Directing
United States, September 1st, 2016. American football player Colin Kaepernick kneels during the national anthem, protesting police brutality against black people. Part of the population regards the gesture as an unacceptable affront to the flag. Later, he loses his place on his team. Today, however, he is considered by many as a true hero.
He is considered the richest German, yet he is arguably the most mysterious billionaire: Dieter Schwarz. Most people are familiar with his Lidl discount stores, but he himself is regarded as a phantom. Who is behind the discount store empire? How did the corporate group come into being? What is legend, and what is truth? This documentary tells the story of Lidl, which holds a few surprises. A fascinating family portrait. While researching in archives, filmmakers Annebeth Jacobsen and Frank Diederichs came across previously unpublished documents that offer insights into the history of the corporate group and the lives of its family members.
In Germany, the forest is more than the sum of its trees: it is a myth, the backdrop to a grand German drama. When one looks at German cultural history, it is easy to recognize the forest as a recurring theme—and as a topos to which people repeatedly returned in their search for a national identity. German culture, it is said, has its roots in the forest, at least since Germanic warriors defeated the Romans in the Battle of Varus. During the Romantic era, the forest became a place of longing; it was painted, written about in poetry, and celebrated in song—and at the same time, it once again became a symbol of national sovereignty. The Nazis exploited it for their racist ideology—and the “homeland films” of postwar German cinema used it to portray their idealized vision of an unspoiled world. The environmental movement of the 1980s feared for its national sanctuary during the debate on forest dieback—and activists lived in the highest treetops to protect trees from being cut down.
It is the fashion retailer that has shaped the lifestyle of millions of Germans over decades like no other. With 456 stores, it can be found in every major city in Germany, and 98 percent of Germans are familiar with the brand: C&A. Yet very few people know that behind this success lies a large family: the Brenninkmeyer family. With an estimated fortune of more than 25 billion euros, they rank among the wealthiest families in Europe. Yet the public knows almost nothing about this family of entrepreneurs.
The numbers speak for themselves: One in seven jobs in Germany depends directly or indirectly on the automotive industry; without it, our economy would be very different. Full employment, just ten years after World War II, would have been almost unimaginable without the boom in this industry. And the Volkswagen Group remains at the heart of this key industry to this day: approximately 600,000 employees, 200 billion euros in revenue, and 120 factories. VW is the world’s largest automaker.
The docudrama addresses the global threat posed by antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The film takes a scientifically grounded approach to exploring what lies ahead if antibiotics lose their effectiveness, and how and why resistance continues to spread. It places a particular focus on Germany—specifically the German healthcare system, German agriculture, and the German pharmaceutical industry.
“How Do We Want to Love?”—the title makes it clear that love doesn’t just happen by chance, but that there is also a will behind it. And so we ask ourselves, as lovers and experts: What can we know about love? What should we, as lovers, do? What can we hope for (in the future)—or what should we fear? The focus is on “romantic love” between people who live out religiously influenced, queer, monogamous, polyamorous, conventional, or anti-bourgeois models of love.
Touch is essential for survival. A touch can provide a sense of security; it can offer comfort or protection; it can electrify and arouse. The sense of touch is the first sense an embryo develops, long before it can see, hear, or smell. A person who is not touched withers away—socially and physically. Yet touch can also cause pain, disgust, injury, and fear. This is the dilemma of touch: Everyone longs for it, yet fears it at the same time.
Wolfgang Joop and his daughter Jette are among Germany’s most prominent designers. Both regularly make headlines. Wolfgang: the eternal boy, the “child prodigy,” the fashion genius, the artist. No matter what he does, he fascinates and polarizes in equal measure. Jette leverages her name in the marketplace with business acumen and shrewd calculation. She makes millions with her designs, whether in jewelry, fashion, or simply home goods. On the red carpet, she presents herself as a femme fatale to strengthen her brand. “The public eye is my destiny,” she says. Father and daughter—two strong personalities who constantly clash. Yet they are united by their creativity and the daring to constantly reinvent themselves. The future will show whether the Joops will remain a design dynasty, whether the legacy will continue into the third generation—and whether father and daughter can finally make peace.
Some celebrate him as a sex symbol and the most interesting actor of our time. Envious people talk about his smooth face, his washboard stomach, and thus explain his fame. It is undisputed that Ryan Gosling is one of the most successful actors of our decade.
A portrait of the Spanish-German actor Daniel BrĂĽhl, a versatile performer capable of moving easily from the gentlest to the darkest role.
