbeiten von Verlust ist komplex, umso mehr für die Filmemacherin Anahita, deren Identität nah an die ihres Vaters gekoppelt ist. In einem Versuch, Tod zu verstehen und sich sich selbst wieder anzunähern, begibt sich Anahita in Liminal Space auf eine experimentelle Expedition zu sich selbst.
DirectorAnahita Safarnejad ChoobaryProducerTinett Marie Kähler
Running forBest Documentary Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Documentary Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Documentary Film
Screenings:
Mi reino / My Kingdom
Fernando's home is filled to the brim with knick-knacks that he has been collecting for 30 years. His estranged family doesn't seem to understand that he collects in order to replace something which has long been lost. While Fernando reflects on his life, tenderness reveals itself alongside suffering and remorse.
DirectorLuis J. ArellanoScreenplayLuis J. Arellano
Running forBest Documentary Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Documentary Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Documentary Film
Screenings:
Mira el silencio / Regard Silence
Poetry does not always require the spoken word. In a creative space, deaf people create and enact poems using Mexican sign language. Mirar el Silencio holds an impressive poetic power of impact by offering a canvas to other ways of naming the world.
DirectorSantiago Zermeño
Running forBest Documentary Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Documentary Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Documentary Film
Screenings:
Mothertruckers
Lisa loves the freedom of her job as a truck driver, but since Brexit her unconventional lifestyle is increasingly put to the test. Not only does her material existence come under threat, but also the independence and creative space she has created for herself.
DirectorPaula Romero
Running forBest Documentary Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Documentary Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Documentary Film
Screenings:
SONNENSTUBE
Sergio Cortesi has dedicated his life to recording the sun. The film makes use of existing archival footage and provides insights into his work.
DirectorDavide PalellaProducerSebastian Petri
Running forBest Documentary Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Documentary Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Documentary Film
Screenings:
Stille Wasser / Still Waters
Still Waters is a documentation of the destruction in the Ahr valley six months after the catastrophic flooding in the summer of 2021. In the bleak environment destroyed by masses of water, the population clings to small daily activities that promise hope and consolation.
DirectorKevin KochProducerFranziska Unger
Running forBest Documentary Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Documentary Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Documentary Film
Screenings:
The Homes We Carry
The documentary follows Afro-German Sarah on her journey to Africa to visit the father of her child as well as her own, meanwhile recalling the forgotten history of Mozambican contract workers in East Germany.
DirectorBrenda Akele JordeProducersMiriam HenzeFlorian Schewe
Running forBest Documentary Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Documentary Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Documentary Film
Screenings:
Unsere Zeit, Unser Zustand. / Our time, our condition.
In fragments, three women talk about their limiting living conditions and their experiences of violence. Not showing their faces ensures a protection they have lacked in their previous experiences. Images of masculinity make what is told indirect.
DirectorChristiane Muñoz
Running forBest Documentary Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Documentary Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Documentary Film
Screenings:
Content WarningContains mentions/depictions of:sexual abuse
domestic abuse
domestic abuse
Warren
Many fates of those affected by domestic violence remain hidden. With this film, the filmmaker tries to reconcile with her own traumatic past and overcome the shame that comes with growing up in a violent home.
DirectorGemma LynchProducerClaudio MarcedduScreenplayGemma Lynch
Running forBest Documentary Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Documentary Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Documentary Film
Screenings:
Content WarningContains mentions/depictions of:Domestic abuse
Genre Film
Whether sci-fi, western, horror, thriller, fantasy or even a classic romantic comedy – this section features films that push the boundaries of their genre conventions, rethink them and thus breathe fresh life into them. Sehsüchte offers lush genre cinema for hungry popcorn lovers! The Sehsüchte audience decides on the award Best Genre Film.
Dispatchers
Pau, an exhausted emergency dispatcher, is considering quitting her job. One day, however, she receives an unusual call that turns out to be a woman’s desperate cry for help. Pau is the only one who can help her in this situation.
DirectorAitor PadillaProducersMateu ParelladaIrene AguilarScreenplayIsaac Sastre
Running forBest Fiction Film
Best Genre Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Best Genre Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Screenings:
Content WarningContains mentions/depictions of:domestic violence
femicide
femicide
Family Toast
When a mother discovers her daughter with a cigarette, the father suspects that it is no ordinary cigarette. The seemingly harmonious and orderly family life threatens to fall apart.
DirectorJunhyung KIMProducerHyungwoo KIMScreenplayJunhyung KIM
Running forBest Fiction Film
Best Genre Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Best Genre Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Screenings:
Gangrena / Gangrene
Two brothers with contrasting personalities try to escape a dreaded plague that has spread through their home village. In the process, the disease eats away not only their bodies, but also their trust in each other.
DirectorIgnacio Gil-Toresano FernándezProducersVictor Sevilleja SilvaXavier JalloisScreenplayAlba Mocho Lizcano
Running forBest Fiction Film
Best Genre Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Best Genre Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Screenings:
Content WarningContains mentions/depictions of:Explicit violence
Korruption auf Erden / Corruption on Earth
Corruption on Earth is a satire about the inhumane regime in Iran. At a fictional award ceremony for the "Best Regime in the World", the regime is honoured for its political deeds. The cinematic footage is mixed with real cell phone footage of the current Iran protests.
DirectorOmid MirnourProducersDimitri HempelOmid MirnourGregor MöllersScreenplayOmid Mirnour
Running forBest Fiction Film
Best Genre Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Best Genre Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Screenings:
Content WarningContains mentions/depictions of:Explicit violence
Tabu La Rasa
Thea's supposedly perfect life comes apart when a seemingly harmless question triggers an avalanche of possibilities that could bring down her carefully constructed facade. Will she find the courage to tear down her framework of lies?
DirectorEmma BadingProducersLisa Marie BardouxMey Woelke
Running forBest Fiction Film
Best Genre Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Best Genre Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Screenings:
Town Hall Square
Bernard works in a subway ticket office near the town hall. One day, a little tiger shows up and completely turns his orderly life upside down. An animated film about unexpected visitors, annoying radio songs and the joy of life.
DirectorChristian KaufmannProducerPaulina LarsonScreenplayChristian Kaufmann
Running forBest Animated Film
Best Genre Film
Best Genre Film
Screenings:
¡Sé como José! / Be like José!
José, trapped in a sitcom, has to process an endless flood of documents in order to make a career. His boss determines his amount of work and success. Once full of zest, José soon begins to rebel.
DirectorLeonardo OrtizProducerMabel QuizhpiScreenplayLeonardo Ortiz
Running forBest Fiction Film
Best Genre Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Best Genre Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Screenings:
Content WarningContains mentions/depictions of:Suicide
Animated Film
From stop motion to animation to CGI, Sehsüchte is also dedicated to the most inspiring animated works. In this section, the Best Animated Film award is presented.
宇宙人 / Alien Human
An extraterrestrial being takes a look at the human world. Poetically, it muses about love, pain, closeness to nature, and the desire to understand the universe logically. With a soft voice, the alien begs the question if, ultimately, we are aliens to everyone but ourselves.
DirectorWEN PANGProducerKoji YamamuraScreenplayWen PangYuewei Wang
Running forBest Animated Film
Screenings:
당신의 사과나무 / The Figure of Unconscious Mind
In this abstract analogy between life and an apple, one will have to face problems and suffer wounds to push boundaries. Maybe something new will grow out of it.
DirectorJaehyeon KimScreenplayKim Jaehyeon
Running forBest Animated Film
Screenings:
2020 BEST YEAR(S) EVER / Always Continue
Bela struggles with the ongoing lockdown and tries to keep busy with trivial tasks. The fact that he is spiraling is obvious from more than just the disarranged state of his apartment. That is, until he realises he doesn't need to let himself be limited by isolation.
DirectorBéla Bender
Running forBest Animated Film
Screenings:
Agasim / Pears
Small Yana wishes for a closer, more heartfelt connection with her mother. But in Yana's family, love is not communicated through cuddles, kisses and soft touches. It is communicated through pain, going by the saying "What you hold most dear, shake like a pear". Yana learns to come to terms with that.
DirectorJulia TrachtenbergProducerJulia TrachtenbergScreenplayJulia Trachtenberg
Running forBest Animated Film
Screenings:
Content WarningContains mentions/depictions of:Child abuse
Borschtsch mit Brezel / Borscht with Pretzel
This animated film tells the story of the prejudices, clichés and problems post-Soviet Jewish families faced upon immigrating to Germany. It takes a sensitive look at the history and experiences of immigrants.
DirectorAnna Ring
Running forBest Animated Film
Screenings:
Chimborazo
The people of the volcano Chimborazo hike for hours to gather nearby ice. This age-old tradition and the population’s livelihood is threatened by increasing climate change.
DirectorKeila Cepeda SatánProducersDaniel Barrachina EscalpesTatiana Santiago SollaScreenplayDaniel Barrachina EscalpésKeila Cepeda SatánTina Piñero DíazÁngel Povedano RuizTatiana Santiago SollaFelix Uzurrunzaga Loche
Running forBest Animated Film
Screenings:
Cinnamomum
How far does one have to go to get back into the endless stream of a child's imagination, and where does it actually lead?
DirectorYu-Hsuan Liu
Running forBest Animated Film
Screenings:
Icarus Project
In Icarus Project, various bird species are confronted with a world nearly devoid of colour, in which scrupulous scientists nip every form of colourful expression in the bud.
DirectorLauren RollyScreenplayLauren Rolly
Running forBest Animated Film
Screenings:
Kolaj / Collage
Growing up, a girl notices that the world around her is becoming more and more complicated, with lines appearing on the faces of those around her. While she tries to interpret the strange lines, she struggles with her own lines from childhood.
DirectorGülce Besen DilekProducerGülce Besen DilekScreenplayGülce Besen DilekGülce Besen Dilek
Running forBest Animated Film
Screenings:
Naphtha Tears
In Naptha Tears, the human body is broken up into images, fragmented and displayed in front of a
questioned in front of a seemingly infinite computer-generated landscape. On this journey we touch upon images of pop culture, capitalism and the Hollywood sphere.
questioned in front of a seemingly infinite computer-generated landscape. On this journey we touch upon images of pop culture, capitalism and the Hollywood sphere.
DirectorDominique De Groen
Running forBest Animated Film
Screenings:
Content WarningContains mentions/depictions of:Flashing lights
Pussy Love
Pussy Love invites you on a seductive journey where body and gender merge and the freedom to pursue pleasure takes centre stage.
DirectorLinda KraussProducerLinda KraussScreenplayLinda Krauss
Running forBest Animated Film
Screenings:
Saft / Juice
In a dark and clammy space, round creatures comradely moisten each other. However, their shared bliss is disturbed by bugs time and time again. Only after the creatures squash them, does the bugs' contribution to the community become apparent.
DirectorMona KeilProducerIsabella BraunScreenplayMona KeilLion Durst
Running forBest Animated Film
Screenings:
Sierra
Father and son take part in the local car race. In order to bring home the victory, however, the son must become a car tire himself. This animated film transports us into the surreal world of car racing and parental expectations.
DirectorSander JoonProducersErik HeinsaluAurelia AasaScreenplaySander Joon
Running forBest Animated Film
Screenings:
Content WarningContains mentions/depictions of:implied suicide
Testigo del Viento / Wind Whisperer
This narrative depicts the fragile living splendour and fading state of a cicada. The film shows an instinctive journey through love, acceptance, transformation, death and infinity.
DirectorFernanda Caicedo
Running forBest Animated Film
Screenings:
Town Hall Square
Bernard works in a subway ticket office near the town hall. One day, a little tiger shows up and completely turns his orderly life upside down. An animated film about unexpected visitors, annoying radio songs and the joy of life.
DirectorChristian KaufmannProducerPaulina LarsonScreenplayChristian Kaufmann
Running forBest Animated Film
Best Genre Film
Best Genre Film
Screenings:
Under The Endless Sky
Since the war against Ukraine, daily life has changed for many. A journey through the past questions how to preserve memories and their meaning.
DirectorAlexandra Dzhiganskaya
Running forBest Animated Film
Screenings:
Focus Production
With its Focus Production section, Sehsüchte is one of the few festivals that takes a look behind the scenes of a film. What counts here is not only what is ultimately seen on the screen, but also the process that led to this result, which is usually invisible elsewhere. At Focus Production filmmakers can, for example, score points with innovative financing methods, fair working conditions, convincing gender equality concepts, sustainable use of resources and much more. Students from German-speaking universities in the DACH region can therefore be awarded the Best Production prize.
بطلان / Killing Bagheera
Alan and Bekes are on the run from their homeland. On their way to Europe, the two Kurdish brothers get into extreme situations that push them to their mental and physical limits. Hidden fears come to the surface, dividing them profoundly.
DirectorMuschirf Shekh ZeynProducerSeren Sahin
Running forBest Production
Screenings:
Content WarningContains mentions/depictions of:War
Displacement
Displacement
ALMOST HOME
After two years aboard a spaceship, Jacob and his mother make their way back to Earth. Their joy wanes when a threat in their home country puts their relationship to the test. Jacob matures when he is faced with a decision.
DirectorNils KellerProducerJonas LembeckScreenplayNils Keller
Running forBest Production
Screenings:
Border Conversations
November 2021 - thousands of migrants are trying to enter the EU via Belarus and Poland. This documentary accompanies a humanitarian organisation working tirelessly at the border. They attempt to respond to the desperate calls for help they receive on a daily basis via chat.
DirectorJonathan BrunnerProducerTristan Schneider
Running forBest Production
Screenings:
Content WarningContains mentions/depictions of:War
Displacement
Displacement
Das Einhorn mit der Schneehose rannte plötzlich los / The Unicorn in Snowpants Suddenly Ran Off
This documentary gives access to the realm of imagination of three blind children. Stories, larks and telephone calls take on new meanings.
DirectorPhilipp SchaefferProducerFabian Leonhardt
Running forBest Production
Screenings:
Drei Frauen / Three Women
Maria, a postwoman, Nelya, a biologist, and Hanna, a farmer, live in Stushytsia, Ukraine, near the border to Poland and Slovakia. This documentary portrays not only a foreign "cold place," but also three women who gradually seem to thaw and open up.
DirectorMaksym MelnykProducerMaksym Melnyk
Running forBest Production
Screenings:
ISTINA (Wahrheit)
Jelena is a photojournalist for an investigative newsroom in Belgrade, Serbia. She courageously documents critical protests, risking her life in the process. After an attack, she decides to go to Germany with her daughter Lara. In her new home, however, she also encounters fierce resistance and violence.
DirectorTamara DenicProducerChristian SiéeScreenplayDavid Lorenz
Running forBest Production
Screenings:
Content WarningContains mentions/depictions of:Violence
WAS WIR WOLLEN / Of kisses and capes
Isi and Finn are actually happy, but one issue puts their otherwise harmonious relationship to the test. Longing for sexual intimacy, the couple begins to explore sex with physical disabilities alongside self-doubt, ultimately exploring one thing: what they really want.
DirectorElena WeissProducerPaula Maria Martin-KargScreenplaySophie Dittmer
Running forBest Production
Screenings:
Future
In this section we show children from the age of 6 and young people from the age of 12 exciting, unconventional and sight-seeing short and feature-length films in a wide variety of forms. The winning films are decided solely by a children’s and youth jury. The Best Kids Film and Best Teens Film prizes are awarded in this section.
Future Kids
Сальвадор Дали / Salvador Dali
DirectorEldiar MadakimProducersMeder SuyundukovEldiar MadakimNurbek AlibashovScreenplayEldiar Madakim
Running forBest Kids Film
Screenings:
Anscht
DirectorMatthias HuberProducerFred TrunigerScreenplayMatthias Huber
Running forBest Kids Film
Screenings:
Darb'oħra / Another Time
DirectorSarah ZammitProducersJean Pierre BorgJulian GuillaumierScreenplaySarah Zammit
Running forBest Kids Film
Screenings:
Die Schule brennt und wir wissen warum / The school is on fire and we know why
DirectorJanina LutterProducerPaul GalliScreenplayJanina Lutter
Running forBest Kids Film
Screenings:
Dream in Color
DirectorMarijn RaevenProducerMarijn RaevenScreenplayMarijn Raeven
Running forBest Kids Film
Screenings:
Ferme les Yeux / Close your Eyes
DirectorsManon BérardengoAudrey DefonteLéo DepoixDenis KoesslerClémentine LaurentPierre GuislainChloé BoursierScreenplayManon Bérardengo
Running forBest Kids Film
Screenings:
Giant & the Seed
DirectorSara ShabaniProducerSara ShabaniScreenplaySara Shabani
Running forBest Kids Film
Screenings:
IDODO
DirectorUrsula UlmiProducerUrsula Ulmi
Running forBest Kids Film
Screenings:
Liberation
DirectorMilad Maleki KahengiProducerMilad Maleki KahengiScreenplayMilad Maleki Kahengi
Running forBest Kids Film
Screenings:
Oliver auf Kammerjagd / Oliver's Pixie Hunt
DirectorsKai ZwettlerMirko MuhshoffProducersLeona BrunsIvan DjambovJessica KreciszMirko MuhshoffKai ZwettlerScreenplayMirko MuhshoffKai Zwettler
Running forBest Kids Film
Screenings:
Una Aprendiz Invisible / An Invisible Apprentice
DirectorEmilia HerbstProducerEduardo DriuzziScreenplayDenise Denise UmaschiMariana PlanellaEmilia Herbst
Running forBest Kids Film
Screenings:
Vigurivänt Volli / Troublemaker Tommy
DirectorsRao HeidmetsPauline HeidmetsProducerKerdi Oengo-KuusikScreenplayRao Heidmets
Running forBest Kids Film
Screenings:
Future Teens
אצות ים / Seaweed
DirectorLiel SimonProducerGal TamirScreenplayLiel Simon
Running forBest Teens Film
Screenings:
Actually literally Arm in Arm
Between deep conversations and silly sidewalk fights, between becoming a woman and wanting to stay a child, between sexist Instagram comments and Germany's Next Topmodel, we dive into the world of a girl clique and their lives.
DirectorNatalie FischerProducerLucy BetuliusScreenplayYves Guillaume
Running forBest Teens Film
Screenings:
Blaues Rauschen / Blue Noise
DirectorSimon Maria KubienaProducersAnje Jule HarigTristan SchneiderScreenplaySimon Maria KubienaMalgorzata Zglinska
Running forBest Teens Film
Screenings:
Einblick / Insight
DirectorEmma BraunProducersEmma BraunSophia SzönyiScreenplayEmma Braun
Running forBest Teens Film
Screenings:
Flowerboy
DirectorsNicolas SchönbergerThomas HütteProducerYannik KreßScreenplayNicolas SchönbergerThomas Hütte
Running forBest Teens Film
Screenings:
Goals
DirectorFlorinda CiucioProducerIlse Schoonekaep
Running forBest Teens Film
Screenings:
Leyla
DirectorNursen Çetin KörekenProducerÜmit KörekenScreenplayNursen Çetin Köreken
Running forBest Teens Film
Screenings:
Muss ja nicht sein, dass es heute ist / It doesn't have to be today
DirectorSophia GroeningProducerBazon RosengarthScreenplaySophia Groening
Running forBest Teens Film
Screenings:
Oasis
DirectorJustine MartinProducerLouis-Emmanuel Gagné Brochu
Running forBest Teens Film
Screenings:
Pilona / Bedwetter
DirectorJuly NatersProducerBeto Benites
Running forBest Teens Film
Screenings:
Sfat Av / Father Tongue
DirectorIvgeny GashinskyProducerIris Ben MosheScreenplayIvgeny Gashinsky
Running forBest Teens Film
Screenings:
Wheels On The Bus
DirectorSurya ShahiProducersJagadish HamalSushant ShresthaScreenplayRajesh KhatriSurya Shahi
Running forBest Teens Film
Screenings:
360°
The virtual reality section 360° explores the possibilities of visual storytelling in virtual space. The audience thus experiences a new cinematic environment that is not limited to the big screen. Immersive storytelling creates potential for new stories and poses challenges for filmmakers, making it particularly interesting for young filmmakers. That is why we are awarding the prize for Best 360°-Film in this section.
Aguario: Estados alterados / Aguario: Altered States
A glowing polygon landscape in the dark shows what is on the other side of the mirror. The intro to the Metvica Paprena saga, that alludes to a reflection of Aldo van Eyck in the last Congrès Internationaux d‘Architecture Moderne in 1956.
DirectorBela PaprenaProducerBela Paprena
Running forBest VR Film
Screenings:
Content WarningContains mentions/depictions of:Flashing Lights
Explosions
Skeletons
Explosions
Skeletons
Before We Eat
A very normal family dinner, with all the good and bad family dinners tend to have. One seat is empty: yours.
DirectorMikkel HaynesProducersJohanna PigorsMikkel HaynesScreenplayMikkel Haynes
Running forBest VR Film
Screenings:
Content WarningContains mentions/depictions of:Death
Castle of Unknowing
DirectorDamian Thorn-Hauswirth
Running forBest VR Film
Screenings:
Content WarningContains mentions/depictions of:Small Spaces
Large bodies of water
Height
Large bodies of water
Height
Cycle of Violence (VR)
A sweet, innocent bunny rabbit girl is everything you wish for in a relationship. Then the mood shifts, and everything falls apart. But there is nothing you can’t fix with the right words, right?
DirectorFelicia BergströmProducerFelicia BergströmScreenplayFelicia Bergström
Running forBest VR Film
Screenings:
Content WarningContains mentions/depictions of:Body Horror
Reimagined Volume I: Nyssa
The journey of the young witch, Nyssa, on her way to find her lost broom. Inspired by the Brothers Grimm folktale „The Story of the Boy Who Went Forth to Learn Fear“.
DirectorJulie CavaliereProducersPeter ArietRyan Genji ThomasMichaela Ternasky-HollandScreenplayJulie Cavaliere
Running forBest VR Film
Screenings:
Content WarningContains mentions/depictions of:Fllashing Lights
Snakes
Blood
Height
Caves
Snakes
Blood
Height
Caves
Sehsüchte Special
In Sehsüchte Special, current international events and topics will take center stage. Be it the focus on Iranian filmmakers, queer cinema from Ukraine, immigration issues or animated films that have been created in a very short timeframe: This section allows us to broaden our horizons and look beyond our own backyards.
Animation Unplugged
A Visitor
DirectorAnna Dokuchaeva
Running forOut of Competition
Screenings:
An einem schnöden Tage / Once upon a dull day
DirectorJonas Lieberknecht
Running forOut of Competition
Screenings:
Cleaning Day
DirectorVeronica Solomon
Running forOut of Competition
Screenings:
Der Tag / The Day
DirectorEmilia Zieser
Running forOut of Competition
Screenings:
Der Tag, an dem ich die Trägheit besiegte / The day I conquered inertia
DirectorMaxi Alker
Running forOut of Competition
Screenings:
Grau / Grey
DirectorJakob Besuch
Running forOut of Competition
Screenings:
Halt still, ich kämme dir deine Gedanken schön
DirectorElina Gkekas
Running forOut of Competition
Screenings:
Introspektion
DirectorAnna Makarova
Running forOut of Competition
Screenings:
Little Singer
The curtain is up, the stage is clear, the microphone on: Let the show begin. The little singer steps forward and everyone is waiting with bated breath what singing talents are about to be heard. She clears her throat one more time and then it starts. But what is this? She’s not really going to lick the microphone like a popsicle, is she? Surely an idea we’ve all had at one time or another!
DirectorHao Yu
Running forOut of Competition
Screenings:
Mondtanz / Moon Dance
DirectorLaura Isabel Schneider
Running forOut of Competition
Screenings:
Profil
DirectorGiulia Falciani
Running forOut of Competition
Screenings:
Song of a snail
DirectorSophie Kalinowsky
Running forOut of Competition
Screenings:
Sternenbad
DirectorElina Gkekas
Running forOut of Competition
Screenings:
What Gil has to say
DirectorHao Yu
Running forOut of Competition
Screenings:
Widerstand / Fight Back
DirectorVeronica Solomon
Running forOut of Competition
Screenings:
Wüste
DirectorJakob Besuch
Running forOut of Competition
Screenings:
Iran
Baalaa Oftadan / Falling Up
One night, a man has an inexplicable dream. To get to the bottom of it, he visits the Institute of Dreams, where dreams are controlled and examined. He has an unexpected encounter in the process.
DirectorMaryam BakhtiariScreenplayMaryam BakhtiariAmin Chadegani
Screenings:
Digari / The other
Farhad is given the task of sorting the memoirs of a long-dead woman. While working, he falls in love with the old lady's supposed niece. During their first date, he notices many new mysterious details.
DirectorNegah SohrabiProducerAbolfazel Amir
Screenings:
Hanged
Parvaneh is a 40-year-old hangwoman from Yazd province. In her daily life, she is regularly confronted with having to hang people.
DirectorRoqiye TavakoliProducersMohammad Hadi AkhondiGholamreza DastjerdiScreenplayFarshad Rezaei
Running forOut of Competition
Screenings:
Horn
During her urgent search for a parking space in Tehran, a young woman is distracted by men on the street, but ultimately manages to find a solution.
DirectorGhasideh GolmakaniProducerGhasideh GolmakaniScreenplayGhasideh Golmakani
Running forOut of Competition
Screenings:
Icky
In the world of people with a solved Rubik's Cube head, there is a child who is different from the others...
DirectorParastoo CardgarScreenplayParastoo Cardgar
Running forOut of Competition
Screenings:
Korruption auf Erden / Corruption on Earth
Corruption on Earth is a satire about the inhumane regime in Iran. At a fictional award ceremony for the "Best Regime in the World", the regime is honoured for its political deeds. The cinematic footage is mixed with real cell phone footage of the current Iran protests.
DirectorOmid MirnourProducersDimitri HempelOmid MirnourGregor MöllersScreenplayOmid Mirnour
Running forBest Fiction Film
Best Genre Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Best Genre Film
Outstanding Artistic Achievement in a Fiction Film
Screenings:
Content WarningContains mentions/depictions of:Explicit violence
Left'Over
In a poetic journey between two worlds, East and West, Austria and Iran, gender stereotypes within both cultures are questioned.
DirectorYasaman Hasani
Running forOut of Competition
Screenings:
Man khod, man ham miraghsam / And Me, I´m Dancing Too
Dancing makes Saba feel free. A feeling she doesn't know in her home country, Iran. In this poetic production, Saba rebels against the Islamic Republic and blurs the lines between fiction and reality.
By: Mohammad Valizadegan
By: Mohammad Valizadegan
DirectorMohammad ValizadeganProducersKaveh FarnamFarzad PakScreenplayAmineh Mazrouie AraniMohammad Valizadegan
Running forOut of Competition
Screenings:
Content WarningContains mentions/depictions of:Sexual and abusive violence
Moment and Forever
Moments and Forever is about a woman struggling for her freedom and identity. As she dances through the whispering silhouette of men, she walks her path undaunted.
DirectorYasaman Hasani
Running forOut of Competition
Screenings:
Report on a Termination
A young journalist documents a series of dismissals in a reportage until she herself gets into a predicament and is fired.
DirectorTahereh ShabanianScreenplayArezoo Shabanian
Running forOut of Competition
Screenings:
Tangle
A young woman loses her home in the war and with it all her memories and loved ones. It is now a matter of surviving and crossing geographical borders to leave the old life behind.
DirectorMaliheh GholamzadehProducerJavad Hosseininezhad
Running forOut of Competition
Screenings:
Content WarningContains mentions/depictions of:War depiction
Taxi is Here
A mysterious woman decides to share a secret with a taxi driver who looks familiar. This supposed secret tempts her to invite him to her home.
DirectorSara AghababayanProducerSara AghababayanScreenplaySara Aghababayan
Running forOut of Competition
Screenings:
The Region
A young woman is confronted with the challenges of being a woman on set and fights for her freedom as a creative actress.
DirectorASMA Ebrahimzadegan
Running forOut of Competition
Screenings:
The Toaster I used to live in
Four Iranian girls of the same age express their opinions on extramarital sex.
DirectorRojin Shafier
Running forOut of Competition
Screenings:
Montage Forum
Sonne
DirectorKurdwin AyubProducerUlrich SeidlScreenplayKurdwin Ayub
Running forOut of Competition
Screenings:
Queer Cinema: International
Дубравка / Dubravka
A girl called Dubravka plays football with other children, climbs trees and swims in the sea. But childhood ends and she enters adulthood. She wants to be alone, dream and think about life. And suddenly she falls in love for the first time in her life...
DirectorRadomyr Vasylevsky
Running forOut of Competition
Screenings:
Море. Вітер. Нахуя. / Sea. Wind. WTF.
An abandoned house on the sea coast, an overcast sky and a camera shared by 3 friends.
DirectorSashko Protyah
Running forOut of Competition
Screenings:
Фільм-пісок / The film of sand
'The Film of Sand' is an auto-fictional essay about a gay community that makes use of a communication network consisting of amateur radio and grassroot hook-up apps. While the air is constantly interrupted by homophobic messages made of the intercepted military ciphers used by the Russian army, networks of love, empathy, and support become ever stronger. Produced as a close observation of everyday media practices and the social life of love relations, The Film of Sand takes a close look at the interrelations of war and intimacy, threat and empathy, fiction and documentation.
DirectorSashko Protyah
Running forOut of Competition
Screenings:
Щасливі роки / The Wonderful Years
The research film “The Wonderful Years” explores the lives of queer women in Ukraine in the late Soviet Union. The film is based on the archive video materials and interview excerpts from several research projects.
DirectorsGalina YarmanovaSvitlana Shymko
Running forOut of Competition
Screenings:
Dendro Dreams
A film about the relationships of humans and trees. An attempt to question human gaze upon nature, recognize subjectivity of a tree and approach its radical otherness.
We look into the case of fifteen “winners” of the National Trees of Ukraine competition and explore the image of a tree as reflected in the language of legislation, journalism and poetry.
We look into the case of fifteen “winners” of the National Trees of Ukraine competition and explore the image of a tree as reflected in the language of legislation, journalism and poetry.
DirectorsElias ParvulescoTeta Tsybulnyk
Running forOut of Competition
Screenings:
Remember the Smell of Mariupol
Director Zoya Laktionova talks about her 2 months of experience abroad in a state of two realities. Her documentary essay interacts with two landscapes in the same space of the video work. The work uses archival family photos of the artist and texts written in the first weeks of the war. The work absorbs one landscape into another, but it is difficult to understand what kind of landscape this act carries out.
DirectorZoya LaktionovaProducerZoya Laktionova
Running forOut of Competition
Screenings:
The Secret, The Girl, And The Boy
The Secret, The Girl and The Boy was shot in a course of one day in Tatarka neighborhood, Kyiv, Ukraine. The neighborhood is a hilly territory, part of which is summer houses and gardens. The garden The Girl and The Boy play in is an abandoned one. They have time and space to experience certain behaviors out of its’ usual order.
DirectorOksana Kazmina
Running forOut of Competition
Screenings:
VIDEOACT
Bogaz / Bosphorus
Bogaz follows a curious young woman in a dystopian Istanbul. Two different states in dispute govern the two different sides of Bosphorus (strait). Communication and transport between the two sides are prohibited. The woman has a pair of binoculars, and she is obsessed with watching the other side which she has never been to and knows nothing about.
DirectorEmre BirismenProducersFatma BelkisEmre BirismenScreenplayFatma BelkisEmre Birismen
Running forOut of Competition
Screenings:
Buhar / Vapor
Three women stop for a break at a highway rest area and cheerfully chatter away in an unfathomable language. But after a while, two of the women mysteriously disappear.
DirectorEmre BirismenProducersEmre BirismenIpek ErdenScreenplayEmre Birismen
Running forOut of Competition
Screenings:
Hepgece / Evernight
At this endless night when the sun does not come up, and the darkness prevailed, Woman and Man search for a solution in leaving their normal life, property, and civilization as we know it, and going to nature. They depart and leave their friends after a dinner which has less excitement than before to test their hope about social revival.
DirectorEmre BirismenProducersFatma BelkisEmre BirismenScreenplayFatma BelkisEmre Birismen
Running forOut of Competition
Screenings:
Kule / Tower
The sun rises on Sunday morning in Berlin. On her way home, Derin finds herself thinking about what she left behind. She remembers why and how she moved abroad.
DirectorEmre BirismenProducerZeynep EkmekçiScreenplayEmre Birismen
Running forOut of Competition
Screenings:
Retrospective
The Retrospective is Sehsüchte‘s look into student film history. The programme not only brings older films from the archives back to light, but also updates their meanings and aesthetic experience.
Ein Herbst im Ländchen Bärwalde / An Autumn in the Little Country of Bärwalde
Gautam Bora (director) only knew the descriptions of German farms from children's books. This film compares and contrasts his preconceived ideas with the realities of farm families’ daily and working life in Germany and India.
DirectorsGautam BoraHelmut Kießling
Screenings:
Erste Begegnung / First Encounter
Gabriela Hochneder (director) tells the story of a married couple who ventures to new shores by adopting two sisters, a teenager and a toddler. The film addresses the question of the meaning of family with an empathetic eye.
DirectorGabriela Hochneder
Screenings:
Glück auf - Bilder einer Begegnung / Good Luck - Pictures of an Encounter
Rainer Burmeister (director) tells a story about everyday working life of 46 young Mozambican people in the GDR who were employed as contract workers. Among them is 20-year-old Luisa, who worked in the mining industry and, like the others, is now training to be a craftswoman.
DirectorRainer Burmeister
Screenings:
Ich lache, um nicht zu weinen / I Laugh so as Not to Cry
This portrait shows Black cartoonist Oliver Harrington from New York, who fled to the GDR. For his political drawings, he drew on worldly anecdotes and his love of storytelling. Director Hans Hattop later taught videography at the University of Film and Television.
DirectorHans Hattop
Screenings:
Meiningen-Meiningen
The documentary is about the everyday work of a brigade in a MITROPA dining car. It begins with the preparations for work and accompanies the staff throughout the day. The film portrait addresses and problematizes the challenges of the workforce in the GDR.
DirectorsGudrun SteinbrückJulia Kunert
Screenings:
Zwei aus Soweto / Two from Soweto
The film tells the story of Hans and Peter, who protested in the Johannesburg ghetto in 1976. There, they witnessed the murder of 300 black pupils and students by racist police forces. The film allows them to talk about what happened.
DirectorHashim SaidScreenplayErwin Burkert
Screenings:
Showcase
Every year we offer films from the Filmuniversität Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF as well as from an international partner university of the Filmuniversität the opportunity to present their most exciting or successful films in a showcase. The programme will be presented out of competition.
Universitário de Lisboa
Days Without
After a chaotic episode with his wife, Russian-Estonian worker Nikolai is left alone with his one-year-old daughter Sophia. As time passes, he begins to doubt his abilities as a father and his ability to reunite with his wife.
DirectorÍvar Erik YeomanProducerBia TafnerScreenplayStella Carneiro
Screenings:
Content WarningContains mentions/depictions of:Displacement
Domestic Violence
Domestic Violence
In the Middle of Nowhere
Three people struggle with living up to the expectations of a society based on the gender binary. Gender as we know it is deconstructed in conversation.
DirectorSam MarquesProducerSam Marques
Screenings:
Kumaru
Kumaru is a strange creature. It collects fireflies to light its way through the darkness. The only light it knows. But suddenly, something else catches its attention.
DirectorsBruno MaravilhaPatrícia SantosTânia Teixeira
Screenings:
Leidsin
When Agnes notices a suspicious group of men, she decides to follow them. In an abandoned house, she discovers a Russian man tied up. What has put him in this position? Is it a game or revenge? No matter what, she must free him before Mihkel arrives to finish the job.
DirectorRagne MandriProducerLaura García BaezaScreenplayStella Carneiro
Screenings:
Content WarningContains mentions/depictions of:Death
Violence
Violence
Sink Away
A young, lonely man expresses his feelings for a ghost stuck in a changing room. A cycle of attraction and suppression begins. Once they finally connect, there’s no turning back.
DirectorFelix CognardProducerMatheus PeçanhaScreenplayKelton Smith
Screenings:
Content WarningContains mentions/depictions of:Mental Illness
Displacement
Displacement
When The Earth Bleeds
The plague brings out the worst in people. The protagonist, however, remains immune. He desperately tries to save his wife and protect his son. He travels through a village where nothing is as it seems. A loss of reality, saturated with memories of another life.
Screenings:
Content WarningContains mentions/depictions of:Blood
Death
Violence
Death
Violence
Film University Babelsberg
Entbandung
In a palace where humans serve giants, the servants wear blue ribbons as a sign of oppression. A day later, the ribbon is around a new neck. They fear what will happen when it is taken off.
DirectorAnita BruneburgProducerAnita Bruneburg
Running forOut of Competition
Screenings:
Content WarningContains mentions/depictions of:Death
Violence
Violence
I Was Never Really Here
One summer, two boys, and a lifetime of change. Sam and his mother Rita take in their old friend, Gifty, and her son, Kwesi. As Sam begins to fall in love with Kwesi and question his identity, the bond is threatened by Kwesi's lack of residency status.
DirectorGabriel ArrahnioProducersVincent EduseiFrithjof Stückemann
Running forOut of Competition
Screenings:
Scheisswetter
Lotte is mad at Tobi: In the middle of his midlife crisis, he seems to have traded his rainy home and his best friend for sunny, cheerful places. With his brief return, the question arises as to how the friendship can continue in spite of distance and injury.
DirectorJens Kevin GeorgProducersLuis MoratJelena BohnetScreenplayJens Kevin Georg
Running forOut of Competition
Screenings:
Schwarmtiere / The Swarmers
Karla doesn't have it easy as a newcomer at boarding school. Between bullying and exclusion, the 16-year-old is confronted with power struggles amongst teenagers. This adaptation of Rainer Maria Rilke's "Gym Class" shows Karla's attempt at dealing with these challenges.
DirectorAlison KuhnProducersLaura ZeuchAngelina HermannScreenplayAlison Kuhn
Running forOut of Competition
Screenings:
Content WarningContains mentions/depictions of:Abuse
Death
Death
Schreibsüchte
The screenplay is more than the mere preliminary stage of a finished film, but an artistic work in its own right. In this section it takes centre stage. Innovative stories, brought into form through precise narrative craft, have a chance to win the Best Screenplay award. The nominated, previously unfilmed screenplays will be presented to the festival audience in the staged reading “Kopfkino”. But authors who have not yet finished a book also have the opportunity to present their ideas. In the Pitch, students can convince the jury with their idea and receive the prize for the Best Pitch.
Kopfkino
Alles geschieht heute
Everything is too much for Wes right now: an essay is due for school, his little sister wants to go to the movies with him, he's supposed to take care of his bedridden mother, and then there's that uncertain togetherness after the night with Lucy... A heartwarming coming-of-age novel adaptation about the trials and tribulations of growing up.
Screenplay Jacqueline Jansen
Running forBest Script
Events:
Die Libau-Unternehmung
World War I is raging. Wilhelm, a disgraced German cryptographer, agrees to help an Irish nationalist rebel against British power. Disguised as a teacher, he goes to an Irish school where his national pride is put to the test.
Screenplay Maximilian Stolz
Running forBest Script
Events:
Die Schlachten der Madame Kaulla
For decades, Jewish merchant Karoline Kaulla has made a name for herself, even rising into the royal circles. Her political, as well as familial and existential struggles in the anti-Semitic climate of 18th century Baden-Württemberg are illustrated in this three-hour historical drama.
Screenplay Mathis Van Den Berg
Running forBest Script
Events:
Rosanna, Jaris & die Anderswelt
Eight-year-old Rosanna experiences a tremendous blow of fate: her brother falls seriously ill and is hospitalised. The only remedy is the inviting circus outside Rosanna's window, which allows her to escape to a magical parallel society and lets her work through her fear of loss.
Screenplay Sandra Moser
Running forBest Script
Events:
The Chocolate Trap
Having just moved in with her mischievous aunt, Emma finds a book written by her missing mother that opens the door to a fairy tale universe. Along with Arthur the pirate, Emma sets off on a magical adventure filled with mysteries and secrets to uncover the reason for her parents’ disappearance.
Screenplay Pia Schuster
Running forBest Script
Events:
Pitch
Die Bischofskrone
After murdering the encroaching Bishop Hilarius, the nun Magdalena is on the run from his followers. She meets the notorious robber Albrecht Moorbrunn and rebels with him against Catholic rule in the early 16th century. A fictional revenge film.
Author Leif Eisenberg
Running forBest Pitch
Events:
Die Seeräuber-Jenny Lotte Lenya
While Bertolt Brecht's Threepenny Opera achieved worldwide fame, Lotte Lenya, performer of the buccaneer Jenny, became known predominantly as composer Kurt Weill's "wife and muse." It's high time to hear Lotte's perspective on the turbulent 1920s and 30s.
Author Wiebke Becker
Running forBest Pitch
Events:
Ich weiß, was du nicht weißt
When computer-savvy teen Robert meets the mysterious Maria on the Darknet, she makes him an unusual offer: program troll and bot armies for a right-wing underground organisation? The order is tempting - the consequences hardly foreseeable.
Author Georg Reinke
Running forBest Pitch
Events:
Proof of Soul
Assassinations under seemingly arbitrary motives have become commonplace in the near future. The biologist Olivia therefore puts forward an explosive thesis: Not every human being possesses a soul and each:r soulless could become a danger. A socially critical series about empathy.
Author Sandra Gordon-Schneider
Running forBest Pitch
Events:
Sir Michael, Paladin von Lisas Gnaden
Family man Michael is completely overwhelmed by his daughter's sudden cancer diagnosis. He takes refuge in pen-and-paper adventures, roaming the countryside as a paladin in search of a cure for his daughter. But the real world and Lisa call for a true family hero.
Author Martin König
Running forBest Pitch
Events:
Exhibition
In addition to the festival’s film programme, the exhibition will present media art that uses modern technologies in a creative way and is dedicated to innovative forms of narration. This includes, for example, topics such as XR, artificial intelligence, projection mapping, sensor- or web-based systems.
DOR
"DOR" is a musical journey through the landscape of the soul, a sound expedition that interweaves the intimate whispers of nature and the timeless echoes of folk belief. The harmonies and sound structures invite the participants to connect with their Dor.
ArtistsAndreea-Cristina Mircea NINANIÑAMaurício Brito
Events:
Das Ding / The Thing
"The Thing" is an interactive installation that puts a forgotten tube television set into the spotlight and gives it a voice and identity. Through text boxes and film footage, visitors can communicate with the TV and discover its feelings and memories.
DirectorMargarita GehlProducerJonas Peschel
Events:
From The Main Square
A new city is being built around its main square. A place full of stories, edifications and conflicts. Relationships and cultures mature. Groups turn against each other. A civilization blossoms, with all its contradictions, only to endanger itself.
DirectorPedro HarresProducerLorena JunghansScreenplayAngelina UrbanczykRafael Loss
Events:
I'm not a robot
The installation "I'm not a robot" allows the visitors to interact with the internet of an alternative timeline through a telephone. Created as a place of social exchange, it now contains only AI systems without purpose and cultural artefacts that have become irrelevant.
ArtistsMarco BrauneAnna BrauwersJonathan HoTim RumpfTillman Jex SchäubleVivien SchreiberJannis VolzMarco Winter
Events:
In der Hölle sind die Flammen türkis / In hell the flames are turquoise
"In Hell, the Flames are Turquoise" is a VR experience conceived as a walk-through poem and digital performance. At first glance. you find yourself in an idyllic place that turns out to be a grotesque world full of glitches and unsettling encounters.
ArtistKatia Sophia Ditzler
Events:
Lehrsprüche der Bauernschlauen / Maxims of the cunning
Farmer’s Wisdom is a cycle of poems that refers to the farmer’s almanack in an ironic way and is extended through alternative reality. An opulent and surreal baroque aesthetic underlines the character of the poems, which were partially conceptualised as streams of consciousness. Developed and realised in cooperation with the AURORA School of Artists.
ArtistKatia Sophia Ditzler
Events:
Mythological Practice
"Mythological Practice" is an immersive VR installation that encourages users to discover a part of the mythological landscape of Romanian space through interactions. Each user interaction triggers a narrative.
ArtistFlorin-Adrian Marc
Events:
Remote
"REMOTE" presents a game excerpt in which the players explore a part of a space station whose contact with Earth has been broken. In doing so, they can explore what is happening on board via the environment and the playing of holograms previously recorded by the crew.
ArtistVivien Schreiber
Events:
The Vanish
The interactive VR experience "The Vanish" brings one of the most serious human diseases to life: amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. In doing so, "The Vanish" moves between film and game as a 20-minute immersive narrative experience.
ArtistLinda Maas
Events:
Event programme
In addition to the films, the event programme ensures that your Sehsüchte experience will be unforgettable. Live music, parties, interesting workshops, masterclasses and panels as well as a festive opening and awards ceremony ensure a unique time during the festival. The events of the event program can be found in the programme overview.
