North American Premiere
A glamorous icon full of poise and style, Hildegard Knef was one of the 20th century’s true film stars. From her childhood growing up in Nazi Germany and rise to fame amidst the fallout of the war, to her public scandals and career reinventions, Knef pursued success above all else, and Luzia Schmid’s candid documentary offers a compelling look at Knef’s life in her own words. Narrated from her autobiography, Knef divulges her innermost thoughts and secrets, reflecting on her professional and personal lives: her time in Hollywood, her daughter, and her various high-profile romances. Fiercely independent and forthright, Knef was also surprisingly vulnerable and self-conscious about how the public perceived her, often drawn into despondency and periods of isolation. Moving back and forth through her life via archival footage, behind-the-scenes rehearsals, and extensive interviews with her friends and family, I Want It All reveals the multi-faceted layers beneath Knef’s larger-than-life persona, piercing the masks she hid behind.
Presented by
Media Partner
Community Partner
Christina Palastanga, Paul von Schell, Nina Kunzendorf (narrator)
Germany
2025
In German and English with English subtitles
Book Tickets
Credits & Director
Executive Producer
Ulli Pfau
Producer
Thomas Kufus
Screenwriter
Luzia Schmid
Cinematography
Hajo Schomerus
Editor
Yana Höhnerbach
Original Music
Danielle De Picciotto, Alexander Hacke
Luzia Schmid
Luzia Schmid (born 1966 in Zurich, Switzerland) studied journalism and worked as editor, author, and moderator for Swiss radio and television before pursuing a directing degree at the Academy of Media Arts Cologne. Now an established documentary filmmaker, she received acclaim for her 2022 film Trained to See: Three Women and the War, about the experiences of three female correspondents during the Second World War. Her newest film, I want it all. Hildegard Knef, premiered at Berlinale 2025.
Filmography: Trained to See: Three Women and the War (2022)
Photo by Hajo Schomerus
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
The Nutcracker at Wethersfield
Back in the long, dark Covid winter of 2020, there was no way the New York City Ballet could mount their traditional Christmas production of Tchaikovsky's fairytale. But choreographer Troy Schumacher had a dream to save the show -- reimagining a classic.
The Wizard of Oz
Judy Garland is Dorothy, a Kansas farm girl swept by a tornado to the Technicolor world of Oz, where she is befriended by a cowardly lion, a brainless scarecrow and a tin man without a heart.
The Wizard of Oz © 1939 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios. All Rights Reserved.
North of Ourselves
In the depths of winter, two adventurers set out to cross Quebec from one end to the other on bike and skis, exploring its staggering geography and meeting its inhabitants (human and otherwise) along the way.
The Secret Agent
Having run afoul of an influential bureaucrat in Brazil’s military dictatorship circa 1977, Marcelo decamps to Recife to live under an assumed name — but he’ll soon come to understand precisely how rampant the country’s corruption has become.
It's a Wonderful Life
Every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings. This Christmas classic is whimsical, sure, but it has the depth to stand up to multiple watches, and it really should be a communal experience, because that is what it's about.