Films by Irene Höfer

Germany 2023, 52 min
by Irene Höfer, Anke Sterneborg

A career spanning more than five decades between arthouse, television and political activism, told as dialogue between past and present. Iris Berben revisits important places and inspiring accomplices, such as Rudolph Thome, who directed her in her first feature films. Jim Rakete, who has photographed her continually over 40 years. Barbara Sukowa who has started her international career like Iris Berben in Munich. Anke Engelke who shares with her the privilege to switch between comedic and dramatic roles. Ruben Östlund who guided her to a late triumph in TRIANGLE OF SADNESS.

Germany 2022, 104 min
by Christoph Goldmann, Leif Karpe

Wide views. Vast forests. The whole area is like a moving sea of ​​stones. Picturesque villages that look like nativity scenes that have not been dismantled. Idyllic river valleys and extensive mountain meadows. One prospect chases the other. A colorful mosaic of wild originality and newly created cultural landscapes. Human changed the face of the once difficult to penetrate border forest between Saxony and Bohemia. Deep and decisive. But people have learned from their mistakes. And opened up. Today unique habitats are emerging again for endangered flora and fauna. No matter whether above or below ground. Where? In the Ore Mountains.

Germany 2022, 88 min
by Pamela Meyer-Arndt

REBEL BEINGS unveils the fight for survival of three female artists behind the iron curtain of the GDR. As young women in Cold War era East Germany, Cornelia Schleime, Gabriele Stötzer and Tina Bara were repressed and persecuted by the socialist system and the Stasi for their art and political protest. At the lowest point, they only had cameras and their bodies left in order to express themselves. This film intimately explores their fearless struggle for existence, creative freedom and exceptional artistic works. Almost four decades later the GDR ceases to exist, but its traumatic impact on the artists lives remains.

Germany 2021, 52 min
by Carmen Butta

More and more young women in Jordan are breaking out of their traditional role and stepping into the ring, wearing boxing gloves besides of the hijab. By fighting they want to strengthen their bodies, but also their personality, in order to empower and defend themselves against violence and oppression. But still, in the conservative, male dominated Jordan society, their path is full of stones.The film portrays the 31-year-old Bedouin Reem al-Shammary, Jordan's featherweight champion. We follow her during ups and downs at boxing-matches and training for the Olympics qualification, as well in her daily life. Reem's fight continues also beyond the ring: in the town hall, where she argues with conservative men, and in the desert, supporting young Bedouin women to rebel against the will of their fathers. More and more, rage is brewing behind the hijab.

2021, 26 min
by Carmen Butta

"Boxing has not only made my body strong, but also my personality," says Lina, "I can defend myself and feel more confident." Now she dares to speak her mind. And the fact that she is the smallest in her class no longer matters to her.The twelve-year-old Lina also has to fight outside the ring - against the prejudices of neighbors and school friends. They say boxing is not a sport for girls and consider female martial arts to be "immoral and indecent". But Lina doesn't let them unsettle her. She holds on to her strong passion and continues to fight for her right to do what makes her happy. She wants to get so good as a boxer until all of these critics realize that they are wrong.TRAILERhttps://www.kika.de/schau-in-meine-welt/sendungen/lina-die-boxerin-aus-der-wueste-100.html

2020, 90 min
by Dawn Freer, Peter Stein

Many people know the photos of Fred Stein but few know his name. His street scenes of Paris in the 1930s and New York in the 1940s and his portraits of famous personalities are well-known. This film seeks out this forgotten photographer. Who was this man who fled the Nazis, first to Paris and then to New York, and who, despite such upheaval, had a positive, often humorous view of the world? His son Peter traces his father's footsteps in a very personal film. Fred Stein died before photography was recognized as an art form, and his work lay forgotten in a closet. His son Peter Stein has brought his father's work to the public, and it is being rediscovered through exhibits in museums around the world.

Germany 2019, 106 min
by Grit Lederer

The sea is a place of imagination and nostalgia, but also the scene of wars and battles. Hardly any other motif has been treated in so many different ways in painting. Two ARTE documentaries are devoted to the subject and take the viewer on a 'picturesque' journey through landscapes and times.Famous paintings by Paul Cézanne, Gustave Courbet, Salvador Dalí, Caspar David Friedrich, Katsushika Hokusai, Jacopo Tintoretto, William Turner and Francisco de Zurbarán are presented in their original locations: from Andalusia to the Côte d’Azur and to Northern Europe. Prominent artists and historians deal with these painters and their works in a knowledgeable and passionate way and tell their stories.

Germany 2019, 43 min
by Dr. Janina Möbius

In the south of Mexico, the dye indigo has been obtained from the indigo plant in the traditional, very labor-intensive way for centuries. The indigenous women in the mountain village of Hueyápan use this pigment to dye their traditional clothing: the dark blue skirt and their colorfully embroidered capes. Their clothing is an expression of their cultural identity.But now the blue gold is in crisis, because climate change, lack of rain and poor harvests threaten further cultivation - and with it the traditional knowledge and traditions of the dyers in the Sierra Norte de Puebla. But the women in Hueyápan don't give up...

Germany 2019, 55 min
by Grit Lederer

On the occasion of its 200th anniversary, a comprehensive anniversary exhibition in the newly opened James Simon Gallery on Berlin's Museum Island will be dedicated to the Berlin's Gipsformerei (Replica Workshop). Casting works of art or people, whether living or dead, in plaster was considered high art in the 19th century.The Berlin's Gipsformerei (Replica Workshop) has a worldwide unique inventory of over 7,000 molds. For the first time, a film documentation portrays this oldest institution in Berlin's museums, which is an active manufactory and a valuable collection.

Germany 2019, 43 min
by Carmen Butta

Miraculously, a classic youth orchestra has emerged in the middle of the most dangerous slum in Nairobi. Until then, hardly anyone in Korogocho had seen a violin or a cello. Today Bach sonatas blow over the smoking garbage dump, and the 'Ghetto Classics' orchestra celebrates concerts all over the city of millions. But it is much more than music. For more and more young people, ghetto classics is also the way to a different life beyond violence, poverty, drugs and crime. With classical music they break out of the oppressive world of Korogocho and look to their future with new self-confidence and confidence in their own abilities. They experience that they too, the children from the slum, can become anything if they do enough to do it. An emotional, poetic film about the power of music.

Germany 2019, 25 min
by Marita Neher

In the south of China, the world-famous rice terraces shape the landscape in the province of Guangxi. It is known for its frequent rains. Tourists have only recently discovered the province for themselves. The home village of 12 year old Panyuan is particularly popular with tourists. Because the women with the longest hair in the world live here. Panyuan also has to grow her hair up to her 18th birthday.

Germany 2018, 52 min
by Sabine Carbon

The film is an intimate portrait of Gena Rowlands, icon of independent American cinema. She is considered one of the best actresses in the world. Together with her husband, legendary director John Cassavetes, Rowlands lived an unusual life in Hollywood beyond the dream factory. Private life and film intertwined seamlessly and made possible films that still today seem shockingly real. Close friends talk about the exciting process of these shootings and about Rowlands' extraordinary presence as an actress with her very particular mixture of strength and great vulnerability.

Germany 2017, 44 min
by Carmen Butta

For most Americans West Virginia is the remote, wild “Hillbilly Country“ deep in the Appalachians. During the fall the mountains blaze with color. But underneath this idyllic landscape lurks hell: a labyrinth of narrow, dark tunnels, where miners crawl on their hands and knees all day long. Metallurgical coal, a vital ingredient for the steel industry, the “black gold“ of West Virginia, once built the USA. Today West Virginia is one of the poorest states. And it is Trump-land, since the President promised to bring the old black heart of America back to life.

Germany 2017, 45 min
by Simone Dobmeier, Torsten Striegnitz, Rolf Scheller

Democracy is up for discussion at the moment. Not only in the United States. The language of politics is changing dramatically. In times of fake news and populist movements, 78-year-old German politician Hans-Christian Ströbele looks like an anachronism: he was a lawyer for the Red Army Faction (RAF) in the 1970s, one of the editors of Die Tageszeitung (taz), a cooperative-owned daily newspaper, and over the years he has become the conscience of the Green Party. Ströbele is about to leave the political arena. As a contemporary witness he remains indispensable. What is his legacy? What does the biography of this upright, authentic and sometimes inconvenient man tell us? A portrait.

Germany 2017, 52 min
by Hilka Sinning

Amedeo Modigliani’s portraits of women, especially his female nudes, are among the most reproduced works of modern art. The film explores the continuing appeal of these nude paintings by looking closely at the works themselves: the brush strokes, the colours, the surfaces. British art critic John Berger was convinced that the paintings show the very act of being in love.The documentary follows Berger’s thoughts and explores the magic and vividness of Modigliani’s iconic paintings.

Germany 2017, 52 min
by Sabine Carbon

"No guts, no glory" was  her life motto. This intimate portrait of  Hollywood's most disconcerting film  star, Bette Davis, traces her life and roles at their original locations. Never the flawless beauty, Bette Davis believed that the key to success was to fight for it.  She was absolutely fearless in her approach to unlikeable characters, yet the audience always adored her. The film looks  beneath the controversial Hollywood myth and  makes Bette Davis come to life, featuring intimate interviews with people who knew the star later in life - including the director of her last film, Larry Cohen, fellow actress Gena Rowlands and, among others, the writer who offered Bette Davis to stay at her house during a hotel strike in New York - just for a night or two... - but Bette Davis loved to surprise everybody.

Germany 2017, 77 min
by Otto Schuurman, Joachim Jäger

THE MAPMAKERS FROM GOTHA tells the story of cartographic publisher Justus Perthes.'Justus Perthes' in Gotha had been the world center of cartography until its cartographers were forced to draw a border in 1945 signaled the end of their business. While the Perthes family had to flee to the West in order to continue producing maps, the Perthes publishing house in the then-East German city of Gotha became the state- owned enterprise VEB Hermann Haack. After the fall of the Wall in 1989, 7th-generation mapmaker Stephan Perthes, passionately fights to reclaim the company headquarters in Gotha. He attempts together with a group of VEB Hermann Haack employees to return the publishing house to its former splendor.. The film follows the pursuit of this dream and reveals whether it ultimately succeeds.

Germany 2017, 26 min
by Grit Lederer

The global art trade is not a transparent world: Paintings are sold for millions of dollars even though the actual cost of paint and canvas were a few dollars only. How do these prices come about?This series looks behind the scenes of the dazzling art industry. Director Grit Lederer follows art dealers around the world. The protagonists of the series are Larry Gagosian, possibly the most powerful art dealer in the world at the moment, Gerd Harry Lybke, who established the Leipzig School with Neo Rauch on the international art market and Paul Cassirer who brought the French impressionists to Germany.

2016, 83 min
by Alexander Smoltczyk

Samy Amimour was a bus driver before he turned into a mass murderer shooting scores of people at the Bataclan concert venue in Paris in November 2015. The documentary FINAL STOP BATACLAN follows the 148 bus line that Samy Amimour drove through the banlieues, the suburban outskirts of Paris that have become a place of refuge for all those who cannot afford life in the capital. A tour with the 148 offers no explanation as to why such inexplicable violence had to occur. It does, however, provide the opportunity to come into contact with the lost and aggrieved, those who have been left behind by society as well as with those who remain steadfast and defiant.An investigative road movie on the capital's local public transport passing the rubble and ruin of the French republic.

Germany 2016, 53 min
by Grit Lederer

The documentary EL SIGLO DE ORO – The Golden Age of Spanish Art tells the fascinating story of Spanish art during its most important and successful era. In the 17th century, Spanish painting and sculpture are flourishing. The work of artists like El Greco, Velázquez, Zurbarán and Murillo is characterised by an unprecedented realism and a fine eye for psychological nuances. At the same time, art is closely intertwined with the Spanish court and the church. How was it used as a means of propaganda by the Spanish Empire in its struggle for world supremacy?The film immerses the viewer into this intriguing world that remains one of the most important chapters in European cultural history travelling to the art hubs of that time – Sevilla, Madrid, Toledo, Guadalupe and Valladolid.

2016, 51 min
by Torsten Striegnitz, Simone Dobmeier

GOLEM recalls the myth from its Jewish origins and the fascination that this rough, destructive creature has held over humans for centuries. It is the tale of a transformation which gets out of hand and leaves behind a trail of devastation. It is also the story of man's quest to measure his strength against God's by creating a creature of his own. GOLEMs have always been created to serve and protect.Robots have long since replaced the crude clay figure with elegant machines. Today's GOLEMs are used not only for menial tasks; they are also being groomed to make autonomous decisions today and tomorrow. Will they also one day long for experiences and desires like humans? Will the GOLEM itself one day become human? Or will it create a newer, perhaps even superior human being?

Germany 2016, 53 min
by Sabine Lidl

Who is the woman behind the famous actress and author? THE MANY FACES OF EMMA THOMPSON explores the incredible versatility of actress, comedian, screenwriter and author Emma Thompson. From her university days at Cambridge with comedy friends Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry to first TV shows in the 1980s, from her film collaborations with first husband Kenneth Brannagh to winning Oscars for acting as well as screen writing, not to forget her political activism - the list of Emma Thompson's talents and projects seems endless. It is held together by a personality that very much sets her own rules. Interviews with close friends and colleagues like fellow actress Imelda Staunton and award-winning screenwriter James Schamus paint a very personal picture of the exceptional artist.

Germany 2015, 52 min
by Grit Lederer

Born in 1445 Sandro Botticelli is one oft he most infuential Renaissance artists. His female figure, the famous VENUS, is part oft the iconographic memory of mankind. The documentary shows the very first time the life of this unique florentine artist and opens a new approach to his masterpieces and their influence till today.

2015, 43 min
by Harriet Kloss, Markus Thoess

Germany 2012, 62 min
by Sabine Lidl

In a very intimate portrait director Sabine Lidl shows the life and the work of New York photographer Nan Goldin. She is travelling with Nan from Paris to Berlin where she is meeting old friends, all parts of important times of her life. We become testimonies of a very sensitive personnage, which always combined her work with her lifetime experiences.

Germany 2012, 53 min
by Irene Höfer, Friedemann Beyer

Although he was heavyset, Bud Spencer proved a heavy hitting protagonist in a slew of western comedies throughout the 70's and 80's. Today he's considered a veritable icon of European pop culture. His recently published auto-biography quickly claimed the top position of Spiegel's best-seller list. The over 80 year old Spencer reminisces about his multifararious life, yet his versatile and productive nature keeps him from even contemplating retirement.

Germany 2012, 70 min
by Marita Neher , Irene Höfer

Mothers and daughters are like heaven and hell. Inseparably connected in love and hate. It can be marvellous, but also a nightmare. The documentary (Mom-) Heaven and Hell reveals this contradiction. Mothers and daughters talk about their relationship in the 3. Millennium - exciting, provocative, wholehearted and authentic. 

Germany 2011
by Hanns-Bruno Kammertöns, Irene Höfer

In the next few days, Franz Xaver Kroetz will turn 65. He has still got enough spit and fire to go against the prevailing current. For decades he has worked as an author, dramatist and poet; as an actor he occasionally got into character for the unforgettable Baby Schimmerlos in Helmut Dietls TV series ‘Kir Royal’. Franz Xaver Kroetz polarizes. Not only does he work like a Berserker; he does not cease to unveil the abysses of the human condition or the defects of society in his theater pieces. “I’ve written 60 plays, a whole world thrives within me.” Irene Hoefer and Hanns-Bruno Kammertoens visit Franz Xaver Kroetz in his house on Tenerife Island, where they talk to him about the important moments in his life, about his provocative theater, about the torturous moments of writing, his failed marriage to actress Marie Theres Kroetz-Relin. With rare openness, Franz Xaver Kroetz gives the account of his public and private life. He had hoped to influence the world more profoundly with his poetic work.

Germany 2011, 43 min
by Sabine Lidl, Irene Höfer

Henry Huebchen was not easily convinced to let himself be portrayed on film. Although he is one of the most enigmatic and prominent actors in Germany today, he does not like to show himself ‘unmade-up’ to a camera. Born in West Berlin shortly after the war, he grew up in the newly founded GDR, became two-time East German ‘board sailing’ champion (surfing), his studies in physics cut short, and his first success being in the Oscar nominated film JACOB THE LIAR - Huebchen’s life is characterized by extremes. Under the direction of Heiner Mueller and Benno Besson, he became one of the most celebrated stars of stage in the East German theater Volksbuehne Ost. After the fall of the Wall, the duo Huebchen / Castorf became the mouthpiece of a theater generation. He and Castorf, now a director, are, together, breathing new life into German theater. Henry Huebchen finds it difficult to show what he truly thinks in front of the camera: “My job is to not show myself,” he comments on acting. It is the surprising glimpse into the soul of a show-off that makes this portrait so worth watching.

Germany, Great Britain 2011, 52 min
by Jason Barker, Alexandra Weltz

MARX RELOADED is a cultural documentary that examines the relevance of German socialist and philosopher Karl Marx’s ideas for understanding the global economic and financial crisis of 2008/09. The crisis triggered the deepest global recession in 70 years and prompted the US government to spend more than 1 trillion dollars in order to rescue its banking system from collapse. Today the full implications of the crisis in Europe and around the world still remain unclear. Nevertheless, should we accept the crisis as an unfortunate side-effect of the free market? Or is there another explanation as to why it happened and its likely effects on our society, our economy and our whole way of life? Today a new generation of philosophers, artists and political activists are returning to Marx’s ideas in order to try to make sense of the crisis and to consider whether a world without or beyond capitalism is possible. Is the severity of the ongoing recession a sign that the capitalist system’s days are numbered? Ironically, 20 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, could it be that communism might provide the solution to the growing economic and environmental challenges facing the planet? Written and directed by Jason Barker – himself an experienced writer, lecturer, translator and doctor of philosophy - “Marx Reloaded” comprises interviews with the world’s leading experts on Marxism, including those at the forefront of a popular revival in Marxist and communist ideas. The film als oincludes interviews with leading skeptics of this revival as well aslight-hearted animation sequences which follow Marx’s adventures through the matrix of his own ideas. Interviews with leading experts include: Norbert Bolz, Micha Brumlik, John Gray, Michael Hardt, Antonio Negri, Nina Power, Jacques Rancière, Peter Sloterdijk, Alberto Toscano, Slavoj Zizek.

Germany 2009
by Irene Höfer

Being an artist means much more than following dogmas of art or being part of a mainstream interest or impressing people with shocking expressions. Being an artist is passion and necessity of bringing the own on a white canvas. Jonas Burgert is one of this artists who is driven to paint, he must create the atmosphere which he feels. He does it on a way which hasn’t been used on this manner before. He connects the influence of old masters with the freethinking attitude of the renaissance. The documentary accompany his successful career around the world.Being an artist means much more than following dogmas of art or being part of a mainstream interest or impressing people with shocking expressions. Being an artist is passion and necessity of bringing the own on a white canvas. Jonas Burgert is one of this artists who is driven to paint, he must create the atmosphere which he feels. He does it on a way which hasn’t been used on this manner before. He connects the influence of old masters with the freethinking attitude of the renaissance. The documentary accompany his successful career around the world.

Germany 2009
by Hilka Sinning

“Feuchtgebiete“ was on the top of Spiegel bestseller list for about six months. It seems to be a phenomenon, a revolution of the womens treat of sexuality. Why decide so different people to read it? The novel polarizes the audience. This documentary figures out the intention of writer Charlotte Roche, accompanies her readings in Germany and the publishment of „Wetlands“ in France. German and French readers speak about their motivation to read the novel and their impressions. The film analizes if there starts a new female revolution or if „Wetlands“ only describes sexual items in a vulgar language. Charlotte Roche, social scienists, gynecologists, publisher as well as well-known people like Harald Schmidt, Denis Scheck or Frédéric Beigbeder talk about their impressions about the novel. Filmmaker Hilka Sinning uses an aesthetic, adequate film language.

Germany, France 2009, 44 min
by Irene Höfer, Gabriela Hermer

Disregarding her age of 80 - she is still a visionary character under the permanent strain to create; a highly sensitive person who is still among the most creative and succesful designers of the world. The film portrays the unique universe at SONIA RYKIELs headquaters on the eve of the winter show 2010. Sonia, her daughter Nathalie and the French writer Régine Deforges have their say.

Germany 2008, 48 min
by Lilly Grote

Director Lilly Grotes tour around Europe discovers what it means to children to grow up in the current world. We accompany them down a stretch of road close to them as possible. The film shows their encounters with family and their social environment and discovers a new world that will make them grow strong. Stirring observations from the everyday life of the children are linked to larger social issues. In institutions where children and adolescents spend their lives, we hear disturbing stories of loneliness and neglect – but we also experience the magical power of support and understanding. Grotes impressions accompany the film and affect us directly. The documentary includes us into the destiny of the children. Camerawoman Elfi Mikesch stands for ambitious, sensitive visualization.