Julia Schmitt

In 1981, all of Germany fears for the life of Johannes Erlemann, the eleven-year-old son of entrepreneur Jochem Erlemann, who was in custody on suspicion of fraud at the time of his son's abduction. The boy was snatched off his bicycle by his kidnappers, put into a van and then spend two terrible weeks in a shed in the forest fighting for his life having been chained to a wall and left without daylight, while the kidnappers try to extort a large ransom from his wealthy parents.

“And, 'twixt the shadows and frights of nocturnal splendors, My beloved will secretly be hiding. Say what you will, say what you may.” The sound of a distant whistle and theorbo calls a sleeping singer through the empty streets of Stuttgart in a midnight journey to the opera house. ‘dei notturni splendori’ is an experimental opera film made for the Staatsoper Stuttgart in the early months of the Coronavirus pandemic lockdown. Anderson Matthew captures the singer Helene Schneiderman through a midnight dream with a hand-cranked kino camera in an ecstatic 35mm photo roman, in search for her own performance of the Tarquinio Merula madrigal Folle é ben chi se crede from 1638.

Exil tells the story of a chemical engineer of foreign origin who feels discriminated and bullied at work, plunging him into an identity crisis.

Ben (11) and Tariq (12) have more in common than they realise. Both are new to school and football and have lost their homeland. Ben's village will soon became an open brown coal mine. He and his family move to a nearby city but Ben fails to fit in at his new school. Bullied, he returns secretly to his old, abandoned home. His one pleasure, football, pales with the arrival of Tariq, a Syrian refugee and better player. But when bureaucracy stops Tariq playing, he runs away, Ben finds him and learns that Tariq is desperate to be reunited with his scattered family. Jealousy on the football field becomes friendship and understanding.

Hans calls his girlfriend Heinz, which tells you everything you need to know about their relationship. They're a typical couple who're stuck in a rut after eight years. Hans works at a copy shop and Heinz is an actress relegated to voicing a cartoon stoplight. On their anniversary, they go to the movies. It's a romance. But the spark on screen just doesn't strike them. When Hans gives Heinz's ex her phone number instead of putting up a fight over her, Heinz' alarm bells go off: How can this be love? They decided to make a list of everything than makes up a real love: Romance, desire, passion, jealousy, drama – deep feelings, in other words. Hans and Heinz methodically start checking off their list and realize: Real life is nothing like the movies.

The happy gay couple David and Khaled would love to marry publicly - if there weren't Khaled's homophobic father Faisal, David's pseudo orthodox Jewish acting mother Lea and a possible paternity and gallery insolvency.

A mother is good. Several mothers at once are hell! Conny is 37 years old and has so far let her life being arranged by others - especially by her husband Lawrence. Lorenz has made the previous gray mouse, a trophy wife and offers her a carefree life. And so Conny falls from the clouds, when her husband announced her at dinner that he wants a divorce. Of necessity Conny pulls together the two children in the ancient house of Lorenz deceased mother and realized with horror that from now on everything will be different. Since it holds its own for non-viable, she clings to a clique of high-society mothers...

Two young guys in a bar hit on the woman they fancy by sending one of them over who tells her that the other one is terminally ill...

In a driving school, three women of different ages meet for the so-called idiot test. There is a close friendship between the women. Annette, Katja and Isabel unite dislike for the macho driving instructor Marius, but also enthusiasm for Erik, who also has to undergo retraining. The three ladies have to recognize the problems in their lives and get a grip on them.

Nina Wenzel used to be an undercover agent. After her sister's death five years ago Nina gets child custody of the three orphans and quits her dangerous job. In her new family-life she manages to retain some of her skills. When Wolf Geiger, the last person Nina imprisoned, escapes, Nina's old skills are needed again.