This May, the 2025 HSBC German Film Festival, presented by Palace, in association with German Films, showcases the best contemporary cinema from Germany and its fellow German-speaking neighbours - Austria and Switzerland.

The Festival will take place from 30 April – 28 May at Palace Cinemas, Palace Nova and Luna Palace Cinemas. The 2025 line-up features a standout selection of twenty films. Superb cinema offerings include six films direct from the Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale), compelling biopics and documentaries that delve into the lives of Germany’s most iconic artists, delightful comedies and charming family films plus provocative and exciting Australian premiere screenings from a bold new generation of German filmmakers.

Festival highlights include:

Opening the festival is one of Germany’s biggest box office hits, the romantic comedy LONG STORY SHORT (Feste und Freunde – Ein Hoch auf uns!) featuring an all-star cast including Laura Tonke, Ronald Zehrfeld and Trystan Pütter. A hilarious and poignant celebration of love and friendship, the film follows a group of friends through a series of special occasions.

From the 2025 Berlinale, where it gained much attention, is Mehmet Akif Büyükatalay’s provocative thriller HYSTERIA, the festival Centrepiece. A piercing reflection on the power of images and the dynamics of perception, projection and social hysteria, the film features one of European cinema’s most exciting new stars Devrim Lingnau as an assistant director intern who is drawn into a dangerous game of secrets, lies and paranoia on a film set when a burned Quran is discovered.

Closing Night is the Berlinale hit MOTHER’S BABY from Austrian director Johanna Moder. Marie Leuenberger delivers a standout performance alongside Hans Löw and Claes Bang in this chilling psychological thriller about a woman’s strange experience in a private fertility clinic.

German box office hit comedy TWO TO ONE (Zwei zu eins) with an all-star cast, led by Academy Award Nominee Sandra Hüller, is a festival Special Presentation. Directed by Natja Brunckhorst, the film is based on incredible true events set in 1990 when a group of East Germans take advantage of the chaotic economic situation to pull off a highly entertaining heist of soon-to-be worthless East German marks.

The Festival’s documentary Special Presentation is the highly acclaimed RIEFENSTAHL directed by celebrated filmmaker Andres Veiel. Having gained unprecedented access to the private estate of 20th Century filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl, Veiel explores the legacy of the woman who became world-famous with her Nazi propaganda film Triumph of the Will.

In cooperation with the Goethe-Institut Australia, the festival is thrilled to be welcoming RIEFENSTAHL director Andres Veiel, where he will be participating in a series of Q&A events in Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne.

Festival Dates

CANBERRA: 30 April - 21 May
SYDNEY: 1 - 21 May
MELBOURNE: 2 - 21 May
BALLARAT: 2 - 21 May
ADELAIDE: 7 - 28 May
BRISBANE: 7 - 28 May
PERTH: 8 - 28 May
BYRON BAY & BALLINA: 8 - 28 May