John Gürtler

Amir, a young Iranian, signs on with a fisherman on the rugged Caspian Sea coast in order to earn the money he needs to marry his sweetheart, Narges. But in so doing, he becomes entangled in the criminal machinations of caviar poaching. Piece by piece, a complex hierarchy is revealed in a parallel realm that becomes ever more constricting and oppressive, endangering Amir’s relationship with Narges as well.

A film that depicts the young Ukrainian generation scarred by war and political breakthroughs. The film's starting point is the preparation for a play based on the motifs of Shakespeare's Hamlet, which, combined with an intense glimpse into the lives of the characters, creates a powerful portrait of a generation having to confront their war trauma and tackle the painful past, which now after the Russia's invasion of Ukraine becomes their present and future alike.

When her best friend Jojo falls in love and moves on from their wild dating adventures in Berlin, Paula does everything she can to sabotage her wedding.

Julie is a new mom and children's book author, who escapes into the bright Crayola-colored world of her creation in order to leave behind the darkness caused by her post-partum depression.

Two years after the Panama Papers scandal, two investigative journalists at Germany’s largest newspaper, Süddeutsche Zeitung, are ready with a series of new revelations while researchin the assassination of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galicia and a mysterious arms dealer linked to the Iranian nuclear missile programme. When a secret video gets leaked to them in 2019, the journalists have the opportunity to uncover a new scandal, today known as ‘Ibiza-Gate’, involving the Austrian Vice-Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache.

Five houses, one bus stop, cows and nothing but fields. 24-year-old Christin lives on the farm of her long-term boyfriend Jan. The exciting post-reunification years that defined her childhood are long gone. Her relationship is loveless. She keeps the cherry liqueur close at hand. In the shimmering heat of summer, time seems to stand still – until 46-year-old wind energy engineer, Klaus, arrives.

A tale of dirt, soap, and magic set in a cult on a remote Greek island.

Andi's life is a constant battle for his home, his three children and the woman he still loves. He only has two weeks to pay her back the borrowed 5,000 EUR. When he loses his job, an amateur boxing tournament looks like the only solution.

Amra is growing up in the Mongolian steppe between herds of goats and YouTube videos. His hopes and dreams revolve around someday performing onstage in "Mongolia's Got Talent". However, the fight against the exploitation by gold mining companies and the campaign for a viable environment soon challenge the boy's eclectic talents.

On her wild quest for love, 9-year-old Benni's untamed energy drives everyone around her to despair.

Laika, a stray dog, was the first living being to be sent into space and thus to a certain death. A legend says that she returned to Earth as a ghost and still roams the streets of Moscow alongside her free-drifting descendants. While shooting this film, the directors little by little realised that they knew the street dogs only as part of our human world; they have never looked at humans as a part of the dogs’ world.

Up on the Horse Pass, in the mist-shrouded mountains, a few cowboys are raided by the men of a notorious bandit named Black Wolf. The reckless Aaron ballsy routs the robbers – but the same night he pays for it with his life. His quiet, reserved brother Jonah swears revenge. It is his chance to step out of his brother’s shadow and finally show his manfulness to his father. But the Black Wolf seems to be one size too big…

At the peak of his mid-life crisis, Swiss filmmaker Stefan Keller is forced to take on a side job out of financial necessity. Consequently, he finds himself travelling throughout Switzerland as an anonymous youth hostel tester just before Christmas. Thus begins his odyssey: Stefan is in desperate need of a story; he struggles with his failed relationship; and chance acquaintances force him to face the meaning of his existence.

Jakob, Dominik and Oliver are best friends, they play soccer and work as priests. They are united in their belief that the catholic church can make the world a better place. But when Dominik is confronted with allegations that he abused a boy, Jakob's world collapses. Torn between his beliefs and the friendship to Dominik, he's committed to finding the truth.

In the thirst for adventure young teacher Daniel head off to his first big journey around the world, but soon loses sight of his goals and finally of himself.

A finely-woven tapestry, unifying things that are incommensurate. What is it about? Something that we all know, but which resonates differently with each of us, that cannot be put into words. You could call it our inner hum.

Set against the raucous backdrop of the 2010 World Cup, MEANWHILE IN MAMELODI is a beautifully crafted portrait of a place and one family’s daily life inside it. The Mtsweni family lives in the Pretoria Township of the title, in the district known as Extension 11. Their world is a ramshackle collection of corrugated tin dwellings and makeshift shops, open sewers littered with debris and red-earth rectangles filled with soccer-playing children and teens. Seventeen-year-old Mosquito is one of those kids. As she studies for math tests, flirts with boys and shops with her best friend, her father Steven prepares his "tuck shop" for the promise of cash-flush tourists. Meanwhile, his wife struggles with mental illness. The Mtswenis' lives unfold as the Cup brings new hope to the ravaged town. Despite the poverty around her, Mosquito insists this is not her parents' country. She is the face of South Africa's future - part of "a new generation free to do all things."