OBSERVER: German Film Festival
Palace in collaboration with German Films will present the HSBC German Film Festival in Melbourne from April 30-May 28 at Palace Cinemas, Palace Nova and Luna Palace Cinemas.
The 2025 line-up features a selection of twenty films, including 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, comedies and family films, plus Australian premiere screenings from a bold new generation of German filmmakers.
Long term collaborators German Films commented: “We are having another successful year for German cinema – you can see the strong presence of German films at the Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) with films like What Marielle Knows and Hysteria.
“A very special event will be the screening of the documentary Riefenstahl with director Andres Veiel in attendance. We wish all our Australian viewers a wonderful cinematic experience.”
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 comedyTwo 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 (who starred as Christiane F. in the iconic 1981 film of the same name), 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.
In co-operation with the Goethe-Institut Australia, the festival is thrilled to be welcoming Riefenstahl director Andres Veiel, who will be participating in a series of Q and A events.
For full details of the German Film Festival program with many more films of various genres to see during the Festival, visit germanfilmfestival.com.au/
German Film Festival Dates: April 30 – May 28
Venues: Palace Balwyn, Palace Brighton Bay, Palace Cinema Como, Palace Westgarth, The Kino, The Astor Theatre, Pentridge Cinema, Palace Penny Lane
Bookings and further information: germanfilmfestival.com.au/
Cheryl Threadgold