In the “Große Freiheit” section, FilmFest Hamburg is presenting twelve films from contemporary German cinema this year, their directors ranging from new talents to established filmmakers, including Fatih Akin, Wim Wenders, Frauke Finsterwalder and Ann Oren. With The Other Side, Biermann, Der große Zusammenbruch, Children of the Sun and Lies About My Mother, five productions are celebrating their world premieres in Hamburg.

The selected films showcase the wide range of contemporary German cinema, spanning drama, comedy and documentary, and ranging from intimate stories to societal perspectives. They explore concepts such as origin and belonging, family and friendship, loss and new beginnings, and a present in which old certainties are being challenged and new ways of life are emerging.

“The name ‘Große Freiheit’ stands for a cinema that dares to take risks and follows its own forms and narrative styles. This year, German cinema is more diverse, unconventional and surprising than it has been for a long time, and that is precisely what we wanted to highlight with our selection. There are new directorial voices and highly personal styles, as well as established filmmakers who are constantly breaking new ground. Many of the stories are about people who are searching for their place in the world, pushing boundaries or having to rethink their lives, and that is precisely where their great narrative power lies,” says Kathrin Kohlstedde, programme director of FilmFest Hamburg.

Twelve films from Germany 

Mariko Minoguchi’s THE OTHER SIDE stars Nina Hoss as a doctor who is ostracised by society following a contagious illness and retreats into the solitude of the mountains. An encounter with a young woman breaks through her isolation and leads them both on a perilous journey across the Alps. Minoguchi wrote and directed the film, which will have its world premiere in Hamburg and be released in cinemas by X-Verleih on 22 October.

Jens Meurer’s documentary Biermann portrays the musician and activist Wolf Biermann, weaving his life story into more than six decades of German-German history. The camera follows the 90-year-old as he meets young artists, politicians and his family, interspersing this footage with iconic, partly previously unseen archive footage. The screenplay was written in collaboration with Dirk Kämper and Pamela Biermann. Following its world premiere at FilmFest Hamburg, the film will be released in German cinemas on 29 October 2026, distributed by Majestic.

With Camouflage, Ukrainian director Mykyta Gibalenko presents a multi-layered debut exploring migration, belonging and identity. A young Ukrainian man comes to Munich to study and, following the Russian invasion of his homeland, suddenly finds himself caught between political and family realities. Gibalenko co-wrote the screenplay with Sharyhan Osman.

In her new directorial work, Eurotrash, Frauke Finsterwalder delves into the depths of our existence and, in a highly entertaining way, explores a mother-son relationship as a metaphor for the complexity of human relationships: When the writer Philipp realises that he and his wealthy family are the worst sort of people, he sets off on a breathtaking road trip through Switzerland with his terminally ill and perpetually drunk mother, Helene. Whilst attempting to give away her amassed fortune, the pair encounter an angelic taxi driver and must defend their plastic bag full of money against greedy crooks. Based on the novel of the same name by Christian Kracht, the film is set to be released on 24 December 2026, distributed by DCM.

In the 3D documentary FROM INSIDE OUT – The Architecture of Peter Zumthor, Wim Wenders explores the work and philosophy of the renowned Swiss architect. The film offers an immersive perspective on all of Peter Zumthor’s major buildings – from the Bruder Klaus Chapel in the Eifel and the Kolumba Museum in Cologne to the extension of the Fondation Beyeler in Riehen near Basel and the new building for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The film will be released in cinemas on 26 November, distributed by DCM.

Director Fatih Akin’s poetic drama Ghost Song tells a love story that transcends death. Farasha dies on the night of their first encounter. Yet she finds a way to make contact with Faris: for 40 nights, she can meet him in his dreams. Thus they relive their young love until the final night dawns… Ruth Toma and Fatih Akin co-wrote the screenplay. *Geister* will open the San Sebastián International Film Festival in mid-September, celebrate its German premiere at FilmFest Hamburg, and be released in German cinemas on 5 November, distributed by Warner Bros. Entertainment.

Another world premiere is Tilman König’s Der große Zusammenbruch. This tragicomedy follows a bon vivant in Leipzig, his daughter and a dubious conference at which the imminent collapse of the system is predicted. König combines a father-daughter story with an exploration of conspiracy dynamics and social uncertainty, and not only directs the film but also wrote the screenplay. A cinema release, distributed by Weltkino, is planned for 2027.

FilmFest Hamburg is also presenting the world premiere of Children of the Sun by Leonie Krippendorff, who wrote the screenplay, too. Four young people establish a radical community on a remote mountain in Greece, free from material possessions, digital connections and monogamy. When a fire destroys their supposed paradise, their experiment in total freedom begins to falter. Jella Haase and Lena Urzendowsky star in the lead roles. Vuelta Germany will release the German-Greek co-production in cinemas in spring 2027.

Based on the bestseller of the same name by Daniela Dröscher, Aron Lehmann’s Lies About My Mother focuses on a family in provincial West Germany in the 1980s. The mother’s weight becomes a canvas onto which her husband projects his unfulfilled expectations – as seen through the eyes of their daughter. Lead actress Rosalie Thomass wrote the screenplay. Lies About My Mother will have its world premiere at FilmFest Hamburg and will be released in cinemas by Tobis from 8 October.

An extraordinary friendship between two women takes centre stage in I spy with my little eye, Alisa Kolosova’s feature film debut. Following the death of their mutual friend Solveigh, Yalda and Lou are left behind with unresolved questions about their shared past – and Solveigh’s five-year-old daughter, Sina. The film stars Saskia Rosendahl, Soma Pysall and Svenja Jung, based on a screenplay by Judith Rose Gyabaah. Filmwelt will release the film in cinemas on 18 March 2027.

The coming-of-age drama I’ll Be Gone In June by Katharina Rivilis, which was celebrated at Cannes, follows a 16-year-old German exchange student who arrives in New Mexico in 2001. Against the backdrop of 9/11, she experiences a sense of alienation, first love and the painful transition into adulthood. A cinema release, distributed by DCM, is planned for May 2027.

With Objet a, Ann Oren presents her second feature film. This radically sensual mystery drama, starring Aenne Schwarz and Louis Hofmann in the lead roles, follows a couple whose relationship – defined by love, control and obsession – is thrown off balance by an encounter with a mysterious woman. The film will be released in German cinemas on 21 January 2027, distributed by Grandfilm.

FilmFest Hamburg takes place from 24 September to 3 October 2026, showing more than 120 national and international productions as world premieres, European, German or Hamburg premieres. Screenings take place at the cinemas Abaton, CinemaxX Dammtor, Metropolis, Passage and Studio Kino. On 3 October, the festival celebrates its Free Admission Day, with all screenings at the five festival cinemas plus participating “FilmFest ums Eck” venues free to attend.