|
7:00 PM-9:30 PM
German Movie Nights: A Land Within
Film Screening | With filmmaker Michael Kofler in person
-
Goethe-Institut New York, New York, NY
- Language German, Italian, and South Tyrolean with English subtitles
- Price Free entry
It’s German Movie Night! Join us for a screening of Michael Kolfer’s feature debut A Land Within, an intimate 1960s-set drama of political strife and family division in South Tyrol. Followed by a Q&A with Kofler. Admission is free, please register to attend.
Paul, a talented artist, hopes to escape his rural upbringing in the Northern Italian region of South Tyrol, whose German-speaking population has found itself torn between Austria and Italy over the course of both world wars. Ethnic tensions and police repression reach a turning point when a separatist organization—which counts Paul’s hard-headed brother Anton among their ranks—begins a series of bombings on Italian industrial facilities. When Anton becomes the prime suspect in an attack and flees as a wanted terrorist, Paul decides to put off his plans to help Anton’s wife, Anna.
Framed by the complicated relationship between two brothers and the loved ones they hope to protect, A Land Within explores the dynamics of masculinity, populism, and radicalization at play in a pivotal moment in South Tyrolean history.
“A Land Within fully captures the essence of a historical period that few people know up close... With his first feature film, Michael Kofler has shown great talent and sensitivity in staging a delicate and extremely complex story.” —Marina Pavido, Cinema Austriaco, 11/13/2025. A Land Within world premiered at the 2025 Munich Film Festival. It was an official selection of the Palm Springs International Film Festival, the Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival, and Berlin & Beyond. For his role as Anton, Laurence Rupp was nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role at the 2026 Austrian Film Awards.
Presented as part of Among Friends – Unter Freunden, a campaign of the Goethe-Institut USA to celebrate and strengthen transatlantic friendship.
Zweitland
Dir. Michael Kofler
Germany/Italy/Austria, 2025
112 min.
With Thomas Prenn, Aenne Schwarz, Laurence Rupp, Francesco Acquaroli, Andrea Fuorto
Michael Kofler grew up in rural South Tyrol in the Italian Alps. He studied directing in London, where he also worked for several years at a leading film & TV production company. His short films and video works have been screened at various international film festivals. His screenplay for his debut feature film, A Land Within, won the top award of the Racconti Development Lab by the IDM Film Commission. Michael is an alumnus of Berlinale Talents, the talent development program of the Berlinale.
Paul, a talented artist, hopes to escape his rural upbringing in the Northern Italian region of South Tyrol, whose German-speaking population has found itself torn between Austria and Italy over the course of both world wars. Ethnic tensions and police repression reach a turning point when a separatist organization—which counts Paul’s hard-headed brother Anton among their ranks—begins a series of bombings on Italian industrial facilities. When Anton becomes the prime suspect in an attack and flees as a wanted terrorist, Paul decides to put off his plans to help Anton’s wife, Anna.
Framed by the complicated relationship between two brothers and the loved ones they hope to protect, A Land Within explores the dynamics of masculinity, populism, and radicalization at play in a pivotal moment in South Tyrolean history.
“A Land Within fully captures the essence of a historical period that few people know up close... With his first feature film, Michael Kofler has shown great talent and sensitivity in staging a delicate and extremely complex story.” —Marina Pavido, Cinema Austriaco, 11/13/2025. A Land Within world premiered at the 2025 Munich Film Festival. It was an official selection of the Palm Springs International Film Festival, the Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival, and Berlin & Beyond. For his role as Anton, Laurence Rupp was nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role at the 2026 Austrian Film Awards.
Presented as part of Among Friends – Unter Freunden, a campaign of the Goethe-Institut USA to celebrate and strengthen transatlantic friendship.
Zweitland
Dir. Michael Kofler
Germany/Italy/Austria, 2025
112 min.
With Thomas Prenn, Aenne Schwarz, Laurence Rupp, Francesco Acquaroli, Andrea Fuorto
Michael Kofler grew up in rural South Tyrol in the Italian Alps. He studied directing in London, where he also worked for several years at a leading film & TV production company. His short films and video works have been screened at various international film festivals. His screenplay for his debut feature film, A Land Within, won the top award of the Racconti Development Lab by the IDM Film Commission. Michael is an alumnus of Berlinale Talents, the talent development program of the Berlinale.
Location
Goethe-Institut New York
30 Irving Place
New York, NY 10003
USA
30 Irving Place
New York, NY 10003
USA
Registration required
