With so many wonderful filmmakers presenting their films this year, we’d like to give you an overview and whet your appetite for dialogue about cinema with this excerpt from our guest list. You can always see who will be attending which screening under “Calendar” on the page describing each film. And if you’re interested in in-depth talks and more extensive looks at topics and productions, check out our free FILMMAKERS LIVE! talks.

SAturday, JUNe 24

Our first festival day for the general public brings you not only a broad selection (of films), but also a number of filmmakers who will be presenting their works in person. We will be having another screening of our opening film, THE PERSIAN VERSION, followed by a Q&A with director Maryam Keshavarz and her two leading actresses, Niousha Noor and Layla Mohammadi, about this culture-clash comedy. At the world premiere of Rainer Kaufmann’s latest work, REMEMBER ME, the director will be there in person, as will Senta Berger, our 2021 CineMerit Award-winner, and Günther Maria Halmer.

This year we are dedicating a retrospective to Jessica Hausner. The Austrian director of course won’t miss the German premiere of her latest film, CLUB ZERO. We’re also kicking off the world premieres of great German productions in our New German Cinema and New German Television Productions sections. Here you can look forward to Axel Ranisch (NAKED ABOVE BERLIN), Christina Ebelt (MONSTER INSIDE), Tom Lass (TOD DEN LEBENDEN), Abini Gold (THE NIGHT BETWEEN US), and Aslı Özge (BLACK BOX) with their teams. Andrew Bujalski, the “godfather of mumblecore”, is presenting his latest film, THERE THERE. And suitably for Christopher Street Day, you can watch PRETTY RED DRESS, presented by director Dionne Edwards, in the late evening.

the night between us

pRETTY RED DRESS

Sunday, JUNe 25

We’re screening no fewer than six international world premieres this year. Today, it’s the sensitive coming-of-age film EDGE OF EVERYTHING, for which we are welcoming to Munich directors Sophia Sabella and Pablo Feldman along with their team! The documentary WAR AND JUSTICE focuses on the work of the International Criminal Court (ICC), and we’re very happy to welcome the first chief prosecutor of the ICC, Luis Moreno Ocampo, along with film directors Marcus Vetter and Michele Gentile, to the world premiere. In celebration of our 40th anniversary, we are bringing back selected films from the past four decades in free screenings; today, director Caroline Link returns to the Filmfest more than 25 years after the premiere of her film BEYOND SILENCE (1996). Fans of Italian cinema can also look forward to talking to Roberto De Paolis about PRINCESS and Paolo Genovese about THE FIRST DAY OF MY LIFE!

War and justice

Edge of everything

MONday, JUNe 26

Accomplished directors Markus Goller and Oliver Ziegenbalg are presenting their new film, ONE FOR THE ROAD — at two screenings: in the cinema and outdoors in the evening! Luzie Loose and her team are presenting the new series EVERYONE IS F*CKING CRAZY. Other wonderful female directors of our German-language productions include Henrika Kull with SALTY WATER and Sylvie Michel with MORE THAN STRANGERS.

THE RETURN FROM THE OTHER PLANET is a fascinating documentary about an author who initially wrote under a pseudonym, but later revealed his true and not untarnished identity; director Assaf Lapid is celebrating the world premiere with us and answering your questions! Don’t miss young Italian director Marta Savina, who tells the story of a courageous woman and her fight against patriarchal morality in THE GIRL FROM TOMORROW. In another historical film, director Carlos Conceição joins us for a look at Angola’s colonial history in TOMMY GUNS.

At the Kinderfilmfest we are also welcoming filmmakers in person. Today we have international guests: Slovakian director Mira Fornay, for example, is taking questions from viewers both young and young at heart about her film SHE-HERO, while Milou Gevers and Xiaowen Wang are attending the short film program SHORTS FOR KIDS.

she-hero

the girl from tomorrow

tommy guns

tuesday, JUNe 27

We are delighted to be screening DALÍLAND, the latest film by this year’s CineMerit Award-winner, Barbara Sukowa. The actress, along with director Mary Harron and screenwriter John C. Walsh, is presenting the story of the legendary married couple Gala and Salvador Dalí.

The stage will be full before and after our world premiere of the drama-comedy SWEET SUE, because director Leo Leigh is bringing his cast, including Maggie O’Neill and Harry Trevaldwyn. Italian master director Marco Bellocchio himself is introducing KIDNAPPED, which recently had its world premiere at Cannes. Don’t miss IT’S BURNING, a powerful indictment of everyday racism, and the Q&A with director Erol Afşin afterward.

Wonderful guests are coming from all over the world to the screenings of our International Independents. Australian director Goran Stolevski is personally presenting OF AN AGE, the story of a queer first love. Ecuadorian director Ana Cristina Barragán is screening her picture-perfect coming-of-age film OCTOPUS SKIN. And Albanian director Gentian Koçi will talk to you about his heartbreaking portrait of twins, A CUP OF COFFEE AND NEW SHOES ON.

Of an age

wednesday, JUNe 28

Time for a world premiere by Bernard Émond: the Canadian director is offering a portrait of a fascinating woman betrayed in A RESPECTABLE WOMAN and will of course be present. MAMI WATA - AN AFRIKAN FOLKLORE is another absolute must-watch film; director C. J. “Fiery” Obasi is presenting his black-and-white genre film from Nigeria along with actress Evelyne Juhen.

Meet filmmakers from Munich at New German Cinema: see director Anna Roller’s film DEAD GIRLS DANCING, the joint world premiere of which we are celebrating with the Tribeca Festival. Sylvain Cruiziat is screening his documentary BOYZ, in which he provides a portrait of his own brother as an example of today’s youth.

You can also travel the globe with us and look forward to more than just exciting Q&As on topics that matter. In the South Korean film HAIL TO HELL, director Oh-jeong Lim addresses bullying in schools. Maayan Rypp shows a creative way of coping with loss in the French-Israeli film THE OTHER WIDOW, and Trevor Anderson tells the coming-of-age story of a non-binary protagonist in the comedy-drama BEFORE I CHANGE MY MIND.

In NORTHERN COMFORT, a motley group confronts its monumental fear of flying — but of course you don’t have to be afraid to ask questions when director Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson and celebrated actor Timothy Spall are present. You can also see both of them in a detailed FILMMAKERS LIVE! talk about the film on Thursday!

Dead girls dancing

Mami Wata - an afrikan folklore

Northern Comfort

thursday, JUNe 29

At Rio Filmpalast today, you’ll meet British master director Stephen Frears, who will personally introduce his latest film, THE LOST KING. A most unusual experience will be had at QUEENDOM, when director Agniia Galdanova gives deeper insight into this extraordinary documentary about drag activism.

In addition: lots of great filmmakers from Germany! You’ll meet Merle Grimme (CLASHING DIFFERENCES) and the directing team Daniel Rakete and Denis Moschitto (SHOCK). And in the evening, Taiwanese-American artist Shu Lea Cheang, to whom we pay homage, is presenting the world premiere of UKI.

Clashing differences

FRiday, JUNe 30

At the world premiere of THE EDGE OF THE BLADE, a reimagining of the cloak-and-dagger film, director Vincent Perez and his co-screenwriter Karine Silla Perez will answer your questions. It’ll also be especially worth your while to see the very moving drama TO THE NORTH (again), as director Mihai Mincan will be in attendance, unlike at the premiere on Tuesday.

SAturday, JULy 1

As the festival draws to a close, we have another treat in store: At the repeat screening of the new A24 production EARTH MAMA, director Savanah Leaf will visit us and answer questions about her film, which focuses on the day-to-day struggle of a mother who is not allowed to be one.

earth mama

Une Affaire d'Honneur

Lust auf noch mehr Filme und mehr Q&As? Hier findet ihr unser ganzes Programm.