Bold, topical, and timely: the New German Television Productions section

The Munich International Film Festival has established itself as the number-one platform for German filmmaking. Its New German Television Productions and New German Cinema sections place a strong emphasis on domestic productions. This year, ten films and five series in the New German Television Productions section will have their world premiere on the big screen. As usual, the festival will also give audiences a unique opportunity to see celebrity guests in person. 

This selection of fifteen productions, compiled by program curator Dr. Ulrike Frick, affords an overview of the breadth of German television production. The directors include such luminaries as Jan Georg Schütte and Michaela Kezele, while the casts include such popular actors and actresses as Anke Engelke, Maria Furtwängler, Adele Neuhauser, Bastian Pastewka, Heiner Lauterbach, Charly Hübner, Rick Okon, and Damian Hardung. 

“Television hasn’t been this furious, factual, and forceful in a long time. Nor has it been this varied,” says program curator Dr. Ulrike Frick. 

This year’s productions reflect the burning issues of our time. They address antisemitism and far-right extremism (“Shadowtower”), climate change and social divides (“Nothing As It Was”), trans identity (“Josefa’s Return”), mental health (“Forever Us”), and the war in Ukraine (“My Child – Моя Дитина”). 

The productions often shine a harsh light on some brutal realities. Examples include “At the End of Truth”, an intense drama about the blaming of victims of sexual assault, and “SUPERmad”, a feminist dramedy about a chambermaid who battles sex offenders using superpowers she’s developed after she is raped. The young protagonist of “Where We Come From” witnesses violence in his own family, battles social inequality, and searches for opportunities that don’t really exist. 

Of heroes great and small 

The New German Television Productions section also offers some classic tales about heroes. “Call Me Levi” tells the fascinating story of how Levi Strauss, the pioneer of blue jeans, rose to success. “Souls without Walls – Choreographing an Era” explores how figure skater Katarina Witt and her coach, Jutta Müller, played by Dagmar Manzel, strove for Olympic gold as well as to maintain their identity in a unifying Germany. And “Hallo Spencer – The Movie” is a nostalgic reunion with Spencer, Elvis, Lulu, and other lovable puppets who must now save their home — in a screenplay by popular satirist Jan Böhmermann. 

Crime drama, romance, and a touch of fantasy 

Crime thrillers are just as much a part of this year’s lineup as are surprising love stories. While a criminal investigator is targeted in “Into the Dark – Hunting Shadows”, a man is confronted with his own dark past in “Who Is Without Fault”. Lighter in tone are the romantic comedy “The Perfect Miss”, about coming of age later in life, and the unusual series “Love Sucks”, which cleverly interweaves a romantic drama and elements of the fantasy genre. 

Presentation of awards 

The two Bernd Burgemeister TV Production Awards for the best TV movie and TV series will be presented at the Munich International Film Festival on June 30, 2024. The two awards of 25,000 euros each are sponsored by the VFF television royalty distributors. This year, jury chair Dagmar Rosenbauer (producer), Jan Kruse (Bavaria Fiction) and Martin Richter (Ratpack) are on the three-member jury.  

The complete schedule of the 41st Munich International Film Festival will be available on June 18. Feel free to address any queries or requests for images or interviews to presse@filmfest-muenchen.de. 

Further information 

Journalists interested in applying for accreditation to the 2024 Munich International Film Festival can find information on press accreditation here. 

Early bird accreditation by May 31, 2024 // Accreditation deadline: June 14, 2024 

Images for all the films can be found here. 

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All the films and series in the New German Television Productions section in 2024: 

Films 

“At the End of Truth” (“Am Ende der Wahrheit”) 
Director: Saralisa Volm, Germany 2023 / Screenplay: Lena Fakler
Cast: Maria Furtwängler, Margarita Broich, Damian Hardung, Pasquale Aleardi, Uwe Preuss 
Nordfilm GmbH 
Atalante Film GmbH 
NDR 

“Forever Us” (“Wir für immer”) 
Director: Johannes Schmid, Germany 2024 / Screenplay: Johannes Schmid, Thomas Schmid 
Cast: Philip Günsch, Marie Leuenberger, Mina-Giselle Rüffer, Stefan Maaß, Vincent Hahnen 
Lieblingsfilm GmbH 
WDR 

“Hallo Spencer – The Movie” (“Hallo Spencer – Der Film”) 
Director: Timo Schierhorn, Germany 2024 / Screenplay: Jan Böhmermann, Elias Hauck, Tim Wolff 
Cast: Rainer Bock, Victoria Trauttmansdorff, Margarita Broich, Achim Hall, Jens Harzer
Studio Zentral 
UE 
ZDF 

“Into the Dark – Hunting Shadows” (“Tödliche Schatten”) 
Director: Alexander Dierbach, Germany 2024 / Screenplay: Christoph Busche 
Cast: Walter Sittler, Hannah Ehrlichmann, Charlotte Irene Thompson, Fanny Stavjanik, Uwe Preuss 
Hager Moss Film GmbH 
ARD Degeto Film 

“Josefa’s Return” (“Ungeschminkt”) 
Director: Dirk Kummer, Germany 2023 / Screenplay: Uli Brée 
Cast: Adele Neuhauser, Eva Mattes, Hayal Kaya, Ulrich Noethen, Riccardo Campione 
Bavaria Fiction GmbH 
BR 

“My Child – Моя Дитина” (“Mein Kind – Моя Дитина”) 
Director: Christine Hartmann, Germany 2023 / Screenplay: Kathrin Bühlig
Cast: Lisa Maria Potthoff, Maximilian Brückner, Alina Danko, Suzanne von Borsody, Karolina Horster 
Bavaria Fiction GmbH
ZDF 

“Nothing As It Was” (“Nichts mehr, wie es war”) 
Directors: Lars Jessen, Jan Georg Schütte, Germany 2023 / Screenplay: Lars Jessen, Christian Riedel, Jan Georg Schütte, Charly Hübner 
Cast: Charly Hübner, Natalia Rudziewicz, Jördis Triebel, Ulrich Brandhoff, Peter Kurth
Florida Film GmbH 
ARD Degeto Film 

“Souls without Walls – Choreographing an Era” (“Kati – Eine Kür, die bleibt”) 
Director: Mimi Kezele, Germany 2024 / Screenplay: Andrea Stoll 
Cast: Lavinia Nowak, Dagmar Manzel, Jörg Steinberg, Angela Hobrig, Sylvester Groth 
Odeon Fiction GmbH 
ZDF  

“Where We Came From” (“Ein Mann seiner Klasse”) 
Director: Marc Brummund, Germany 2024 / Screenplay: Nicole Armbruster, Marc Brummund 
Cast: Camille Loup Moltzen, Leonard Kunz, Svenja Jung, Mercedes Müller 
Saxonia Media 
BR 
SWR 

“Who Is Without Fault” (“Wer ohne Schuld ist”) 
Director: Sabrina Sarabi, Germany 2024 / Screenplay: Lilly Bogenberger, David Weichelt 
Cast: Aaron Hilmer, Lou Strenger, Max Wolter, Johanna Götting, Sohel Altan Gol 
Relevant Film Produktion 
SWR 

Series 

“Call Me Levi” 
Director: Neele Leana Vollmar, Germany 2024 / Screenplay: Robert Krause, Neele Leana Vollmar 
Cast: Vincent Redetzki, Amy Benkenstein, Anton von Lucke, Lea van Acken 
Lieblingsfilm GmbH 
ARD Degeto Film  
MDR, Bravado Fiction N.V.  

“Love Sucks” 
Director: Andreas Prochaska, Lea Becker, Germany 2024 / Screenplay: Marc O. Seng, Julia Penner, Thorsten Wettcke 
Cast: Havana Joy Josephine Braun, Damian Hardung, Rick Okon, Stipe Erceg, Anne Ratte-Polle 
Studio Zentral 
U5 Filmproduktion 
ZDFneo 

“The Perfect Miss” (“Perfekt verpasst”) 
Director: Sabine Boss, Nicolas Berse-Gilles, Germany 2024 / Screenplay: Sebastian Colley, Claudius Pläging, Sintje Rosema, Fabienne Hurst 
Cast: Anke Engelke, Bastian Pastewka, Michael Wittenborn, Fritzi Haberlandt, Serkan Kaya 
btf series GmbH 
Prime Video  

“Shadowtower” (“Turmschatten”) 
Director: Hannu Salonen, Germany 2024 / Screenplay: Christian Limmer, Peter Grandl 
Cast: Heiner Lauterbach, Klaus Steinbacher, Désirée Nosbusch, Milena Tscharntke, Anja Herden 
The Amazing Film Company GmbH 
Paramount Television International Studios 

“SUPERmad” (“Angemessen Angry”) 
Director: Elsa van Damke, Germany 2024 / Screenplay: Elsa van Damke, Jana Forkel 
Cast: Marie Bloching, Rebecca Shakiba Eftekhari-Fard, Bless Amada, Jasmin Shakeri, Odine Johne 
Studio Zentral 
RTL Television GmbH