An African immigrant struggles to make a new life for himself in the big city in director-co-writer Burhan Qurbani's (We Are Young. We Are Strong.) audacious, neon-lit reinterpretation of Alfred Döblin's 1929 novel. After surviving his perilous journey, Francis vows to be a good man, but he soon realizes how difficult it is to be righteous while undocumented in Germany-- without papers, without a nationality, and without a work permit. When he receives an enticing offer for easy money from the psychopathic gangster Reinhold (Albrecht Schuch), Francis initially resists temptation, but eventually he is sucked into Berlin's underworld and his life spirals out of control.&nbsp;--Alissa Simon ﻿KINO! Germany NOW! offers a handpicked selection of some of Germany’s most promising narrative, documentary, and short films that premiered within the last year. These 13 films by 14 up-and-coming directors from Germany, all with distinct backgrounds and unique approaches to filmmaking, offer a diverse&nbsp;and intriguing cross-section of current German cinema. KINO! Germany NOW! is a project of the German Film Office, an initiative of the Goethe-Institut and German Films, and is presented in partnership with the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.goethe.de/ins/us/en/sta/los.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Goethe-Institut Los Angeles</a>.All proceeds directly support the Frida Cinema's mission to enrich, connect, and educate communities through the art of cinema.

Berlin Alexanderplatz

In the face of micro-aggressions (and worse) from his German work colleagues, a prickly Kosovo-born pharmaceutical engineer becomes increasingly paranoid and plunges into an identity crisis. In only his second feature, director-writer Visar Morina (Babai) creates a knock-out experience with claustrophobic cinematography, intelligent production design, and edgy soundscapes, complementing brilliant performances by Mišel Mati?evi? (Babylon Berlin), and the ubiquitous Sandra Hüller&nbsp;(Toni Erdmann).&nbsp;Variety&nbsp;calls it “a nervily comic, impressively poised psychodrama.” KINO! Germany NOW! offers a handpicked selection of some of Germany’s most promising narrative, documentary, and short films that premiered within the last year. These 13 films by 14 up-and-coming directors from Germany, all with distinct backgrounds and unique approaches to filmmaking, offer a diverse&nbsp;and intriguing cross-section of current German cinema. KINO! Germany NOW! is a project of the German Film Office, an initiative of the Goethe-Institut and German Films, and is presented in partnership with the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.goethe.de/ins/us/en/sta/los.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Goethe-Institut Los Angeles</a>.All proceeds directly support the Frida Cinema's mission to enrich, connect, and educate communities through the art of cinema.

Exile

Charismatic single mother Ali works herself to the bone as a cleaner at the Ritze nightclub in Hamburg so that her two children can have the opportunities inherent in a German life and education. Long ago, as a promising young boxer, Ali was the pride and joy of her father and the Romanian Roma community, but she was disowned after bearing children out of wedlock. One night, Ali discovers the boxing ring in the basement of the Ritze, and it brings back memories. Ritze owner and former boxer Tanner recognizes her talent, and as she starts to box again, she sees the chance of a better life… but at what price? KINO! Germany NOW! offers a handpicked selection of some of Germany’s most promising narrative, documentary, and short films that premiered within the last year. These 13 films by 14 up-and-coming directors from Germany, all with distinct backgrounds and unique approaches to filmmaking, offer a diverse&nbsp;and intriguing cross-section of current German cinema. KINO! Germany NOW! is a project of the German Film Office, an initiative of the Goethe-Institut and German Films, and is presented in partnership with the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.goethe.de/ins/us/en/sta/los.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Goethe-Institut Los Angeles</a>.All proceeds directly support the Frida Cinema's mission to enrich, connect, and educate communities through the art of cinema.

Gipsy Queen

After a Kurdish gigolo and an airline pilot meet at a Turkish resort, their lives change in unexpected ways. Given the opportunity to study and work in Germany, Baran moves from a troubled past to a complicated present, with the prospect of a promising future not far from his grasp. Meanwhile, his mentor, Marion, bravely confronts unanticipated challenges. In his second feature, director-co-writer Ilker Çatak, a former Student Oscar® winner, boldly challenges stereotypes and expectations to create a touching humanist drama. KINO! Germany NOW! offers a handpicked selection of some of Germany’s most promising narrative, documentary, and short films that premiered within the last year. These 13 films by 14 up-and-coming directors from Germany, all with distinct backgrounds and unique approaches to filmmaking, offer a diverse&nbsp;and intriguing cross-section of current German cinema. KINO! Germany NOW! is a project of the German Film Office, an initiative of the Goethe-Institut and German Films, and is presented in partnership with the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.goethe.de/ins/us/en/sta/los.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Goethe-Institut Los Angeles</a>.All proceeds directly support the Frida Cinema's mission to enrich, connect, and educate communities through the art of cinema.

I Was, I Am, I Will Be

Dreams and reality collide in this ambitious, unsettling psychological thriller that tackles the horrors of Germany’s past using folklore and fairytale imagery. Director-writer Michael Venus describes his feature debut as “an antithesis of the German&nbsp;Heimatfilm.”&nbsp;A flight attendant (a game Sandra Hüller of&nbsp;Toni Erdmann&nbsp;fame) suffers a breakdown after experiencing demonic nightmares. Her resourceful daughter (Gro Swantje Kohlhof, from the zombie flick&nbsp;Ever After) visits the aptly named village of Stainbach where her comatose mother lies hospitalized, and gradually unearths their sinister family history as well as an assembly of Nazi sympathizers. Amie Simon from&nbsp;I Love Splatter&nbsp;calls it “a delirious and delicious supernatural mystery with a creepy patriarchal cult wrapper.” KINO! Germany NOW! offers a handpicked selection of some of Germany’s most promising narrative, documentary, and short films that premiered within the last year. These 13 films by 14 up-and-coming directors from Germany, all with distinct backgrounds and unique approaches to filmmaking, offer a diverse&nbsp;and intriguing cross-section of current German cinema. KINO! Germany NOW! is a project of the German Film Office, an initiative of the Goethe-Institut and German Films, and is presented in partnership with the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.goethe.de/ins/us/en/sta/los.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Goethe-Institut Los Angeles</a>.

Sleep

In her directing debut, German-Iranian actress Maryam Zaree confronts the circumstances of her birth inside one of the world’s most notorious prisons. Her parents, political opponents to Iran’s leader Ayatollah Khomeini, spent years in prison, and then managed to find asylum in Germany. But they never talked about their persecution and imprisonment, so Zaree turns to other survivors of Evin, talks to experts, and searches for children born in the same prison. What are the personal consequences of persecution and violence when the same perpetrators remain in power while the victims internalize their stories? And what does it mean, politically, to face the silence within the family? KINO! Germany NOW! offers a handpicked selection of some of Germany’s most promising narrative, documentary, and short films that premiered within the last year. These 13 films by 14 up-and-coming directors from Germany, all with distinct backgrounds and unique approaches to filmmaking, offer a diverse&nbsp;and intriguing cross-section of current German cinema. KINO! Germany NOW! is a project of the German Film Office, an initiative of the Goethe-Institut and German Films, and is presented in partnership with the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.goethe.de/ins/us/en/sta/los.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Goethe-Institut Los Angeles</a>.All proceeds directly support the Frida Cinema's mission to enrich, connect, and educate communities through the art of cinema.

Born in Evin

When it comes to expressing their individualism, American males have their “man caves” and the British their allotment sheds. But for certain rural Russians, it’s the garage that provides a window into their personal lives. Director Natalija Yefimkina spent four years earning the trust of her subjects in Russia’s far north. With a sociologist’s eye, she documents their special boltholes: one is used for breeding quails, another for the rehearsals of a punk band. There’s a metal workshop and one for carving wooden icons. Perhaps most surprising is the enterprising man who spent a lifetime excavating his space, so that it now encompasses four underground levels. It’s a legacy that he will bequeath to his grandson. KINO! Germany NOW! offers a handpicked selection of some of Germany’s most promising narrative, documentary, and short films that premiered within the last year. These 13 films by 14 up-and-coming directors from Germany, all with distinct backgrounds and unique approaches to filmmaking, offer a diverse&nbsp;and intriguing cross-section of current German cinema. KINO! Germany NOW! is a project of the German Film Office, an initiative of the Goethe-Institut and German Films, and is presented in partnership with the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.goethe.de/ins/us/en/sta/los.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Goethe-Institut Los Angeles</a>.All proceeds directly support the Frida Cinema's mission to enrich, connect, and educate communities through the art of cinema.

Garage People

What is money? What are debts? What are the consequences of both? And how can images be found for them? Layer by layer,&nbsp;Oeconomia&nbsp;reveals how the rules of the contemporary capitalist game systematically precondition growth, deficits, and concentrations of wealth. With praiseworthy shrewdness and rigor, director Carmen Losmann articulates in layman’s terms the more egregious aspects of capitalist economy rendered invisible by the prevalent media coverage. Her striking visual concept contrasts the glass transparency of financial institutions with their reflecting, glittering facades, which are almost completely inaccessible to outsiders. KINO! Germany NOW! offers a handpicked selection of some of Germany’s most promising narrative, documentary, and short films that premiered within the last year. These 13 films by 14 up-and-coming directors from Germany, all with distinct backgrounds and unique approaches to filmmaking, offer a diverse&nbsp;and intriguing cross-section of current German cinema. KINO! Germany NOW! is a project of the German Film Office, an initiative of the Goethe-Institut and German Films, and is presented in partnership with the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.goethe.de/ins/us/en/sta/los.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Goethe-Institut Los Angeles</a>.

Oeconomia

In this personal story about the eternal cycle of life, identity, roots, and self-fulfillment, director Janna Ji Wonders seeks to uncover the secrets of her family’s past and her role among four generations of strong, passionate women. Entrenched in their home near Bavaria’s Lake Walchensee, the women manage a café while the men in their lives come and go. But with the freedoms of the 1960s, Janna’s mother Anna and her aunt Frauke take off for Mexico, where they perform traditional German music and take part in Ayahuasca&nbsp;ceremonies. They also visit San Francisco during the “Summer of Love,” travel to Indian ashrams, and became part of Rainer Langhans’ Kommune 1 in Berlin. But still, they ultimately return to Lake Walchensee. KINO! Germany NOW! offers a handpicked selection of some of Germany’s most promising narrative, documentary, and short films that premiered within the last year. These 13 films by 14 up-and-coming directors from Germany, all with distinct backgrounds and unique approaches to filmmaking, offer a diverse&nbsp;and intriguing cross-section of current German cinema. KINO! Germany NOW! is a project of the German Film Office, an initiative of the Goethe-Institut and German Films, and is presented in partnership with the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.goethe.de/ins/us/en/sta/los.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Goethe-Institut Los Angeles</a>.

Walchensee Forever

SHORT FILM PROGRAM JUST A GUY is an animated documentary short film about love. Three women share glimpses of their affection, attraction, and relationship with Richard Ramirez: a serial killer and rapist they contacted after he was convicted in the 1980s. Through their perspective, we revisit exchanged letters and emotions that are as obsessive as they are hauntingly familiar. TOP DOWN MEMORY deals with the manipulation of history in the context of the reconstruction of the Berlin Palace (“Humboldtforum”). Starting from the confusions surrounding an alleged proclamation of a socialist republic from one of its balconies in 1918, the film examines other political events that occurred on balconies. Reenactments of iconic political and cultural events on the original balcony raise questions about authenticity and manipulation. Who is writing our history? How do we deal with our past? How does collective memory work? The balcony is the central motive of the film, representing hierarchies and power politics. <a href="https://youtu.be/8ZoEQY3n1rg" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Trailer</a> LAND OF GLORY: A school somewhere in Hungary. An ordinary literature class with unextraordinary, indifferent students. It feels like a normal day, except that the Hungarian Prime Minister is about to visit. The school secretary, the mastermind of the ceremony, tries to keep everything under control, especially the celebratory cake, which doesn’t fit in the fridge. While the cooks struggle to fix the problem, 17-year-old Márti, who is supposed to greet the Prime Minister on stage, hesitantly prepares her little rebellion.<a href="https://youtu.be/nqUcDRCrQgQ" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Trailer</a> MAZEL TOV COCKTAIL: 19-year-old Dimitrij Liebermann punched Tobi in the face. Now he’s supposed to apologize to him. But Dimitrij doesn’t exactly feel sorry. While on his way to meet up with Tobi, he encounters a diverse representation of German society. Again and again, Dimitrij faces one struggle he needs to overcome: his German-Jewish identity. An analysis of the status quo.<a href="https://youtu.be/15az-XaW6Ms" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Trailer</a> KINO! Germany NOW! offers a handpicked selection of some of Germany’s most promising narrative, documentary, and short films that premiered within the last year. These 13 films by 14 up-and-coming directors from Germany, all with distinct backgrounds and unique approaches to filmmaking, offer a diverse&nbsp;and intriguing cross-section of current German cinema. KINO! Germany NOW! is a project of the German Film Office, an initiative of the Goethe-Institut and German Films, and is presented in partnership with the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.goethe.de/ins/us/en/sta/los.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Goethe-Institut Los Angeles</a>.

Kino! Germany Now! Short Film Program

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