New German Cinema: personal, political, provocative

"Protected Men", Director Irene von Alberti, photo: Filmgalerie 451

The 41st MUNICH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL will be presenting 16 world premieres in its New German Cinema section. From works by established directors to exciting new discoveries, from classic motion pictures to hybrids of fiction and reality to documentaries, the best German films of the year are presented at the Munich International Film Festival.

What all these works have in common is that their characters are navigating a world in upheaval. Some of the films are satirical, some are escapist, but all are attuned to the topical issues of our society. An eye is kept on narrative trends such as the anti-Heimatfilm. Unlike the “new German Heimatfilm”, which explores major themes on a small scale in idyllic rural surroundings, the anti-Heimatfilm is an escapist antithesis that uses vacation resorts as a lens through which to view the personal and political conflicts of our time. 

"Petra Kelly - Act Now!" opens the section 

The documentary commemorates the politician, whose visions had a decisive influence on Germany in the 1980s. It invites the audience to reacquaint itself with Green Party co-founder Petra Kelly, an internationally well-connected environmental activist and feminist who was murdered in 1992. Her involvement in West German politics in the 1980s could just as easily be words of caution spoken in the present day. Luisa Neubauer and Otto Schily are among those who comment on Kelly’s achievements in the film. 

Tensions are rising... on screen as in society 

Sandra Hüller, Max Riemelt, and Ronald Zehrfeld have the leading roles in a magnificent ensemble in this delightfully directed comedy inspired by real events when Germany was still divided. Director Natja Brunckhorst questions the mechanisms of capitalism in this entertaining adventure about fortunes and fairness. Not least, she takes on a thorny issue: what effect did reunification actually have on everyone? 

In her bitingly sarcastic film “Protected Men”, director Irene von Alberti’s what-if scenario envisions a world in which a virus affects only men. The mockumentary “Muxˣ”, directed by and starring Jan Henrik Stahlberg, deals with the world of politics. This incisive and highly topical sequel to the similarly titled cult film explores the question of whether Muxism can save the world. “Sad Jokes”, a tragicomedy directed by and starring Fabian Stumm, shows that personal lives also have political implications as it quite matter-of-factly tells the story of an unconventional family arrangement. 

“German films that exceed expectations, or that completely defy convention: these major finds from among this year’s domestic productions will once again be presented in Munich. From here, they are launched on their journey to the international festival circuit, with the involvement of partners from Shanghai to Karlovy Vary.” — Curator Urs Spörri, festival director Christoph Gröner, and artistic co-director Julia Weigl, Munich International Film Festival 

Several films in this section deal with the topic of migration. Angelina Maccarone’s emotional thriller “Turning Tables”, which previously earned a Golden Lola for best unfilmed screenplay, tells the stories of four uprooted individuals who are heading across the European and African continents in different directions — and a conservative politician whose own values may mean her downfall. The artistically oppressive imagery in the drama “XOFTEX” comes from the confined space of a Greek shelter for refugees, where filmmaking appears to be a form of escape. In Leis Bagdach’s film “In the Rose Garden”, on the other hand, a musician (Kostja Ullmann) suddenly comes face-to-face with his estranged Syrian father and embarks on a family odyssey across Germany. 

Escapism gets a reality check 

Three films in this section are set in supposedly idyllic vacation destinations. But what appears to be escapism is in fact a microcosm of the conflicts of our society. In “Sabbatical”, a young family’s desire to escape the daily grind takes them to Greece. The reality that awaits them turns out to be a dangerous baptism of fire, however, especially when the protagonist’s troublemaking brother (Sebastian Urzendowsky) turns up. Set in Lanzarote, Aaron Arens’ debut film “Places in the Sun” tells a tragicomic story about a family’s desire for cohesion and acceptance. The three protagonists of the road movie “All We Ever Wanted” travel around the desolate landscape of Fuerteventura in a poetically presented drama about class, race, and gender. Although the characters try to make sense of it all, the demons that haunt them always seem to be hot on their trail. 

“New German Heimatfilm” and coming of age 

Rural absurdities are a defining characteristic of the “New German Heimatfilm”, which explores universal themes in village settings. In “Another German Tank Story”, a camera crew shooting a series for a streaming service exposes the big dreams and little secrets of a village community. The film will celebrate its joint world premiere at Munich International Film Festival and Shanghai International Film Festival.
“Smell of Burnt Milk” portrays a young farmer who resolves to carry her parents’ farm into the next generation and thus defy climate change. The docufictional hybrid “O Chale”, which acquaints us with four friends on a basketball court in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, also deals with a pivotal phase in the lives of young people. “The Academy” follows Jojo (Maja Bons), an idealistic art student, into the vibrant microcosm of an art academy, where there is no room for idealism. “Fresh” brings a different vibe to the New German Cinema section. This literary adaptation with Louis Hofmann in its leading role is a viciously violent ballad about brothers, but is also aesthetically brilliant genre cinema. 

This year, as usual, selected films from this section will be honored with the lucrative New German Cinema Award in the categories of directing, producing, screenplay, and acting. The award ceremony will be held on July 5. The nominations will be announced soon. 

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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The films in the New German Cinema section 

“The Academy” (“Die Akademie”) Director: Camilla Guttner, Germany 2024 / Screenplay: Camilla Guttner 
Cast: Maja Bons, Luise Aschenbrenner, Jean-Marc Barr, Andreas Lust, Christoph Luser 
Schiwago Film, SuperCine, Penned Pictures, Standing Ovation Production, Lieblingsfilm 

“All We Ever Wanted” 
Director: Frédéric Jaeger, Germany 2024 / Screenplay: Frédéric Jaeger, Naomi Bechert 
Cast: Charity Collin, Mehmet Sözer, Michael Ifeandu 
Tarnung Filmproduktion 

“Another German Tank Story” 
Director: Jannis Alexander Kiefer, Germany 2024 / Screenplay: Jannis Alexander Kiefer, Theresa Weininger 
Cast: Johannes Scheidweiler, Meike Droste, Monika Lennartz, Roland Bonjour, Gisa Flake 
MAZE Pictures, Filmuniversität Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF, Jannis Alexander Kiefer 
rbb 

“Fresh” (“Frisch”) 
Director: Damian John Harper, Germany 2024 / Screenplay: Damian John Harper 
Cast: Louis Hofmann, Franz Pätzold, Sascha Gersak, Canan Kir, Ralf Richter 
Weydemann Bros. 
ZDF  

“In the Rose Garden” (“Im Rosengarten”) 
Director: Leis Bagdach, Germany 2024 / Screenplay: Leis Bagdach  
Cast: Kostja Ullmann, Safinaz Sattar, Husam Chadat, Verena Altenberger, Tom Lass  
Neufilm, INDI Film 
SWR 

“Muxˣ” (“Muxmäuschenstillˣ”) 
Director: Jan Henrik Stahlberg, Germany 2024 / Screenplay: Jan Henrik Stahlberg 
Cast: Jan Henrik Stahlberg, Tilman Vellguth, Bettina Hoppe, Sophie Roeder 
MUX Film, Silva Film 

“O Chale” 
Director: Jan Hendrik Lübbers, Germany 2024 / Screenplay: Jan Hendrik Lübbers 
Cast: Barnabas Kwaku Tinkorang, Atika Jumaih Bashiru, Raphael Kpakpo Allotey, Garvin Ahialey 
ifs internationale filmschule köln 

“Petra Kelly – Act Now!” 
Director: Doris Metz, Germany 2024 / Screenplay: Doris Metz 
Bildersturm Filmproduktion 

“Places in the Sun” (“Sonnenplätze”) 
Director: Aaron Arens, Germany 2024 / Screenplay: Aaron Arens, Lukas Loose 
Cast: Julia Windischbauer, Juliane Köhler, Niels Bormann, Jeremias Meyer, Jeremy Mockridge 
Maverick Film, Claussen + Putz Filmproduktion, Hochschule für Fernsehen und Film München 
ARTE / BR 

“Protected Men” (“Die geschützten Männer”) 
Director: Irene von Alberti, Germany 2024 / Screenplay: Irene von Alberti 
Cast: Britta Hammelstein, Mavie Hörbiger, Yousef Sweid, Bibiana Beglau, Godehard Giese 
Filmgalerie 451 
ZDF / ARTE 

“Sabbatical” 
Director: Judith Angerbauer, Germany 2024 / Screenplay: Judith Angerbauer 
Cast: Seyneb Saleh, Trystan Pütter, Sebastian Urzendowsky, Ulrike Willenbacher, Bernhard Schütz 
Neue Schönhauser Filmproduktion 
WDR / ARTE 

“Sad Jokes” 
Director: Fabian Stumm, Germany 2024 / Screenplay: Fabian Stumm 
Cast: Fabian Stumm, Haley Louise Jones, Ulrica Flach, Jonas Dassler, Godehard Giese, Marie-Lou Sellem, Anne Haug, Knut Berger, Hildegard Schroedter, Anneke Kim Sarnau 
Postofilm 

“Smell of Burnt Milk” (“Milch ins Feuer”) 
Director: Justine Bauer, Germany 2024 / Screenplay: Justine Bauer 
Cast: Karolin Nothacker, Johanna Wokalek, Pauline Bullinger, Anne Nothacker, Sara Nothacker 
Sweet Godless Turtle Film Productions, Kunsthochschule für Medien Köln 

“Turning Tables” (“Klandestin”) 
Director: Angelina Maccarone, Germany 2024 / Screenplay: Angelina Maccarone 
Cast: Habib Adda, Banafshe Hourmazdi, Barbara Sukowa, Lambert Wilson 
CALA Filmproduktion, CALA FIlm Central, CALA Film West 
HR / ARTE 

“Two to One” (“Zwei zu Eins”) 
Director: Natja Brunckhorst, Germany 2024 / Screenplay: Natja Brunckhorst 
Cast: Sandra Hüller, Max Riemelt, Ronald Zehrfeld, Ursula Werner, Peter Kurth 
zischlermann filmproduktion, ROW Pictures, Lichtblick Film- und Fernsehproduktion 
ZDF / ARTE 

“XOFTEX” 
Director: Noaz Deshe, Germany 2024 / Screenplay: Noaz Deshe, Babak Jalil
Cast: Abdulrahman Diab, Ousama Hafiry, Jalal Albaroudi, Hazem Saleh, Moutaz Alshaltouh
Arden Film, The Cup Of Tea
ZDF