At the 42nd FILMFEST MÜNCHEN, the wide range of current German TV productions will take centre stage in the "New German Television" series. A total of 16 productions - eight films and eight series - will celebrate their world premieres at the festival and reflect socially relevant themes, strong emotions and well-known casts.
Dr Ulrike Frick, the programme curator, emphasises that this year's programme underlines the courage and innovative power of German television: "New German Television today is more critical and of a very high quality." The productions dare to tackle complex and often controversial topics on film.
Well-known actors and actresses such as Tobias Moretti, Andrea Sawatzki, Christian Berkel and Moritz Bleibtreu are represented alongside promising newcomers. The stories deal with political upheavals, personal crises and social challenges.
The focus is particularly on political and historical topics: For example, the thriller "The Policeman's Niece" sheds light on the NSU murder series and possible right-wing extremist structures in state institutions. In "Sturm kommt auf", Matti Geschonneck tells the story of the rise of fascism in an Upper Bavarian village after the First World War. The second season of the historical series "Oktoberfest 1905" also shows a brutal power struggle between brewery families.
Several productions also deal with young people and mental health. The German adaptation of the series "Euphorie" provides a candid look at the concerns of Generation Z. The series "Stabil" shows how young people in a psychiatric ward support each other. The topic of cyberbullying is dealt with poignantly in the thrillers "Shady Side" and "A Better World".
In addition to serious topics, there are also humorous and media-critical contributions: The improv comedy "The Wedding" revolves around a chaotic social media wedding, while the satire "Being Famous for Beginners" shows a taxi driver who takes off as a fake author. "Miss Sophie - Same Procedure As Every Year" wittily tells the prequel to the cult classic "Dinner for One".
Other productions delve deep into human abysses: "All in" follows a young Muslim woman who pursues her dreams at the poker table, "Bar Cowboys" confronts pub-goers with a corpse, and "The Disappeared Child" shows how the disappearance of a child shakes families. The drama series "naked" focuses on toxic relationships, and "Until it bleeds" sheds light on the darker side of tabloid journalism.
The outstanding entries will be awarded the Bernd Burgemeister Television Prize at FILMFEST MÜNCHEN on 29 June 2025. The prizes for the best TV film and the best series are endowed with 25,000 euros each and will be awarded by a jury consisting this year of Dagmar Rosenbauer, Maren Knieling and Katrin Weikart.