Fokus: Films from Germany

Filmfestival | 10 years Fokus | curated by our guest curator Rastko Novaković

Fokus 2026 © Detailfilm, Johannes Louis; FMM

Welcome to the 10th edition of FOKUS: Films from Germany!

The German Film Festival in Scotland is celebrating its 10th anniversary. From 22 January to 22 February 2026, we will be presenting a diverse and exciting selection of German films covering a wide range of topics and genres. We are particularly delighted to be working with our guest curator for 2026, Rastko Novaković, whose programme ‘Women: Words and Worlds’ takes us on a journey through more than 10 decades of cinematic storytelling in 10 films. Rastko has drawn on the film catalogues of the Goethe-Institut, the DEFA Foundation and the Werner Herzog Foundation to condense his unique view of cinema from Germany for us. The curated selection and descriptions of the films can be found below in the event series.
In addition, the festival also offers a selection of three films specifically for younger audiences and school screenings. All films will be shown in their original language with English subtitles in participating independent cinemas throughout Scotland.

Fokus: Films from Germany is in collaboration with the Glasgow Film Theatre and supported by Film Hub Scotland, part of the BFI’s Film Audience Network, awarding funding on behalf of Screen Scotland and the BFI National Lottery. The festival is organised in collaboration with independent cinemas across Scotland.

The overview of all screening dates and participating cinemas will be published from 15 December onwards. You will then find all the information under our event series on Eventbrite via this link.

Women: Words and Worlds - Curatorial Statement

"For this year's FOKUS programme I have chosen the theme Women: Words and Worlds. In delving into the Goethe-Institut’s catalogue, I wanted to cover a century of German cinema, to revisit different moments in German history and women's changing roles and experiences.

We feature films spanning the Weimar Republic and the era of silent films, the post-war recovery, through the tempestuous 1960s, past German re-unification and ending with our contemporary 21st century problems. We will look at enduring female figures in cinema such as the vamp (Pandora's Box, 1929), woman in crisis (The Drifter, 2010), rebel of freedom (Antigone, 1992) or working woman (Destinies of Women, 1952) and why these representations continue to hold fascination and relevance. We invite you to discover the outstanding screen performances of Mira Partecke, Edith Clever, Astrid Ofner, Louise Brooks.

All of this year’s films engage with moments of change in women’s roles and their place in society. Often, they look back to the past and other generations as our characters seek to find new paths and new futures. Different historical periods speak to us now in different ways, from the mythical world of ancient Greece, to a searching set of kitchen table conversations from the 1980s, or the present-day global challenges of refugees and migrants. These stories and experiences are shown through documentary, musical, dystopian fiction, classical theatre, comedy, improvisation, literary adaptations, portraits, provocations, some great dialogue and some long silences – in short, everything that makes great cinema, and German cinema great." - Rastko Novaković

Rastko Novaković - Short Bio

Rastko Novaković is a Glasgow-based filmmaker, writer and curator. He is the founder of Inclinations Film Club, which brings premiere arthouse films to Scotland. In his filmmaking he has used different styles to approach forgotten histories and stage the work of distinctive literary voices such as Jean Genet, Gertrude Stein and Ronald Firbank. He has interviewed and written about artists such as Peter Watkins, Nurşen Bakır, Lucy Ellmann, James Kelman, Alain Cavailer, Marguerite Duras, Heinz Emigholz and Paul Mendez. He has just finished co-editing the book "For Peace!" (MayDay Rooms, 2025) which traces eight decades of the British peace movement. He has also contributed book chapters to The Cinema of Danièle Huillet and Jean-Marie Straub (MHRA/Legenda, 2023), The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Cultural Heritage and Conflict (Palgrave, 2026) and Post-Communist Grounds. In Search of the Commons (Institute of Network Cultures, 2025).