Welcome to KINO/25! This year’s German Film Festival presents a rich and thought-provoking programme that captures the depth of German cinema.
The programme opens with Tom Tykwer’s return to feature film, The Light, fresh from its world premiere at the Berlinale. This vibrant portrait of a modern Berlin family transformed by an enigmatic Syrian housekeeper sets the tone for a program that explores connection, identity, and the courage to confront difficult truths.
This year’s programme showcases the remarkable diversity of current German cinema: Benjamin Kramme’s sensitive debut Clouds are Made of Rain, the documentary magic of Circusboy, as well as Lucia Chiarla’s gripping story about mobbing in school in About Luis. In addition to German productions, KINO/25 opens the door to German-speaking films. The Austrian Night will show Ulrike Kofler’s fierce Gina, presented in collaboration with the Austrian Consulate General Hong Kong.
Marking eight decades since the end of WWII, “1945/2025: 80 Years of Accountability and Continuity” presents films that confronts Germany’s ongoing dialogue with its past. We are honored to welcome director Daniela Völker to Hong Kong for The Commandant’s Shadow, her documentary bringing together the son of Auschwitz’s commandant and a Holocaust survivor in an unforgettable encounter about trauma and forgiveness across generations. This focus also features Andres Veiel’s Riefenstahl, interrogating the Nazi regime’s most controversial filmmaker; Kirilll Serebrennikov’s The Disappearnace of Josef Mengele, tracking the ”Angel of Death’s” haunted exile; and Fritz Bauer – Death by Instalments on the prosecutor behind the important Frankfurt Auschwitz trials. We are honored to have the directors Andres Veiel and Ilona Ziok join us for a virtual Q&A.
“Life is Lurid: The World of G.W. Pabst” celebrates one of Weimar cinema’s provocative masters with his groundbreaking films from the dawn of the silent film era: Pandora’s Box with Louise Brooks in her most iconic role, the searing anti-war statement Westfront 1918, and Brecht’s satirical The Threepenny Opera – remain startlingly modern in their critique of social hypocrisy and human desire. Angela Christlieb’s Pandora’s Legacy reveals the hidden world of Pabst’s wife Trude through her personal diaries and dream records, offering an intimate counterpoint to the director’s public artistry.
Join us at KINO/25, where powerful stories illuminate the big screen!
-- Arendt Röskens, Director, Goethe-Institut Hongkong
