The Focus program welcomes emerging directors to Vancouver and deepens the long tradition of German cinema as a vital component of VIFF’s programming
With Focus on New German Cinema: Extreme Tension, VIFF is excited to platform notable premieres for six debut features from rising German filmmakers who are bringing thrilling new perspectives to a national cinema that’s defined by its psychologically complex, visually striking, and socially engaged work.
Supported by
Trial of Hein
After 14 years on the mainland, Hein returns to the cloistered fishing village where he grew up. But when he arrives, he goes unrecognized. Amid mounting suspicion and hostility, the community holds a three-day trial to verify his identity.
I Understand Your Displeasure
This intense realist drama stars Sabine Thalau as Heike, the underpaid, stressed-out manager of a cleaning crew. The non-professional actor portrays the hardship of labour so well that every breath, every arduous movement registers its cost on her soul.
Image: © Wenn Dann Film
The Ballad From Wednesday to Thursday
As evening approaches, residents of Cologne gather in bars, cafes, and clubs, talking about everything from immigration, war in the Middle East, feminism, and racial profiling. As the alcohol flows, conversations get louder and opinions looser.
Image: © Montell Taraschewski_Monte Kalk Film
Dear Future Self
Prompting their students to write a letter to their future selves, two friends find themselves questioning the intertwined trajectory of their own lives. Dear Future Self is a sharply tender story about friendship, dreams, and the desire for agency.
Prosecution
When a young German prosecutor of Korean origin is attacked, she suspects a racist conspiracy and pursues the truth in defiance of her superiors. Prosecution is a film for our moment: a thriller that confronts the far-right head-on.
Sometimes, I Imagine Them All at a Party
Fourteen years ago, Daniela Magnani Hüller survived an attempted femicide by a schoolmate. Now a filmmaker, she revisits the events surrounding that fateful incident, creating a moving collage of interviews, personal recollections, and archival material.
Image: © Bildersturm