Programme for English-speaking audiences

The Max Ophüls film festival is considered the most important newcomer film festival in the German-speaking world, giving voice to and presenting the works of new talents from Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The Max Ophüls film festival offers 23 screenings for English-speaking audiences. These screenings take place in the Cinestar 1, 2, 5 and Kino achteinhalb. Please consider the age ratings of the individual films. Films without a mentioned age rating have not been officially examined yet.

In addition to the film screenings, the panel “Reality Check - Healthy expectations for the journey of your short film” (Thu, Jan 23, 10:00, co:hub) will be held in English.

For any further queries, don’t hesitate to contact our team (Julia von Knebel: programm-kurz@ffmop.de). We wish you great fun discovering emerging talents and their cinematic visions!

Overview

Tuesday (Jan 21) 16:00 CS5 | HOME IS THE OCEAN
Tuesday (Jan 21) 18:30 CS5 | NIGHT OF THE COYOTES
Tuesday (Jan 21) 21:00 CS5 | SHORT FILM COMPETITION PROGRAMME 1 (In der Welt)

Wednesday (Jan 22) 13:30 CS5 | LES COURAGEUX
Wednesday (Jan 22) 16:00 CS5 | SLACKERS (NULPEN)
Wednesday (Jan 22) 18:45 CS5 | HIS PARENTS (JENSEITS VON SCHULD)
Wednesday (Jan 22) 21:15 CS5 | NOCH LANGE KEINE LIPIZZANER

Thursday (Jan 23) 13:00 CS5 | CLOUD FACTORY (WOLKEN ÜBER LÜTZERATH)
Thursday (Jan 23) 16:00 CS5 | SMELL OF BURNT MILK (MILCH INS FEUER)
Thursday (Jan 23) 18:30 CS5 | NINJA MOTHERF*CKING DESTRUCTION
Thursday (Jan 23) 21:00 CS5 | OUT OF SIGHT (BÜRGLKOPF)
Thursday (Jan 23) 21:00 8 ½ | THE RECKLESS MOMENT

Saturday (Jan 25) 11:00 CS5 | PEACOCK (PFAU - BIN ICH ECHT?)
Saturday (Jan 25) 14:00 CS5 | CALLAS, DARLING
Saturday (Jan 25) 16:30 CS5 | NIGHT OF THE COYOTES
Saturday (Jan 25) 20:00 CS5 | THE VILLAGE NEXT TO PARADISE
Saturday (Jan 25) 21:00 CS2 | THE LONELY MUSKETEER

Sunday (Jan 26) 14:00 CS5 | SEW TORN
Sunday (Jan 26) 16:30 CS 5 | BAGGER DRAMA
Sunday (Jan 26) 19:00 CS5 | CHAOS UND STILLE

Feature Film Competition

Feature films with a minimum length of 70 minutes are eligible for the feature film competition of the Max Ophuels Film Festival, provided they were made for theatrical release and completed between 01.01.2024 and 19.01.2025. Films whose cinema release or broadcast date is before the festival and/or were already available online are excluded from the competition. Only world premieres and German premieres will be selected for the competition.

BAGGER DRAMA

Dschoint Ventschr

A family finds it difficult to talk about feelings, love or intimacy. The family business demands their full attention: renting, selling and repairing excavators. Everyone has to pitch in. When the daughter has a fatal accident, the family stops functioning. The son doesn’t feel understood and would rather go to the USA than take over the company. The father wants to forget and falls in love with the new choir director. And the mother suddenly finds herself alone with the dog in the family home. Grief leads to speechlessness. Actions replace conversations. Perplexity leads to misunderstandings. Misunderstandings lead to anger. And anger leads to hatred. Why do we hurt each other so much, even though we love each other so much? A new Heimatfilm with people searching and machines dancing.

Sun 16:30 CS 5

CALLAS, DARLING

Leander Hartung

Marie is making one last stop at a petrol station before she wants to leave this life when Gerlinde suddenly appears in front of her car. She is looking for a lift to Albania, the childhood home of her deceased partner. Together, the two lost souls set off on their journey - with Capri sun, heavy mouths and the faint hope of a new beginning.

Fri 14:00 CS5 | Sat 14:00 CS5

CHAOS UND STILLE

Julian Krubasik

Jean is a young composer of quiet tones. But music alone does not feed his daughter and his wife, the pianist Helena, longs for more stability. Their life together is turned upside down when their landlady, Klara, suddenly waives the rent, divests herself of her work and property and moves onto the rooftop. Jean is fascinated by Klara's retreat and is inspired to write new music. Helena tries to help her. Soon supporters and opponents gather outside the house to discuss the meaning of life - and the city threatens to slowly descend into chaos.

Sun 19:00 CS5

LES COURAGEUX

Maximage

In a small town on the edge of wild country, an eccentric and delinquent mother has had enough of the rules. Crushed by her mistakes and by a society that doesn't give a damn – or a second chance - to people like her, she'll do anything to prove to her children, and to herself, that she still is a good person.

Wed 13:30 CS5

LONEY & HAVENDER (LONIG & HAVENDEL)

To see snow and learn German, Trúc Lâm is in a small mountainous town in Germany. During a trip to a mine, she gets lost on the other side of the mountain. She follows a singer into the forest who sings his concerts for the trees. To find her way back, she accepts the help of a ghost.In the town on the other side lives Duc, the son of a Vietnamese family who runs an „Asian restaurant“. When Duc finds his long-lost cell phone, he starts receiving mysterious text messages.

Fri 11:00 CS5

NINJA MOTHERF*CKING DESTRUCTION

At 18, Leonie and Marlene are best friends and sure that nothing can keep them apart. But Leonie falls in love with Naomi, gives herself completely to her first great love and moves further and further away from Marlene. As the relationship progresses, it becomes apparent that Naomi is suffering from depression, which is increasingly overwhelming Leonie. It is only when Leonie's relationship with Naomi finally breaks down that she realizes how isolated she has become. She leaves Berlin and begins training as a gardener in Brandenburg, which helps her to sort out the world around her. With newfound strength, Leonie dares to approach her childhood friend Marlene again after years of estrangement. Eight years have passed - and Leonie has changed. A film about an ambivalent network of relationships, made over a period of seven years, which accompanies three young women aged between 18 and 25 as they grow up.

Thu 18:30 CS5

PEACOCK (PFAU - BIN ICH ECHT?)

Matthias, owner of the “My Companion” agency, is a master of his trade. Are you looking for a “cultured partner” to impress your circle of friends? Or a “perfect son” to influence the opinion of business partners? Whatever your situation in life: Rent a friend - Matthias! He is brilliant at portraying someone else every day. Just being himself is really difficult for him. When his girlfriend Sophia leaves him because of his insensitivity, he embarks on a journey of self-discovery.

Sat 11:00 CS5

SLACKERS (NULPEN)

Ramona and Nico are friends, lazy rags and fresh out of school. They let themselves drift aimlessly through the Berlin summer. But when they release their beloved neighbor's bird for fun, they have to flee - reluctantly to politically charged Berlin. In their search for the lost fowl and Ramona's little brother, they struggle to maintain their friendship and faith in themselves and unexpectedly stumble into other life stories that give them hope.

Wed 16:00 CS5

SEW TORN

A seamstress gets tangled in her own thread after stealing a briefcase from a drug deal gone bad. In an escalating game of cat and mouse, her different choices lead to drastically different outcomes along the way.

Sun 14:00 CS5

Documentary Film Competition

The documentary film competition is open to first, second and third works by up-and-coming German-speaking directors with a length of approx. 70 minutes or more. Only world and German premieres will be considered.

CLOUD FACTORY (WOLKEN ÜBER LÜTZERATH)

For Blinker, Ronni and Green MP Kathrin Henneberger, the 1.5 degree limit runs through Lützerath. They are fighting in different ways to preserve the village in the Rhenish lignite mining region. While Blinker focuses on barricades and Ronni concentrates on the media strategy of the occupation, Henneberger tries to influence her party leadership. But they consider Lützerath to be the “wrong symbol”. After the eviction, what remains are images of destruction, memories and wounds that are only slowly healing.

Thu 13:00 CS5

GOD'S OTHER PLAN

What happens when the adult son of a Mormon family realizes that the meticulously planned life dictated by his religion is wrong for him? Riley is gay; he suspected this earlier and prayed it would disappear. By now, he is divorced from his wife, married to a man, and no longer a Mormon. He now lives in a blended family with his biological daughter and an adopted son. How does his Mormon family, especially his ex-wife, deal with this profound change?

Fri 21:45 CS5

HOME IS THE OCEAN

For 25 years, the Schwörers have sailed the world's oceans to conduct field research in the most remote regions and inspire the next generation to protect the environment. The filmmaker followed the family of eight for seven years, documenting how they challenged conventional norms of upbringing, education, home and security. Until a storm forces them to rethink their life choices and their family constellation.

Tue 16:00 CS5

NIGHT OF THE COYOTES

In El Alberto, Mexico, the border with the USA can be felt everywhere. It separates families, cuts up lives and uproots people. Those who have remained there have found an unusual response to this: They re-enact the illegal border crossing for tourists at night, slipping into the roles of the US border police, narcos and smugglers. A story of self-empowerment - or a village stuck in the loop of its traumatic experiences?

Tue 18:30 CS5 | Sat 16:30 CS5

NOCH LANGE KEINE LIPIZZANER

Although she was born and raised in Austria, director Olga Kosanović is not allowed to be Austrian. Her first attempt at naturalization failed. One social media comment scornfully stated: “If a cat throws kittens at the riding school, that doesn't make them Lipizzaners”. What concept of identity underlies legislation that divides society into “us” and “the others”? A film about belonging - and a second attempt.

Wed 21:15 CS5

OUT OF SIGHT (BÜRGLKOPF)

At an altitude of 1,300 meters, the Bürglkopf Return Center is situated on top of the mountain of the same name in Tyrol. Asylum seekers are housed there, with the aim of pressuring them to leave Austria—through "return counseling" but primarily through the isolation itself. The idyllic Alpine landscape becomes the setting for a bizarre encounter of refugees, locals, and tourists. Nearby, the mountains of Kitzbühel serve as a winter sports destination, with state-of-the-art gondolas ferrying vacationers from around the globe to the mountaintops. Meanwhile, the residents of Bürglkopf face a three-hour hike on foot to descend from the camp to the valley. The film offers a glimpse into Europe's isolationist policies, embodied in return centers and deportation camps.

Thu 21:00 CS5

THE LIFE OF SEAN DELEAR

He was a pioneer in being black and gay in the art and music world: Sean DeLear. In the 1990s, he established himself as a drag icon in the Los Angeles punk scene and became the frontman of the legendary post-punk band Glue. He later moved to Austria and joined the Gelitin collective. An eccentric and electrifying figure who is brought back to life in a collage of archive material, interviews and diary excerpts.

Fri 19:30 CS5

YUMI - THE WHOLE WORLD

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The sea on Solomon, Vishal and Romabeth's home islands in the South Pacific is advancing further and further. The three law students observe with great concern how the livelihoods there are dwindling dramatically. They are launching a campaign for climate justice to hold the Global North to account before the International Court of Justice. They promote their cause at conferences, fighting with diplomacy and endless amounts of positive energy. They have to convince at least half of the UN members. Will the world listen to them?

Fri 17:00 CS5

SHORT FILM COMPETITION PROGRAMME 1 (In der Welt)

The Max Ophuels Film Festival's short film competition is intended to promote innovative tendencies among up-and-coming German-speaking directors. The competition is open to world premieres and German premieres of short films up to 25 minutes in length.

Tue 21:00 CS5

A young man in a sweaty tank top leans against a window with his eyes closed and his head back. The scene is bathed in intense light, with blurred reflections in the window.

QUICKSAND (TREIBSAND)

The golden ticket out of the village: MARCO (18) has made it to the top football club and can finally leave the small town of Lindorf behind to play with the big stars. Between wild "Schützenfest"-fair celebrations and emerging fears, he has to decide whether he wants to remain the big fish in the little pond or whether he dares to flee into the unknown. But a way out opens up - but not without sacrifice.

Two women are sitting on the couch. One is looking at the other while she is looking somewhere else.

DOG

During a night shift, a taxi driver watches his dog through a pet camera installed at home. When his wife appears on the screen, he uses the dog as an excuse to contact her.

Close-up of a sniper looking through the scope of his rifle.

ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS

The film is based on a true story. Bohdan and his son Ivan, who run a small hospital on the front line, are put to the test when a unit of Russian soldiers approaches their building. They have to make difficult decisions to protect their patients and their own lives.

Three women by a flowing stream. It is not clear whether they are washing, searching or catching something.

GOLD RUSH

Colorado, 1860: Three women, a mule and a map drawn by an illiterate to get to the gold sometimes found on the high mountains. The hardships of their endeavor first bring a lonely foreign widow closer together with the dubious German emigrants Olga and Dora. But the more time they spend in the harsh wilderness, the more manners deteriorate and the last bit of humanity gives way to ruthless greed. A feminist western based on the ballad "The Gold Diggers" by Emanuel Geibel.

A group of people on and next to a jetty in the water. You can see a sign that says ‘Private property. No trespassing’.

LA PASSERELLA DI AMELIE

Amelie receives a visit from a group of friends in her lakeside bungalow. The city dwellers' summer country getaway quickly leads to social tensions. The locals feel increasingly marginalized and their identity violated. When the visitors try to use the private footbridge to the lake, the conflict escalates.

Watchlist

In the Watchlist series, a selection of the best new German-language films from the past production year is shown - preferably including current works by former festival participants. In addition to the competition premieres, this series rounds off the festival programme to create the most comprehensive annual showcase of young German-language film.

HIS PARENTS (JENSEITS VON SCHULD)

Trimafilm Tobias Tempel

The media call their son the “patient killer.” He was given a life sentence for his numerous crimes. Life goes on for his parents Ulla and Didi Högel but nothing is the same as before. They must accept the bitter truth, figure out how to cope with everyday life and reposition themselves in relation to their child. A compelling, precisely observed film about parenthood and love.

Wed 18:45 CS5

SMELL OF BURNT MILK (MILCH INS FEUER)

Sweet Godless Turtle Film Productions

Three generations of farmers' wives live under one roof on a farm. The milk business has not been profitable for a while now. Agriculture in general is in crisis, more and more farms are having to close and traditional female-run farms are rare. But Katinka is holding on to the family business, training as a farmer and looking for a future in a region that remembers the past above all else.

Thu 16:00 CS5

THE LONELY MUSKETEER

The Lonely Musketeer

The filthy rich hedge fund manager Rupert wakes up in a windowless, doorless room with no memory of how he got there. Only his cell phone is with him. At first, Rupert suspects a prank. But when the only person who knows where he might be is murdered, he slowly discovers the horror he has fallen into.

Fri 21:30 CS1 | Sat 21:00 CS2

THE VILLAGE NEXT TO PARADISE

Freibeuter Film

In a remote village in Somalia, Mamargade, a single father, struggles with the challenges of daily life. His sister is looking for a new home with him after her divorce. Cigaal, his son, is sometimes overlooked in the turmoil of this fragile family structure. After the school in the village is closed, the teacher Mamargade suggests sending Cigaal to a boarding school in the city. There is not enough money for this, but Mamargade wants to offer his son a better future.

Sat 20:00 CS5

Hommage Max Ophüls

In honour of our namesake, the festival is showing a feature-length film by Max Ophüls.

THE RECKLESS MOMENT

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17-year-old Bea has fallen in love with the older Ted, but her mother Lucia is suspicious of her relationship with the shady man. When Ted has a fatal accident after a heated argument with Bea, Lucia has to take action. She makes the body disappear, but the body is found and the murder investigation begins. At first nobody suspects Bea, but then the criminal Martin comes to town to collect a debt from Ted. And Martin is in possession of the love letters Bea wrote to Ted and demands hush money from Lucia.

Thu 21:00 8 1/2

Panel: „Reality Check - Healthy expectations for the journey of your short film“

Thursday, 23 January, 10:00 a.m., co:hub

Frustration often stems from unmet expectations. Producing a short film demands time, sweat, and tears – but do we give the same care to understanding our audience and reaching them? Key pillars include working with a sales agent or distributor, crafting a festival strategy, and identifying where your audience resides. How can we set clear expectations and define what’s realistic for our own film? Let’s bridge the gap between effort and outcome to make your film’s potential visible.Host: Amos Geva (T-Port), Panelists: Léo Soesanto, Su-Jin Song, Katie Bignell (online)

FESTIVAL CINEMAS

CineStar CS / camera zwo CaZ / Kino achteinhalb 8½ / Filmhaus FH / Thalia Lichtspiele TL / Kinowerkstatt KW / Capitol MovieWorld CMW / Kulturgut Ost OST / Passage-Kino Pa

Please note the FSK information for the individual films. Films that do not have an FSK rating have not been tested and are therefore only released from the age of 18.