BERLIN HERO | DER HELD VOM BAHNHOF FRIEDRICHSTRASSE

Presented on Monday, October 12th @ 7:30 PM at the American Cinematheque's Aero Theatre.
All attendees are invited to a Drinks reception prior to the screening.  Doors open @ 6:30 PM

TICKETS WILL BE AVAILABLE STARTING MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21st @ 10.00  Admission is free with above RSVP link | Capacity is limited 
RSVP holders will be admitted on a first-come, first-served basis.

In the case of SOLD-OUT screenings, a STAND-BY line will form in front of the theater. 


BERLIN HERO | DER HELD VOM BAHNHOF FRIEDRICHSTRASSE
Germany (2025) 112 min. German with English Subtitles
Director Wolfgang Becker
Writer Constantin Lieb, Wolfgang Becker, based on Maxim Leo’s novel.
Cinematography Bernd Fischer
Editing Jörg Hauschild
Cast Charly Hübner, Christiane Paul, Leon Ullrich, Leonie Benesch, Thorsten Merten, Dirk Martens, Peter Kurth, Daniel Brühl, Eva Löbau, Jörn Hentschel
Producers Stefan Arndt, Achim von Borries
Co-Producers Julia Golembiowski
Production Company X Filme Creative Pool GmbH (Berlin)

Berlin, 2019: The 30th Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall is approaching, but former East German Railway worker “Micha” Hartung (Hübner) is focused on saving his failing video store, not on the past. When tabloid journalist Landmann (Ullrich) uncovers a report from the Stasi archives linking Micha to a mass escape of GDR citizens via the city’s Friedrichstraße Station in 1984, he moves to secure the rights to the story. Denying his role at first, Micha bends the facts, confirming the report in exchange for the cash royalty.  Suddenly, Micha is a media sensation. After Paula (Paul), who was a child on that train, sees Micha on TV, she travels to thank him. Upon meeting, Paula thinks she’s found her “Berlin Hero,” and Micha has found the woman of his dreams. Still, it is only a matter of time before the web of lies and half-truths unravels, jeopardizing the couple’s happiness and the country’s understanding of the past. Based on Maxim Leo’s eponymous novel, featuring an extraordinary cast including Charly Hübner, Leonie Benesch, Thorsten Merten, Becker himself, and his long-time ensemble, Christiana Paul, Jürgen Vogel, and Daniel Brühl, Wolfgang Becker’s final film is a heart-warming, honest comedy about the nature of truth. 
  SELECT AWARDS & NOMINATIONS:
Ernst Lubitsch Prize 2026 Wolfgang Becker (Directing)
German Acting Award 2026 Best Comedic Performance – Thorsten Merten (Nom.)
German Film Awards 2026 Best Supporting Actor – Thorsten Merten, Peter Kurth (Nom.), Best Filmscore – Lorenz Dangel (Nom.).




  Wolfgang Becker studied German, History, and American Studies at the FU Berlin, and cinematography at the German Film & Television Academy (dffb) assisting Michael Ballhaus and István Szabó. His graduation film SCHMETTERLING (1986) won the Student Academy Award (1988), the Golden Leopard at Locarno and the Saarland Prime-Minister's Award (1988). His other films include KINDERSPIELE (1992), CELIBDACHE (1992), DAS LEBEN IST EINE BAUSTELLE (1997), GOOD BYE, LENIN! (2003), and ME AND KAMINSKI (2015). His final film, BERLIN HERO (2025, wrapped in November 2024. Tragically, Wolfgang Becker passed away on December 12, 2024, prior to the completion and release of his final film.


WORLD SALES
THE MATCH FACTORY
www-the-match-factory.com



The GERMAN CURRENTS Film Festival 2026 is a co-production of the Goethe-Institut Los Angeles and the American Cinematheque with the support of The Friends of Goethe, ELMA (European Languages and Movies in America), Condor, the Consulate General of Switzerland in San Francisco, the Austrian Consulate General in Los Angeles, the Italian Cultural Institute of Los Angeles, the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Los Angeles, Paulaner USA, Paulaner Sunset, Tupetz Wine Connection, KRUU.COM, and in cooperation with the German Consulate General in Los Angeles, the Villa Aurora & Thomas Mann House e.V., the  German Film Office, the Wende Museum, and DEFA Film Library as well as our media partners Deutsche Welle, KPFK Radio, Campus Circle, and our educational outreach partners ELMA and Creating Creators.