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    Festival Highlights

    Festival Highlights

    Opening Night

    Berlin Hero

    Der Held vom Bahnhof Friedrichstraße

    The final film from Wolfgang Becker (GOOD BYE, LENIN!), BERLIN HERO is a captivating tragicomedy with an all-star ensemble cast about an unexpected GDR hero uncovered on the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, adapted from the 2022 novel by Maxim Leo.

    Australian Premiere

    Book TicketsMore Info

    Centrepiece

    Amrum

    .

    The celebrated new film from multi award-winning director Fatih Akin is a moving and deeply poignant drama about a 12-year-old boy who, in the shadow of the fading German regime, discovers the true enemy is far closer than he imagined.

    Australian Premiere

    Special Presentation

    Sound of Falling

    In die Sonne schauen

    Winner of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival Jury Prize, this haunting and lyrical drama follows four girls from different time periods experiencing their youth on the same farm in northern Germany, where the past echoes in its walls.

    Closing Night

    Das Boot - Director's Cut

    .

    Presented for its 45th anniversary in Wolfgang Petersen’s Director’s Cut, this landmark anti-war epic plunges viewers into the claustrophobic ordeal of a U-boat crew, sustaining extraordinary tension with physical realism, moral gravity, and devastating force.

    Direct from the Berlinale

    Direct from the Berlinale

    A selection of films in this year’s HSBC German Film Festival premiered at the 2026 Berlin International Film Festival or ‘Berlinale’. The Berlinale is a unique place of artistic exploration and entertainment and one of the largest public film festivals in the world.

    Four Minus Three

    Vier minus drei

    Based on the bestselling novel and incredible true story of an exceptional woman, this deeply moving and emotional drama direct from the 2026 Berlinale features an outstanding lead performance from Valerie Pachner as a woman whose faith in humour and hope is put to the test.

    Australian Premiere

    Book TicketsMore Info

    Home Stories

    Etwas ganz Besonderes

    Direct from the 2026 Berlinale, this intriguing multigenerational portrait of a family delivers a thoughtful and poignant exploration of the tensions between generations in provincial eastern Germany.

    Australian Premiere

    Prosecution

    Staatsschutz

    Winner of the Audience Award at the 2026 Berlinale, this powerful dramatic thriller follows a state prosecutor who takes her own case to court, confronting the perpetrators and a justice system that turns a blind eye to far-right extremism.

    Australian Premiere

    New German Cinema

    New German Cinema

    22 Laps

    22 Bahnen

    Based on the bestselling novel by Caroline Wahl, 22 LAPS is a tender drama about love, loss and the unbreakable bond between two sisters growing up in a small town.

    Australian Premiere

    Book TicketsMore Info

    A Fading Man

    Der verlorene Mann

    When her ex-husband reappears, completely unaware of their divorce, Hanne’s orderly life with her new partner Bernd is upended in this touching drama about love, friendship, memory, getting older and staying young.

    Australian Premiere

    Opening Night

    Berlin Hero

    Der Held vom Bahnhof Friedrichstraße

    The final film from Wolfgang Becker (GOOD BYE, LENIN!), BERLIN HERO is a captivating tragicomedy with an all-star ensemble cast about an unexpected GDR hero uncovered on the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, adapted from the 2022 novel by Maxim Leo.

    Australian Premiere

    Gavagai

    .

    From acclaimed director Ulrich Köhler, this meta cinematic drama about a film adaptation of Medea stars Maren Eggert and Jean-Christophe Folly in a fascinating exploration of identity, privilege and power dynamics.

    Australian Premiere

    Home Stories

    Etwas ganz Besonderes

    Direct from the 2026 Berlinale, this intriguing multigenerational portrait of a family delivers a thoughtful and poignant exploration of the tensions between generations in provincial eastern Germany.

    Australian Premiere

    Karla

    .

    Set in Munich in 1962, this compelling courtroom drama tells the powerful true story of a twelve-year old girl seeking justice as she makes serious accusations against her own father.

    Australian Premiere

    Prosecution

    Staatsschutz

    Winner of the Audience Award at the 2026 Berlinale, this powerful dramatic thriller follows a state prosecutor who takes her own case to court, confronting the perpetrators and a justice system that turns a blind eye to far-right extremism.

    Australian Premiere

    Special Presentation

    Sound of Falling

    In die Sonne schauen

    Winner of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival Jury Prize, this haunting and lyrical drama follows four girls from different time periods experiencing their youth on the same farm in northern Germany, where the past echoes in its walls.

    The Holy Grill

    Extrawurst

    Adapted from the highly successful German stage play, this hilarious and witty comedy directed by Marcus H. Rosenmüller and featuring a brilliant ensemble cast sees a cultural clash ignite at a tennis club’s vote on buying a new barbecue.

    Australian Premiere

    The Talented Mr F.

    Der Talentierte Mr. F.

    Two Berlin film students hoped their animated short film would be their big break, but when they discover it has been stolen and submitted to international festivals under another name, they set off on a journey to the USA to confront the culprit.

    Australian Premiere

    Beyond Borders: Austrian Cinema

    Proudly Presented by the Austrian Embassy in Canberra

    Beyond Borders: Austrian Cinema

    Proudly Presented by the Austrian Embassy in Canberra

    Four Minus Three

    Vier minus drei

    Based on the bestselling novel and incredible true story of an exceptional woman, this deeply moving and emotional drama direct from the 2026 Berlinale features an outstanding lead performance from Valerie Pachner as a woman whose faith in humour and hope is put to the test.

    Australian Premiere

    Book TicketsMore Info

    Kino for Kids

    The Secret Floor

    Das geheime Stockwerk

    Shot in stunning Alpine locations, this playful time-travel adventure follows twelve-year-old Karli who discovers an elevator in an old hotel in the Alps that transports him through time to 1938 where he makes new friends and must help solve a mystery.

    Australian Premiere

    Beyond Borders: Swiss Cinema

    Proudly Presented by the Embassy of Switzerland in Canberra & Consulate General of Switzerland in Sydney

    Beyond Borders: Swiss Cinema

    Proudly Presented by the Embassy of Switzerland in Canberra & Consulate General of Switzerland in Sydney

    Hello Betty

    Hallo Betty

    A warm and humorous portrait of the 1950s and a unique Swiss cultural phenomenon, this heartfelt and inspiring dramedy tells the incredible true story of advertising pioneer Emmi Creola who invented the character Betty Bossi.

    Australian Premiere

    I'm Not Stiller

    Stiller

    Based on the classic novel by Max Frisch, this gripping mystery starring Albrecht Schuch is a journey into tangled relationships and a labyrinth of memory, as an American man is mistaken for a Swiss sculptor and arrested for his role in a dubious political affair in 1950s Switzerland.

    Australian Premiere

    Kino for Kids

    Barry & Me

    Mein Freund Barry

    A breathtaking live-action adventure inspired by the legend of Switzerland’s most famous rescue dog, the St. Bernard, BARRY & ME is a timeless story of friendship, bravery, and survival in in late 18th century Switzerland.

    Australian Premiere

    Kino For Kids

    Proudly presented by Goethe-Institut Australia

    Kino For Kids

    Proudly presented by Goethe-Institut Australia

    Kino for Kids

    Barry & Me

    Mein Freund Barry

    A breathtaking live-action adventure inspired by the legend of Switzerland’s most famous rescue dog, the St. Bernard, BARRY & ME is a timeless story of friendship, bravery, and survival in in late 18th century Switzerland.

    Australian Premiere

    Book TicketsMore Info

    Kino for Kids

    Pumuckl's Big Mix-Up

    Pumuckl und das große Missverständnis

    A charming and entertaining family tale that combines live action and animation, following the adventures of a quiet craftsman in Munich and his mischievous and invisible goblin friend Pumuckl.

    Australian Premiere

    Kino for Kids

    School of Magical Animals 4

    Die Schule der magischen Tiere 4

    The magical phenomenon returns with this highly anticipated fourth instalment of the successful franchise School of Magical Animals, based on Margit Auer’s bestselling book series, featuring stunning visual effects and valuable life lessons.

    Australian Premiere

    Kino for Kids

    The Secret Floor

    Das geheime Stockwerk

    Shot in stunning Alpine locations, this playful time-travel adventure follows twelve-year-old Karli who discovers an elevator in an old hotel in the Alps that transports him through time to 1938 where he makes new friends and must help solve a mystery.

    Australian Premiere

    Kino for Kids

    Tomorrow I’ll Be Brave

    .

    A charming, observant coming-of-age film, TOMORROW I'LL BE BRAVE explores the tween angst of falling in love with a touch of humour and tenderness.

    Australian Premiere

    Tribute Screening: Udo Kier

    Tribute Screening: Udo Kier

    Commemorating Udo Kier's life and work, we present this screening of Blood for Dracula, starring Udo Kier as Dracula.

    Blood for Dracula

    .

    Presented in tribute to Udo Kier, this delirious cult horror-comedy features a performance both grotesque and fragile, turning Dracula into a figure of aristocratic decay, doomed appetite, and perversely funny collapse.

    Spotlight on Fatih Akin

    Celebrating the works of acclaimed director Fatih Akin, featuring three past hits and his latest film Amrum.

    Spotlight on Fatih Akin

    Celebrating the works of acclaimed director Fatih Akin, featuring three past hits and his latest film Amrum.

    Born in 1973 in Hamburg, Fatih Akin is a German-Turkish film director, screenwriter and producer. A graduate of the University of Fine Arts of Hamburg, he became known as a filmmaker in 1998 with his first feature, Short Sharp Shock (Kurz und schmerzlos). His fourth film, Head-On (Gegen die Wand), was a major success in 2004 and was awarded the Golden Bear at the 2024 Berlin International Film Festival. His other films have also received many accolades, including Best Screenplay at the Cannes Film Festival for The Edge of Heaven (2007), and the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film for In the Fade (2017). Akin’s latest film, Amrum, had its world premiere at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.

    Centrepiece

    Amrum

    .

    The celebrated new film from multi award-winning director Fatih Akin is a moving and deeply poignant drama about a 12-year-old boy who, in the shadow of the fading German regime, discovers the true enemy is far closer than he imagined.

    Australian Premiere

    Book TicketsMore Info

    Goobye Berlin

    Tschick

    A warm, offbeat road film about two teenage outsiders whose impulsive summer journey becomes a funny, tender portrait of friendship, freedom, loneliness, and youthful self-discovery across a landscape of comic detours, fleeting encounters, and possibility.

    Head-On

    Gegen die Wand

    A formative drama by Fatih Akin following Cahit and Sibel, two troubled strangers drawn together through a marriage of convenience. Their arrangement gradually becomes a volatile relationship, as the film explores love, identity, freedom, and the emotional strain of living between cultures.

    The Edge of Heaven

    Auf der anderen Seite

    Winner of the Best Screenplay prize at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, this is a quietly powerful drama in which intersecting lives are reshaped by loss, migration, and chance encounters, unfolding into a moving story of grief, guilt, responsibility, and reconciliation.

    All Films A-Z

    All Films A-Z

    22 Laps

    22 Bahnen

    Based on the bestselling novel by Caroline Wahl, 22 LAPS is a tender drama about love, loss and the unbreakable bond between two sisters growing up in a small town.

    Australian Premiere

    A Fading Man

    Der verlorene Mann

    When her ex-husband reappears, completely unaware of their divorce, Hanne’s orderly life with her new partner Bernd is upended in this touching drama about love, friendship, memory, getting older and staying young.

    Australian Premiere

    Centrepiece

    Amrum

    .

    The celebrated new film from multi award-winning director Fatih Akin is a moving and deeply poignant drama about a 12-year-old boy who, in the shadow of the fading German regime, discovers the true enemy is far closer than he imagined.

    Australian Premiere

    Kino for Kids

    Barry & Me

    Mein Freund Barry

    A breathtaking live-action adventure inspired by the legend of Switzerland’s most famous rescue dog, the St. Bernard, BARRY & ME is a timeless story of friendship, bravery, and survival in in late 18th century Switzerland.

    Australian Premiere

    Opening Night

    Berlin Hero

    Der Held vom Bahnhof Friedrichstraße

    The final film from Wolfgang Becker (GOOD BYE, LENIN!), BERLIN HERO is a captivating tragicomedy with an all-star ensemble cast about an unexpected GDR hero uncovered on the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, adapted from the 2022 novel by Maxim Leo.

    Australian Premiere

    Blood for Dracula

    .

    Presented in tribute to Udo Kier, this delirious cult horror-comedy features a performance both grotesque and fragile, turning Dracula into a figure of aristocratic decay, doomed appetite, and perversely funny collapse.

    Closing Night

    Das Boot - Director's Cut

    .

    Presented for its 45th anniversary in Wolfgang Petersen’s Director’s Cut, this landmark anti-war epic plunges viewers into the claustrophobic ordeal of a U-boat crew, sustaining extraordinary tension with physical realism, moral gravity, and devastating force.

    Four Minus Three

    Vier minus drei

    Based on the bestselling novel and incredible true story of an exceptional woman, this deeply moving and emotional drama direct from the 2026 Berlinale features an outstanding lead performance from Valerie Pachner as a woman whose faith in humour and hope is put to the test.

    Australian Premiere

    Gavagai

    .

    From acclaimed director Ulrich Köhler, this meta cinematic drama about a film adaptation of Medea stars Maren Eggert and Jean-Christophe Folly in a fascinating exploration of identity, privilege and power dynamics.

    Australian Premiere

    Goobye Berlin

    Tschick

    A warm, offbeat road film about two teenage outsiders whose impulsive summer journey becomes a funny, tender portrait of friendship, freedom, loneliness, and youthful self-discovery across a landscape of comic detours, fleeting encounters, and possibility.

    Head-On

    Gegen die Wand

    A formative drama by Fatih Akin following Cahit and Sibel, two troubled strangers drawn together through a marriage of convenience. Their arrangement gradually becomes a volatile relationship, as the film explores love, identity, freedom, and the emotional strain of living between cultures.

    Hello Betty

    Hallo Betty

    A warm and humorous portrait of the 1950s and a unique Swiss cultural phenomenon, this heartfelt and inspiring dramedy tells the incredible true story of advertising pioneer Emmi Creola who invented the character Betty Bossi.

    Australian Premiere

    Home Stories

    Etwas ganz Besonderes

    Direct from the 2026 Berlinale, this intriguing multigenerational portrait of a family delivers a thoughtful and poignant exploration of the tensions between generations in provincial eastern Germany.

    Australian Premiere

    Karla

    .

    Set in Munich in 1962, this compelling courtroom drama tells the powerful true story of a twelve-year old girl seeking justice as she makes serious accusations against her own father.

    Australian Premiere

    Prosecution

    Staatsschutz

    Winner of the Audience Award at the 2026 Berlinale, this powerful dramatic thriller follows a state prosecutor who takes her own case to court, confronting the perpetrators and a justice system that turns a blind eye to far-right extremism.

    Australian Premiere

    Kino for Kids

    Pumuckl's Big Mix-Up

    Pumuckl und das große Missverständnis

    A charming and entertaining family tale that combines live action and animation, following the adventures of a quiet craftsman in Munich and his mischievous and invisible goblin friend Pumuckl.

    Australian Premiere

    Kino for Kids

    School of Magical Animals 4

    Die Schule der magischen Tiere 4

    The magical phenomenon returns with this highly anticipated fourth instalment of the successful franchise School of Magical Animals, based on Margit Auer’s bestselling book series, featuring stunning visual effects and valuable life lessons.

    Australian Premiere

    The Edge of Heaven

    Auf der anderen Seite

    Winner of the Best Screenplay prize at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, this is a quietly powerful drama in which intersecting lives are reshaped by loss, migration, and chance encounters, unfolding into a moving story of grief, guilt, responsibility, and reconciliation.

    The Holy Grill

    Extrawurst

    Adapted from the highly successful German stage play, this hilarious and witty comedy directed by Marcus H. Rosenmüller and featuring a brilliant ensemble cast sees a cultural clash ignite at a tennis club’s vote on buying a new barbecue.

    Australian Premiere

    Kino for Kids

    The Secret Floor

    Das geheime Stockwerk

    Shot in stunning Alpine locations, this playful time-travel adventure follows twelve-year-old Karli who discovers an elevator in an old hotel in the Alps that transports him through time to 1938 where he makes new friends and must help solve a mystery.

    Australian Premiere

    The Talented Mr F.

    Der Talentierte Mr. F.

    Two Berlin film students hoped their animated short film would be their big break, but when they discover it has been stolen and submitted to international festivals under another name, they set off on a journey to the USA to confront the culprit.

    Australian Premiere

    Kino for Kids

    Tomorrow I’ll Be Brave

    .

    A charming, observant coming-of-age film, TOMORROW I'LL BE BRAVE explores the tween angst of falling in love with a touch of humour and tenderness.

    Australian Premiere

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