Bernhard Keller

The student Jan gets along better with animals than with people. The shy young man is particularly fond of snakes, some of which he keeps at home. The two fall in love when he meets the radical animal rights activist and environmental activist Alice at his university. Jan's life then begins to change suddenly. He is overwhelmed by his intense feelings and social life with Alice. From then on his perception begins to become distorted. Jan feels like she has to take active action against various threats. Although Alice supports him, he loses himself in his madness and love for her.

Martha and Betty have known each other for twenty years and they have decided to breakthrough. But while Martha realizes that her father has only faked his death wish in order to see the great love of his life again on Lake Maggiore, Betty mourns her stepfather Ernesto, who supposedly died years ago.

A bag with over 600,000 euros in cash, just like that in a towed car: When Maren, who works at a car depot, finds the bag, she cannot resist the temptation. She takes the money for herself. Her husband Dennis is shocked. But he is in a wheelchair after an accident. It will be a long time before he can walk again, and whether the insurance will pay is uncertain. The unexpected money is a blessing and gives Maren and Dennis a real perspective.

Forced into homelessness, Melli, a single mother, takes her son Ben to a forest. There they build a makeshift camp, set back from the paths so that no one can find them. They think this solution is only temporary. Melli firmly believes their lives will improve soon, a feeling that is strengthened when she is employed as a trainee flight attendant. Unlike Melli, Ben actually enjoys the exciting camp trip. Life under difficult conditions further strengthens the bond between mother and son.

Katharina became a mother after an artificial insemination when she died in a traffic accident. Although her wife Ellen is the guardian of little Franz, she has custody - unlike in heterosexual marriages - without adoption but not. And not only the biological father of the child, also the parents of the deceased Katharina make claims.

The only time Maria feels liberated is when she is playing the organ. Bach’s music is something you feel in your gut. At home she bears the brunt of responsibility – both for her rebellious sister Hannah, two years her junior, who is busy planning her escape from the village, and for her father, Johann.

A group of German construction workers set out for a foreign construction site in the Bulgarian province. The strange country awakens adventure feelings among the men. At the same time, they are confronted with their prejudices and mistrust. For two of the men, a nearby village becomes the stage for a competition for the recognition and favor of the village.

Marija, a young Ukrainian woman, earns a living as a cleaning woman in a hotel in Dortmund, but dreams of having her own hairstyling salon, and puts away some money each month. But when she is fired without notice, her dream is suddenly postponed to an uncertain future. Jobless and under financial pressure, she is forced to look for alternatives but, in order to achieve her goal, she is ready to discard her body, her social relationships and her own feelings.

The middle-aged family man Hans-Christian (HC) left by his wife goes to Ireland for a short break with his old friends Wolfgang and Nic. He should win at Guinness bonfires and fishing trips distance to the chaos at home. HC has to learn to say no and need other women, his friends believe, to get rid of his loser habitus. In the already tense situation, old competition fights, outbursts of anger and self-pity quickly come up. And Nic and Wolfgang seem to have needed the time-out almost as much as HC.

Four men’s destinies slam into each other and intertwine on four balmy summer nights. Old wounds are reopened, new ones appear, unexpectedly there is a new closeness. And, when the sun rises over the city and the striking garbage men, finally ensure German order again, nothing is the same for these four men.

Right out of jail, Dima tries to make a new beginning in Berlin, Germany. But his past holds him back. His criminal associates continue to rely on Dima and his father wants to take his family back to their native Russia. Only the relationship with art student Nadja gives Dima hope. If only there wasn't his ciminal past.

A woman inexplicably finds herself cut off from all human contact when an invisible, unyielding wall suddenly surrounds the countryside. Accompanied by her loyal dog Lynx, she becomes immersed in a world untouched by civilization and ruled by the laws of nature.

40 years after her husband is shot and killed by a terrorist while on duty as a police officer during a routine traffic check, Erika Welves (Senta Berger), aided by a journalist (Felix Eitner) finds evidence leading to the murderer. For the killer has vanished. Is living in freedom. Because the state is protecting him, keeping him safe. He in turn has supplied information concerning other terrorists. Erika Welves considers this blatant injustice. But now, finally, there is a chance at revenge...

Everyone wants to get to the top as fast as possible, but the artistic directors' performance is turning into a desaster. A fierce, improvised comedy about a group of acting students fighting their angst and the school system.

A man and a woman at an art exhibition share a fleeting moment of attraction, which neither can act upon. Days later, a chance second meeting leads to an innocent coffee and the two strangers – both married - toy with their unexplainable fascination for each other. Svenja is curious and finds herself in a hotel room with Roland, but she does not consummate an affair. A powerful executive at the large bank where Svenja's husband works, Roland is used to getting what he wants. He manipulates the transfer of her husband to Indonesia to replace a recently murdered bank manager. Unaware of Roland’s actions, Svenja now ceases to resist...

A few weeks after palliative nurse Hans spends New year's eve completely with new acquaintance Simone, she finds herself pregnant, unplanned. At another surprise meeting, handsome Hannes surprises her by reacting to the news by offering her to move into his fine home. While Hannes devotes himself further to terminal hospital patients, Simone lazily renovates the house, but somehow gets jealous of the neighbors and compromises everything.

While on a Mediterranean vacation, a seemingly happy boyfriend and girlfriend find their connection to one another tested as they bond with another couple.

Thirteen German directors present short films exploring the state of their country.

Luis pays a visit to his father in the mountains. He has not seen him for several years. When he arrives at the remote holiday home he is more than surprised to encounter his father’s new family – about whom his father made no mention. Torn between his desire to be with his father and his anger and frustration over his father’s new-found happiness, Luis tries to provoke his father and break down his reserve.

Teacher Anne and policeman Georg are thought of as the perfect couple. However, appearances are deceptive: one of them is covered with scars and bruises. But which one is the abuser?

An average, everyday metalworker and volunteer firefighter content in his marriage to his childhood sweetheart finds his emotions unexpectedly stirred when he falls for a pretty waitress from a nearby town.

Armin Steeb is adrift: just finished with school, living with his middle-class parents, clueless about finding work. He tries connecting with a girl, he engages in risky sex with strangers in public toilets, he goes to job interviews. He also sends an anonymous letter to a local Munich newspaper, claiming responsibility for a fatal road accident. He fitfully pursues notoriety as he goes through life nearly without affect. What will it take to get Armin to smile?

An unlikely tourist group on a seaside vacation. A holiday spot in the low season as a backdrop for the stories, the protagonists’ inner journeys: once a year the Graz Advisory Centre for Mental and Social Concerns travels for one week to Kanegra, a resort in the north of Croatia. An unusual view on a holiday setting, on strangeness and on being a stranger.

It is about a girl's everyday life at the end of her school days, trying to find a way into society and her own life.