Filmarchiv

Feature Film Competition

Linda

Mariana Wainstein|Drama
Family
Love & Eroticism
Feel Good
The self-confident and attractive young Linda takes a job as a housekeeper for a wealthy upper-class family in Buenos Aires and soon turns the heads of all family members. A tingling, entertaining family drama.
Feature Film Competition

Little Jaffna

Lawrence Valin|Action
Family
Law & Order
An entertaining thriller about a policeman with Tamil roots who is tasked with infiltrating a gang in Paris that collects protection money from compatriots in order to finance the Tamil Tigers' fight for freedom in Sri Lanka. Loud, colorful and full of energy!
Hashtag #BigCityLife

Souleymane's Story

Boris Lojkine|Drama
Politics
Social justice
The feature film takes a look at the everyday life of an inconspicuous food delivery driver, little by little revealing the moving story of a sans-papiers.
Signatures

Maldoror

Fabrice Du Welz|Thriller
Family
Law & Order
History
The disappearance of two girls in 1990s Belgium seems to motivate only one young police officer to try and track down the culprit. A thriller based on true events, told with an epic vibe and a superb cast.
Documentary Competition

Marching in the Dark

Kinshuk Surjan|Documentaire
Ecomomy
Social justice
Feminism
Due to their precarious living situation, around 400,000 Indian farmers take their own lives every year . This film portrays widows who are left alone with their children, their farm and a social stigma, and lends them a voice.
Signatures

Memoir of a Snail

Adam Elliot|Animation
Family
Arts & Culture
Health
Marked by traumatic events, grace gradually withdraws more and more into her metaphorical snail shell. Her friendship with the excentric Pinky, however, brings her new hope.
Documentary Competition

Mistress Dispeller

Elizabeth Lo|Documentaire
Feminism
Family
Love & Eroticism
The documentary follows Wang Zhenxi, who practises the unusual profession of a “Mistress Dispeller” in China. Her job is to end affairs and drive away mistresses.
Hashtag #BigCityLife

Mother City

Pearlie Joubert, Miki Redelinghuys
Politics
Social justice
Law & Order
With poignantauthenticity, the film visualizes the exhausting fight for social housing and a dignified life in Cape Town.
Gala Premieres

Keyke mahboobe man

Maryam Moghadam, Behtash Sanaeeha|Romance
Love & Eroticism
Seventy-year-old widow Mahin lives a lonely life in Teheran – until one day she meets cab driver Faramarz, and an unforgettable love story begins.
Hashtag #BigCityLife

Obedience

Siu-pong Wong|Documentaire
Social justice
Around the World
The documentary captures the economic and social microcosm of the underclass in the Hung Hom district. The film gives us an authentic and intimate insight into the lives of the local people of Hong Kong.
Feature Film Competition

On Becoming a Guinea Fowl

Rungano Nyoni|Drama
Family
Around the World
Arts & Culture
+1
A surreal, dramatic comedy full of surprises about the lies we tell ourselves. ON BECOMING A GUINEA FOWL is set in Zambia and mixes realism with fairy tale elements.
Border Lines

On Falling

Laura Carreira|Drama
Ecomomy
Social justice
The portrait of a woman working as a warehouse operative in an online giant’s distribution centre in Edinburgh, Scotland, who strives to maintain her humanity and sense of self in the digital age.
Sounds

One to One: John & Yoko

Kevin Macdonald|Documentaire
Feel Good
Arts & Culture
Politics
+2
Previously unreleased archival material, recordings of telephone calls, private videos of John and Yoko and restored recordings of their ‘One to One’ concert make for a moving experience.
Gala Premieres

Queer

Luca Guadagnino|Romance
Queer
Love & Eroticism
Book Adaptation
Luca Guadagnino's adaptation of a cult novel about the wealthy American Lee (Daniel Craig), who frequents Mexico City's drug scene and sets off on a journey with his lover in search of the hallucinogenic plant Yage.
Signatures

Riefenstahl

Andres Veiel|Documentaire
Politics
History
Pop Culture
A multi-faceted and fascinating portrait of Leni Riefenstahl – one of the most controversial figures in film history. The documentary illustrates the fine line between Innovation and National Socialist propaganda, which Riefenstahl walked.
Documentary Competition

Russians at War

Anastasia Trofimova|Documentaire
Social justice
Politics
A harrowing and unique documentary of the Russian war – featuring images you would never see in the news media.
Gala Premieres

September 5

Tim Fehlbaum|Thriller
Politics
Sport
Pop Culture
+1
The Thriller lets us experience the hostage-taking at the 1972 Olympic Games through the eyes of journalists, while raising intriguing questions: Whose story dies it become when media outlets report live on terrorism – that of the broadcaster or that of the terrorists?
Feature Film Competition

Sister Midnight

Karan Kandhari|Comedy
Family
Feminism
Around the World
A twisted Indian story about an arranged marriage in Mumbai, packaged as a punk comedy in an arthouse style, full of slapstick humor and allusions to American cinema - including a soundtrack with country music and hard rock.
Gala Premieres

I'm Nevenka

Icíar Bollaín|Drama
Politics
Feminism
Law & Order
What begins in the year 2000 as a supposed flirt between the young Nevenka and her supervisor ends in Spain’s biggest MeToo scandal. An intense drama based on true events with unbelievable twists and turns.
Documentary Competition

Stealing Giants

Karl Ammann, Laurin Merz|Documentaire
Nature
Animals
Politics
+1
For petting zoos, theme parks, and tourist photos: The illegal wildlife trade is booming - including the trade in elephants. This investigative documentary follows Swiss animal rights activist Karl Ammann as he fights against the elephant trade.
Border Lines

Soudan, souviens-toi

Hind Meddeb|Documentaire
Social justice
Politics
Arts & Culture
Five Sudanese artists in their twenties fight against the oppression by the army. An encouraging documentary with brutal and moving images, but which paints a hopeful picture of Africa.
Gala Premieres

Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story

Ian Bonhôte, Peter Ettedgui|Documentaire
Arts & Culture
Pop Culture
Feel Good
+1
A film about the life of Christopher Reeves – featuring unreleased archival footage and testimonies from Reeve’s close companions. A powerful story of heroic perseverance and a must-see for every Superman fan!
Documentary Competition

Tata

Lina Vdovîi, Radu Ciorniciuc|Documentaire
Family
Social justice
Ecomomy
Investigations of a young journalist uses her own example to show how patterns of behavior such as emotional blackmail or domestic violence are often passed on from generation to generation.
Gala Premieres

The Apprentice

Ali Abbasi|Biopic
Politics
A fascinating and entertaining psychogram of an egomaniacal entrepreneur - the young Donald Trump (Sebastian Stan).
Gala Premieres

The Assessment

Fleur Fortuné|Science Fiction
Family
Love & Eroticism
Technology
On society’s obsession with perfection: A dystopian science fiction film in which couples wishing to have children must undergo a state aptitude test. In the leading role: the brilliant Alicia Vikander.