The 42nd Filmfest München – Munich International Film Festival (27 June-6 July) has revealed the 16 titles selected for this year’s New German Cinema section. From daring debuts to genre-bending narratives and thought-provoking documentaries, the sophomore edition of the competition continues to be a launchpad for German filmmaking talent.

Among the section’s highlights is Sechswochenamt, the fictional yet autobiographical debut by Jacqueline Jansen. Set during the pandemic, it follows Lore, a young woman returning to her small hometown to confront bureaucratic obstacles, family dynamics and the emotional weight of mourning her mother. Another powerful entry, Karla by Christina Tournatzés, revisits a harrowing 1960s court case through the eyes of a 12-year-old girl who escapes her abusive home and demands justice.

Themes of identity, truth and transformation run through many of the works. In the documentary Born to Fake, Erec Brehmer and Benjamin Rost unravel the bizarre case of Michael Born, a journalist who sold over 20 fabricated reports to German broadcasters in the 1990s, raising urgent questions about media credibility. Missing*Link by Michael Baumann portrays a fractured family in crisis as a teenager disappears during a lakeside holiday, sparking a search that exposes hidden truths.

The musical fabric of Germany pulses through two documentaries: Kreator – Hate & Hope by Cordula Kablitz-Post charts the rise of the legendary thrash-metal band from the Ruhr valley to international stardom, while Rave On, co-directed by Nikias Chryssos and Viktor Jakovleski, follows a former techno DJ's wild return to Berlin’s nightlife in a search for identity and artistic redemption.

Offbeat humour and bold storytelling define a number of this year’s selections. Bernd – Operation Germanenkind by Cornelius Schwalm is a maliciously funny takedown of moral posturing, in which a special-needs actor stirs chaos during a Nazi-themed theatre production. In On the Road in the Name of the Empress, Jovana Reisinger delivers a flamboyant, fantastical tale of three seekers of eternal youth vying for the title of the reincarnated Empress Elisabeth through an outrageous Sisi contest. With Holy Meat, Alison Kuhn offers up an absurd comedy in which a rural priest's desperate bid to save his parish spirals into madness after enlisting a disgraced director and a butcher for a Passion play.

Other titles offer intimate or satirical looks at contemporary life. Dietrich Brüggemann’s Home Entertainment is a wry comedy about a couple's attempt to relax with a movie night, hindered by the digital chaos of streaming culture. In Zweigstelle, Julius Grimm’s directorial debut, a group of friends finds themselves in a bureaucratic version of the afterlife, confronting cosmic questions with deadpan humour. Thanks for Nothing by Stella Marie Markert follows four rebellious teens in foster care clinging to their anarchist utopia as reality begins to intrude. Bubbles, a chamber drama by Sebastian Husak and Leonard Hettich, unpacks the emotional aftermath of a fractured friendship during a tense seaside reunion.

Several entries revisit and reimagine earlier works. Oliver Rihs returns with #blacksheep, a hectic ensemble comedy in the spirit of his 2006 cult hit Black Sheep, featuring Berlin’s eccentrics and idealists enduring a boiling summer. Franz Müller’s All That’s Due continues the story from Wallace Line [+leggi anche:
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scheda film], catching up with Mira as she navigates life’s compromises in a tangled web of half-truths and fragile family ties. Meanwhile, Mädchen Mädchen, helmed by Martina Plura, reboots the early-2000s teen comedy for the Gen Z era, following three best friends on a chaotic journey to claim ownership of their sexuality.

This year’s curators, Christoph Gröner, Julia Weigl and Urs Spörri, stated that the films “reflect the times we’re in: a lot of people are caught up in exceptional circumstances. We’re showcasing the many facets of German cinema, from dramas involving elements of horror, through dark comedies, to vibrant satires. As we’ve seen before, political issues are having an increasing effect on people’s personal lives and families. The German programme will start off on Sunday 29 June, with five excellent young female filmmakers and their idiosyncratic first movies. We aim to draw attention to women in the film industry who are producing works of outstanding quality.”

As always, the section culminates in the German Cinema New Talent Awards, recognising excellence in directing, producing, screenwriting and acting. The prizes, valued at €70,000 and sponsored by DZ Bank AG, Bavaria Film and Bayerischer Rundfunk, will be presented on Friday 4 July. The full programme of the 42nd Filmfest München will be announced on 18 June.