Films by Andre Nier

2023, 180 min
by Anne von Petersdorff, Georg Tschurtschenthaler

For many years, King Juan Carlos I was a Spanish hero, celebrated around the world for reforming Spain with his modern, progressive, democratic values. He led his country from the Franco dictatorship to parliamentary monarchy, transforming Spain into a modern European state and becoming the most popular Spanish ruler in history. King Juan Carlos had a loyal Queen, a loving family, international respect, friends in high places and faithful subjects; he had everything a King could wish for. So, how did this revered Monarch take such a drastic fall from grace that he was forced to abdicate in 2014 and eventually flee into exile in 2020? The documentary shows how a fateful hunting trip to Botswana revealed the King’s secret love affair with his companion, Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein, and set off a series of events that shook the Spanish monarchy to its core. The house of cards began to crumble when questions were raised about the King’s financial affairs, his lucrative links with the Spanish establishment and alleged global corruption, including a €65 million payment.

2022, 90 min
by Georg Tschurtschenthaler, Carsten Gutschmidt, Ina Kessebohm

Embedded into the turbulent history of the 1980s with HIV epidemic, cocaine wave and Ronald Reagan's fight against organized crime, REEPERBAHN SPECIAL UNIT 65 tells the story of Germany's famous red-light district and the cat-and-mouse game between Special Unit 65 and its illustrious adversaries: the 'Godfather of Reeperbahn' Wilfrid Schulz, the US Mafia and corrupt police officers, rivaling pimp gangs, Hells Angels and youth gangs as well as serial killer Werner Pinzner, whose murderous spree is mind-blowing to this very day and who shoots directly into the heart of Special Unit 65.

Germany, Switzerland 2019, 118 min
by Marcus Vetter

Every year, leading figures from international politics, business and academia gather in Switzerland for the World Economic Forum. For the forum’s 81-year-old founder Klaus Schwab, it’s all about improving the world through dialogue. But how are you going to challenge the status quo if you keep on inviting exclusively establishment figures?Marcus Vetter was the first filmmaker to be granted behind-the-scenes access. The impressive procession of princes, presidents and other guests—predominantly male and all fluent in English—confirms our preconceptions about this private initiative being an opportunity for the super-rich to hang out together and make business deals, while masquerading as do-gooders. But there’s also the occasional critical voice. Dutch journalist Rutger Bregman raises the subject of tax avoidance in front of an audience packed with company heads. And during an informal gathering, Jennifer Morgan, CEO of Greenpeace International, goes up to her new arch enemy, President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil.And when 16-year-old climate change activist Greta Thunberg shows up, it starts looking like Schwab really is doing his best to drag the forum into a new era. The question remains: What is dialogue without action? (IDFA)“Vetter strikes an admirable balance between more serious diplomatic moments and quirkier interactions”Amber Wilkinson (Screendaily)