With millions of records sold, the German band TOKIO HOTEL became a teenage sensation, first in Germany and then internationally. A close-up portrait of a band that has grown up and follows its own, highly individual path. At the age of nine, German twins Bill and Tom Kaulitz decided they wanted to become famous. By the time they were twelve, they had formed a band together with Gustav Schäfer and Georg Listing that went on to conquer the world as […]
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In the asylum procedure in Germany, applicants and case officers meet on only one single occasion – at the personal interview. A decision is then made about who stays and who has to leave It is the culmination of every refugee story that is supposed to end with official asylum and resettlement in Germany: the personal interview with a case officer at a branch of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF). The applicant and case officer meet on […]
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To deal with their experiences during the Gaza war, a group of young people have written a play “The Gaza-Monologues”. A film about living under occupation and about the power of theatre and art. In the aftermath of the first Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip in 2008/2009, 33 girls and boys from Gaza wrote down their experiences. Initiated by the Ramallah-based ASHTAR Theatre, the project led to the production of a play entitled “The Gaza Mono-Logues”. Since 2010, the […]
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The film director’s 60-year-old father regularly flies to Thailand to enjoy the company of women her own age. Is this love, asks his daughter, or more of a “business”? A light-hearted and personal film. When her almost retired father regularly flies to Thailand to enjoy the company of women Carolin’s age, his daughter is understandably embarrassed. But things are getting serious: Dieter has been in a stable relationship with Tukta for three years now. Every morning, the lonely amateur farmer […]
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Dresses that keep memories alive: young fashion designer Mc Bright Kavari modernises the traditional costumes of the Herero women to remind us of the genocide that was committed against his people. Herero women in Namibia can be recognised by their enormous Victorian dresses, which seem totally unsuited to the hot African climate. Twenty-two-year-old fashion designer Mc Bright Kavari, himself an Herero, designs dresses to keep alive memories of his people’s past. It is the story of a war of extermination […]
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A documentary about an ordinary nut. We travel to the Fergana mountains in southern Kyrgyzstan for the walnut harvest and immerse ourselves in a fascinating foreign culture which is struggling to survive. The Fergana mountains in southern Kyrgyzstan are home to the world’s largest natural walnut forest. The forest covers an area the size of the Black Forest, and some of the trees are 400 years old. Walnuts are in demand well beyond the national borders of Kyrgyzstan. In the […]
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Fourteen countries, 16 children, five continents, one voice. A film about the future of the planet, a future these children will one day help to shape. And an appeal to us all: NOT WITHOUT US! Fourteen countries, 16 children, five continents, one voice – our young protagonists’ backgrounds and personalities are as diverse as their fears, hopes and dreams are similar. Whether they grew up in a privileged environment in the affluent western world, in the poor regions of Africa […]
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A song contest behind bars. Drug dealers, thieves and murderers jailed in Russia’s many prisons sing of homesickness, love, war and forgiveness. They dream of taking part in the traditional Kalina Krasnaya contest. They sing about homesickness, love, war and forgiveness: drug dealers, thieves and murderers jailed in Russia’s many prisons and penal camps. And they all dream of taking part in the prison song contest Kalina Krasnaya. Each of Russia’s 700,000 prisoners has the opportunity to participate, but only […]
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Asia, Africa, Europe: violence against women is ever present. We delve into the lives of women in Benin, Bangladesh, the DR Congo and Germany who have been subjected to horrific violence, yet fought their way free. Asia, Africa, Europe – in Benin, Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of Congo but also in the heart of Germany: violence against women is ever present. Women aged between 15 and 45 are far more likely to be beaten to death or crippled by their […]
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Today, modern wingsuits make it possible for man to come close to fulfilling his age-old dream of flying. This high-risk sport is both controversial and fascinating. What drives these extreme sportsmen? Today, modern wingsuits make it possible for man to come closer to fulfilling his age-old dream of free flying. In the wingsuit mecca of Lauterbrunnental in Switzerland, pilots from all over the world make over 20,000 jumps a year. Fatalities are not uncommon. Both controversial and fascinating, this high-risk […]
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After fighting against Assad and the Islamic State, Mahmud decides to leave Syria with his family. We follow them on their hazardous journey across the Mediterranean Sea via the Balkans to Switzerland. Summer 2015: The Islamic State (IS) attacks a town in northern Syria with poison gas. 29-year-old Mahmud sees no other option but to leave his country and head for Europe together with his wife and three children. Mahmud used to fight president Assad’s regime as a rebel, but […]
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In the DR Congo, women are systematically exposed to the brutal practice of rape as a weapon of war. A film about unimaginable violence and a political and social system that turns a blind eye to these atrocities. A film about the unimaginable violence to which women in the DR Congo are subjected and a political and social system that turns a blind eye to these atrocities. Women are systematically exposed to the brutal practice of rape as a weapon […]
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