Films

2025, 86 min
by Julia Lemke, Anna Koch

Santino is a circus kid. He travels around the country with his family and animals in a caravan - here today, there tomorrow. Home is not a fixed place for him, but rather his parents Angie and Gitano, his brother Giordano, countless uncles and aunts, cousins and especially his great-grandfather Ehe, one of the last great circus directors in Germany. Ehe tells Santino wild stories from his long life: about the magnificent bull elephant Sahib, his own first steps as a clown and the feeling of freedom for which it is worth putting up with all the hardships. On Santino's eleventh birthday, Ehe asks what Santino would like to show in the circus ring one day - after all, he has something to contribute to their community. But how do you find out? Circusboy tells the story of the lives of the last nomads in Germany. About growing up in an extended family, with the animals, and a life without a safety net. A documentary road film with animations about the power of belonging and community.

Germany 2024, 94 min
by Iris Pakulla

Ainur, a young Mongolian woman and erotic dancer in Ulaanbaatar, feels haunted by dark forces. On the advice of shamans, she returns to the Gobi Desert, the land of her ancestors, to make contact with nature spirits. During her journey through Mongolia, she is confronted with the destruction of the breathtaking landscape. Is this the chaos that is stirring the spirits?Anthropologist Iris Pakulla has lived and researched in Mongolia for many years. In her hybrid documentary film, she weaves together scenes of Ainur’s everyday life with staged dream sequences. The result is a cinematic artwork that reflects not only Ainur’s search for healing but also the fragile balance between humans and nature.

Germany, Italy 2024, 90 min
by Andreas Pichler

Europe’s largest bear rewilding project was successful in resetlling brown bears in the Italian Alps. While most locals supported the conservation project in the beginning, fear and anger prevail after a series of attacks on humans. Interweaving breathtaking and rarely seen footage of wild bears and interviews with rangers and locals, the film taps into the heated debate over what the return of the bears means for rural communities. Can humans and bears truly coexist? How do we balance conservation with human safety?

Germany 2024, 52 min
by Herbert Ostwald

Up to 150 species are disappearing every day. Species extinction could be even more decisive for the survival of humankind than climate change. But what was once considered science fiction is no longer out of the question. We accompany ambitious scientists worldwide in their attempts to revive extinct animals or to give those on the brink of extinction a new chance using state-of-the-art genetic engineering. What is driving the human ambition to bring back extinct species? Should it be allowed or are we playing God with unpredictable consequences for our entire planet?

Germany, France 2024, 216 min
by Guillaume Cailleau, Ben Russell

Taking its title from the tactical protest strategy of the same name – "an action that seeks to achieve an end directly and by the most effective means" – DIRECT ACTION is a contemporary portrait of one of the most important militant activist communities in France – a 150-person strong rural collective that survived multiple violent eviction attempts by the French state, successfully resisted an international airport expansion project, created an autonomous zone from 2012-2018, and spawned a remarkable new ecological movement in 2021. Through a collaborative and uniquely immersive observational approach, DIRECT ACTION documents the everyday of a diverse ecosystem of activists, squatters, anarchists, farmers and government-labeled 'eco-terrorists' – so as to better understand how the success of a radical protest movement can offer a path through the climate crisis facing us all."The jury wants to salut the very patient and non judgement dedicated approach. We deeply enjoyed the quality of observation of this radical film." Tizza Covi, member of the jury said at the award ceremony.

2024, 103 min
by Carmen Kirchweger

Six young women defy gravity and open up new climbing routes on the steep inclines of Greenland’s mountains. They prepare fervently for their expedition and test their limits. 'Somewhere in the middle of nowhere' takes on a different meaning when life hangs in the balance hundreds of metres above the ground – dependent on ropes, physical strength and decision-making skills. A film about strength and confronting danger. [39. DOK.fest München, Morgane Remter]

Germany 2024, 90 min
by Klaus Tümmler

One of the largest forest fires in Germany in recent decades raged near the town of Treuenbrietzen in August 2018. The fire destroyed almost 350 hectares of forest. Climate change and drought have long been making themselves felt in Brandenburg's monotonous pine forests. Over five years, from the first day of the fire, the camera follows various events on the land. The central question for the future is: What should the forest of tomorrow look like here, but also elsewhere? The Pyrophob scientific research project is launched with the aim of developing more fire-resistant forests. The wolf and other animals reclaim their former habitat over time. Will everything be okay?

Germany 2024, 15 min
by Bernadette Hauke

There is a lot of garbage on the bottom of the sea. Freddy has seen this during his dives. He wants to salvage the old nets that fishing boats have lost in the Baltic Sea, because they are a danger to marine animals, which get tangled up in them and die. Freddy trains to salvage these ghost nets so that he can clean up a piece of the sea aboard the special ship SEEKUH with diving professionals.

2024, 93 min
by Emerson Culurgioni, Stefanie Schroeder

Who owns the land? Legend has it that ex-prime minister Silvio Berlusconi stole a dune in Sardinia, while the locals are fighting for their land and struggling with their dependence on tourism. La Duna is an irresistibly cathartic and humorous documentary that intertwines a portrait of a community with absurd almost-fairytales. [55VdR]

2024, 104 min
by Doris Metz

Petra Kelly was one of the most influential political personalities of the 20th century, a figurehead of the peace movement and co-founder of the first green party to find success. Her life was one of achievements, its end a tragedy.Petra Kelly was one of the most influential political figures of the 20th century. In 1980, she co-founded the German Green Party, the world’s first green party to rise to prominence. She fought relentlessly for radical social change, disarmament and a society at one with nature. For Kelly, environment, peace and human rights issues were one. At the age of 44, she was murdered by her long-time friend and political companion. Raised by her mother and grandmother, she grew up in 1960s America and campaigned for Robert Kennedy’s election in the months before his assassination. Petra Kelly was convinced that a single person could change the world. Influenced by the American civil rights movement and Martin Luther King’s concept of “civil disobedience”, she campaigned to protect the environment and ban uranium mining, demonstrating solidarity with the peace movements in both the East and West. Today, her spiritual legacy is continued by many young climate activists. The issues that concerned her are more topical today than ever before. Close friends and companions talk about Kelly’s personal and political life for the first time. With previously unseen international film footage, the film paints a picture of a sensitive, unwavering woman who let no one -stand in her way. [NEW DOCS catalogue]

Bulgaria, Germany 2024, 96 min
by Eliza Petkova

With the population in decline, a traditional way of life is ending in a remote, rundown Bulgarian village. This poetic and at times tragicomic film follows the last remaining inhabitants from the perspective of several domesticated animals. There’s a great deal of attention given to sound, light and movement: an overflowing bucket, sunlight dancing in rustling foliage, the ticking sound of ants on the move, and a cowbell clanging in the wind. The filmmakers focus on the sensory perceptions of the animals without attributing thoughts or feelings to them. But the villagers do precisely that. Was the neighbor punishing or protecting her violent alcoholic son when she turned him into a donkey, they wonder, and is that cat possessed by a vampire? The contrast is fascinating between the villagers’ fears and superstitions, and the no-nonsense, even harsh, ways in which they treat the animals. The slightly experimental music forming the soundtrack is at times complemented by women singing a beautiful traditional song containing both solos and polyphony. [37 IDFA]

Germany 2024, 103 min
by Lea Hartlaub

sr draws a panorama of human activity in which the giraffe emerges as a recurring motif. 91 narrative tableaus lead to 30 sites such as an island in the Western Pacific, a reading room in New York, a runway in central Niger. In 16 fragmentary episodes sr reports of political and societal conditions, of theoretical discourses, human creations and realities of everyday life. Traces of exoticism, colonial relics, relations of power, cultural artifacts and the relativity of knowledge appear. sr is an invitation to contemplate on what the film depicts.

Canada, Germany, USA 2024, 98 min
by Jeremy Xido

THE BONES traverses the globe alongside paleontologists on a quest to unearth dinosaur fossils that may hold the key to save humanity from extinction. It’s a race against time before the bones disappear into the hands of fossil dealers, who stand to make millions by selling them on the open market. A cinematic adventure that reaches from the Mongolian Gobi Desert to the floor of a Paris auction house, THE BONES exposes the clash between science, post-colonial reckoning, and hard-headed capitalism.THE BONES is a stunning, cinematic exploration of the high-stakes world of dinosaur bone trading, where obsessive collectors compete with museums, scientists, and high-end auction houses to own a piece of the past. It’s a story of intrigue, an illicit caper at the collision of science, commerce, and a dark colonial legacy. Paleontologist Bolor Minjin, the first scientist to ever repatriate fossils that had been stolen from Mongolia, travels through her homeland training the next generation of Mongolians to be the guardians of the bones. In Morocco, Nizar Ibrahim leads a team into the Saharan desert on a quest to unearth the next great scientific discovery, but must negotiate with fossil dealers who want big money for the same bones.Meanwhile, French collector and fossil dealer Francois Escuillier introduces us to the questionable world of buying and selling dinosaur bones, which today can be worth millions of dollars. And eminent paleontologist Jack Horner—the man upon whom Jurassic Park is based—changes the concept of a fossil’s value by breaking them open, searching for molecular clues that will help him resurrect an actual dinosaur.Part international thriller, part meditation on the nature of existence, the film reveals the hidden world of passionate, globetrotting scientists and fossil dealers battling over the meaning of THE BONES…and our uncertain future.Press"Fascinating excavation of the true value of dinosaur bones to finders, collectors, museums and scientists…As engagingly entertaining as it is informative" - Screen International “Entertaining look at the fossil trade” - Variety

Germany 2024, 178 min
by Romuald Karmakar

On the grounds of Zurich Zoo, workers are transforming the brown earth into a savannah landscape, with concrete baobabs to serve as a feeding system and storage space. A “scenography of the wilderness” is being created here, as art historian Christina Katharina May terms this animal pen designed with an eye for detail, a combination of pared-down architecture and an almost natural appearance – a central component of the zoo’s efforts to make itself invisible. Across the seasons, Romuald Karmakar’s film gives an account of life and work at one of Europe’s leading zoological gardens. The effort that precedes the illusion of invisibility is shown, as is the logistical apparatus that keeps the whole enterprise running. The animals are also shown, which serve as an attraction. By revealing a complex network of economical and ethical questions that shape the zoo, precisely what usually remains invisible, this three-hour film expands what is shown into a reflection on the relationship between humans and animals: a mirroring and a “momentary imaginary relationship” (Sabine Nessel). The portrait of an institution – of modernity, of the present. [74 BERLINALE – Forum]

Australia, Mongolia, Germany 2024, 96 min
by Gabrielle Brady

A young couple must adapt to a new way of life after a devastating storm wrought by climate change forces them from their home.It is spring in the desert of Bayanhongor province in Mongolia, where young nomadic couple Davaa and Zaya live with their four kids, caring for their birthing animals.The kids spend the nights telling each other ghost stories of disappearing gers. Davaa awakes startled to check the herd for wolves, but finds nothing there. Local herders discuss the auspicious sighting of two 'red stars'.One fateful day a violent dust storm hits the families camp and they discover half their animals killed. They make the painful decision to leave for the city and Davaa is forced to sell his beloved horse.Setting up their ger in the cities 'districts', the family begin adjusting to their new life. Davaa begins work at a gravel factory but becomes increasingly haunted by the presence of his lost animals.

Germany 2024, 73 min
by Eva C. Heldmann

Free-floating yet rigorously structured, this essay film presents botanist and educationalist Catharina Helena Dörrien and her time in Orange-Nassau in the 18th century. Via regulations and floral formulas, nature philosophy and social policy converge. [74 BERLINALE – Forum]

Germany 2024, 83 min
by Matthäus Wörle

Valeria is the sole inhabitant of a small Romanian village, deserted due to the tons of mud from the nearby copper mine that have flooded the area, raising the level of the polluted local lake and drowning everything in their path. Only the church spire is now visible, strongly reminiscent of our own “weeping meadow.” With fortitude, stoicism, and courage, the elderly woman, accompanied by her few animals and some citizens who ask her to do what seems reasonable, refuses to leave her land, which now resembles a dystopian thriller. A disturbing socio-ecological documentary that revolves around its central protagonist, who literally gives lessons in life, dignity, and perseverance, standing tall in the face of utter destruction. The landscape photography is stunning, with the camera capturing images that balance between eerie beauty and total devastation. [26TiDF]

Germany 2023, 20 min
by Ewelina Rosinska

Polish filmmaker Ewelina Rosinsksa explores the textures and landscapes of her homeland, a place of contrasts and parallels, where Catholicism and the natural world swirl in a baroque gesture. A delicate, melancholy history weaves through the details of this poetic and poignant impression. [IFFR, Fiona Armour]

Germany 2023, 106 min
by Jörg Adolph

A documentary- and nature-film with Dr Norbert Schäffer, Chairman of the Landesbund für Vogelschutz in Bayern (LBV). Through his work we get insights into the fascinating world of birds and experience how it works: species and nature conservation in action. Birds have always fascinated people, and Norbert Schäffer knows them better than anyone else. He is a special kind of conservationist: with focus and persistence he heads one of the largest nature conservation associations in Germany, the LBV. We take a look behind the scenes of environmental policy with a doer, travel to exemplary conservation projects, meet ornithologists all over the world and see the diverse bird life in the fascinating aesthetics of nature films. A lively bird show and also the portrait of a conservationist in times of great challenges.

Germany 2023, 90 min
by Daniel Ulacia Balmaseda, Ginan Seidl

A sensory film from the twilight between two worlds. In a village on Mexico’s southern coast, a small community lives in a complex, spiritual bond with nature’s animals.A human being is born with a spiritual attachment to one of nature’s animals – a ‘tono’ – in a lifelong bond. Where once a tono protected its human counterpart, they have increasingly become a risk due to the destructive encroachment on their natural territories. ‘Bruises’ is a hypnotic and immersive film from the animist belief system and practices of a small community in Costa Chica on Mexico’s southern east coast, where Daniel Ulacia Balmaseda and Ginan Seidl meet four people and their tonos: a female fisherman, a healer, a farmer and a 97-year-old midwife who roams the night in the shape of a jaguar. Nature is threatened, but its immaterial powers are unchanged. Rather than a journey into the twilight between two worlds, BRUISES / MORETONES is a film that is present in the reality that surrounds the people and animals of this small community. Through a sensory, but always lucid cinematography, we sense the contours of relationships beyond ourselves. [CPH:DOX]

Germany 2023, 180 min
by Dirk Schneider, Ariane Riecker

The Chernobyl disaster was the worst nuclear accident in history – and the end of a utopia: the achievements of the New Human. Those who worked there were chosen for their skills, and lived a dream that most of us today can hardly fathom. But this dream was torn asunder on April 26, 1986. With contemporary witnesses, high-end animations, previously unpublished archive and new footage from the nuclear exclusion zone, we immerse ourselves in the Atomic Age of the Soviet Empire. We uncover the whole true story from the early 1970s up to the harbingers of the current Russian/Ukrainian war.

Germany 2023, 14 min
by Lutz Stautner

The louder the glacier, the stronger the melt. The creaking, cracking and rippling is the voice of impermanence. Sound artist Ludwig Berger shows how important it is to listen to the world that surrounds us. The film follows him on one of his numerous visits to Morteratsch glacier in the Swiss Alps where he collects fascinating sounds that might disappear forever. "Climate change has always been visible to me, but had something abstract and not directly tangible. With the idea of recording the inner sounds of the glacier I got a much more direct reference."

Germany 2023, 52 min
by Rosie Koch, Roland Gockel

Although garden dormice are at home in large parts of Europe, hardly anyone really knows these rodents with their Zorro mask and those beady eyes. Hence, only few people initially noticed when the animals began to suddenly and inexplicably disappear throughout the entire continent. But when even classic garden dormouse strongholds, like the Bavarian Fichtelgebirge, reported them missing, researchers and conservationists sounded the alarm. Hurriedly BUND Friends of the Earth, the Senckenberg Research Institute and the University of Giessen got together to form a task force of unprecedented size and scope. The Dormouse Detectives strive to find out how many, where and why the garden dormice are disappearing. In their effort to gather as many clues as possible, the investigators even enlist the help of the general population. While citizen scientists work with garden dormouse monitoring devices or report sightings, students equip garden dormouse undercover agents with transmitters to learn more about sources of danger in the daily lives of the nocturnal omnivores. While a veterinarian examines corpses of garden dormice, wildlife stations care for their orphans. And toxicology experts analyze tissue samples in search for environmental poisons and pesticides. Other special forensic units rifle through stomach contents for decisive clues or analyze genetic samples. Time is of the essence. Only if the Dormouse Detectives manage to solve this puzzling case fast, may they still be able to save the species.

Germany 2023, 225 min
by Sibylle Smolka, Detlev Konnerth, Katja Runge

Breathtaking canyons, lakes and rivers: from the Tatra Mountains via the Dordogne to the Danube Delta, this series explores extraordinary, still unspoilt corners of Europe where water plays a central role.Where the elements of water and earth meet, the forces of nature are unleashed in a dramatic way. Spectacular landscapes and extraordinary habitats are created for plants and wildlife. And the energies they release have a magnetic effect on man. Often, though, it’s a case of love at second sight. As travel destinations, inland bodies of water have always been overshadowed by coastal shores. But this appears to be changing. The environmentally conscious and especially younger people are becoming increasingly interested in these intact landscapes in the heart of Europe. Once they have discovered the magic of these unspoilt regions, they soon want more. This series takes us to little-known areas of untouched natural beauty where water plays a central role: breathtaking canyons, lakes, rivers and landforms whose rich fauna and flora leave a lasting impression on us. Because of the biodiversity of these exceptional regions, some are already protected as national parks, UNESCO World Natural Heritage Sites or biosphere reserves. The series introduces us to five especially stunning landscapes in Europe. Far from the usual tourist trails, we explore unique spots in Poland, Slovakia, Romania, France, Montenegro and Germany.