Köln 75

German Cinema: KÖLN 75

Dir. Ido Fluk
Germany/Poland/Belgium, 2025
110 min.
With Mala Emde, John Magaro, Michael Chernus, Alexander Scheer

KÖLN 75 is based on the true story of Vera Brandes, the indominable Cologne teenager who made one of jazz history’s most celebrated concerts a reality. Trying to eke out a secret career as a concert promoter, Brandes gets the chance of a lifetime when the virtuosic but erratic pianist Keith Jarrett agrees to perform in her hometown.

She and her group of rebellious music connoisseurs must conquer near impossible odds to host the performance that would later become the best-selling piano record of all time, The Köln Concert. “The irreverent KÖLN 75 provided an essential jolt of unabashed joy as it traveled across festivals last year,” writes KINO! Film Salon host Jim Kolmar.

“Fluk’s film is a celebration of musical expression, tenacity, and the sense of community that flourishes around shared creative energy.”

KÖLN 75 world premiered at the 2025 Berlin International Film Festival and was nominated for four German Film Awards: Best Film, Best Actress (Mala Emde), Best Supporting Actor (Alexander Scheer), and Best Editing (Anja Siemens).  This screening is presented as part of "Among Friends – Unter Freunden", a campaign of the Goethe-Institut USA to celebrate and strengthen transatlantic friendship.