OBSERVER: German Film Festival
The 2026 German Film Festival, Aust-ralia’s only dedicated celebration of German language cinema, is screening nationally from May 8-27 at Palace Cinemas, Palace Nova and Luna Palace Cinemas.
Presented by Palace and German Films, this year’s line-up of contemporary German cinema includes powerful dramas, insightful true-life stories, comedy and family films.
Festival Centrepiece is Amrum, the celebrated new feature from multi award-winning director Fatih Akin. The film is a moving, poignant drama about a 12-year-old boy named Nanning who lives on Amrum Island in 1945, during the final days of the war.
Nanning braves the treacherous sea to hunt seals, goes fishing at night, and works the nearby farm to help his mother feed the family, yet despite the hardship, life on the beautiful, windswept island almost feels like paradise.
But when peace finally comes, it reveals a deeper threat: the enemy is far closer than he imagined. Starring Laura Tonke, Diane Kruger and Matthias Schweighöfer, plus the young lead Jasper Billerbeck, Amrum is based on the real-life story of co-writer Hark Bohm.
Cannes Film Festival Jury Award winner Sound of Falling (In die Sonne schauen) is this year’s festival Special Presentation.
Directed by Mascha Schilinski, the haunting drama follows four girls across four generations experiencing their youth on the same farm in northern Germany. This is Germany’s entry into the 2026 Academy Awards.
From Switzerland comes a humorous portrait of a Swiss cultural phenomenon in Hello Betty (Hallo Betty). Set in 1956, Hello Betty follows Emmi Creola, a talented copywriter who defies a male dominated workplace by inventing ‘Betty Bossi’, a fictional housewife who becomes Switzerland’s culinary icon.
As Betty’s popularity skyrockets, Emmi struggles to balance the expectations of her public persona with her role as a wife, mother and professional.
The ‘Kino for Kids’ sidebar, presented by the Goethe-Institut Australia, returns with a selection of films for younger cinemagoers and families.
From Austria is The Secret Floor (Das geheime Stockwerk), a time-travel adventure shot in stunning Alpine locations. Twelve-year-old Karli moves with his parents to an old hotel in the Alps and discovers an elevator that transports him through time to 1938 where he makes new friends and must help solve a mystery.
The magical phenomenon returns with School of Magical Animals 4 (Die Schule der magischen Tiere 4). The highly anticipated fourth instalment of the successful franchise School of Magical Animals, based on Margit Auer’s bestselling book series.
Barry & Me (Mein Freund Barry) is a breathtaking live-action adventure inspired by the legend of Switzerland’s most famous rescue dog, the St Bernard.
A boy called Georg raises a puppy in secret in a timeless story of friendship, bravery, and survival in late 18th century Switzerland.
Featuring the legendary German children’s character Pumuckl, first created in 1961, Pumuckl’s Big Mix-Up (Pumuckl und das große Missverständnis) combines live action and animation, following the adventures of a quiet craftsman in Munich and his mischievous and invisible goblin friend Pumuckl.
In the coming-of-age film Tomorrow I’ll Be Brave (Ab morgen bin ich mutig) tween angst and young love is explored with a touch of humour and tenderness.
German Film Festival
Dates in Melbourne: May 8 – 27, Palace Balwyn, Palace Brighton Bay, Palace Church St, Palace Cinema Como, Palace Westgarth, The Kino, The Astor Theatre, Pentridge Cinema, Palace Penny Lane Ballarat: May 8-27, Palace Regent Ballarat
For more information, please visit germanfilmfestival.com.au
Cheryl Threadgold