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
Magnolia
This deeply personal 1999 California opus is ripe for rediscovery. Mapping the emotional traumas of half-a-dozen major characters as they crisscross the San Fernando Valley in search of either recognition or reconciliation, it's PTA's riskiest gamble.
But I'm a Cheerleader
Megan (Natasha Lyonne) is the perfect All-American Girl, or so she thinks. That is until she’s shipped off to conversion therapy. This pitch black comedy is wrapped in a saccharine bow, featuring the icon herself, RuPaul, as a conversion counsellor.
Franz
Veteran Polish filmmaker Agnieszka Holland takes the bull by the horns to craft a Kafka biopic that's Kafkaesque and then some, artfully layering scenes from Kafka's life and works along with ironic present-day footage for a truly surreal counterpoint.