Utopia in Babelsberg - Science Fiction aus der DDR (2021)

We Might As Well Be Dead

The high-rise building block near the forest is famous for its carefully curated community. As a dog disappears and her daughter refuses to leave the bathroom, security officer Anna faces an absurd battle against the fear, that slowly spreads among the residents and shakes the utopia with a view.

Hunters

As John T. Wrecker continues his task of protecting a group of refugees from a virus, the threat of something new and even more dangerous grows ever closer in the form of monstrous mutants.

Boudica

Inspired by events in A.D. 60, Boudica follows the eponymous Celtic warrior who rules the Iceni people alongside her husband Prasutagus. When he dies at the hands of Roman soldiers, Boudica’s kingdom is left without a male heir and the Romans seize her land and property. Driven to the edge of madness and determined to avenge her husband’s death, Boudica rallies the various tribes from the region and wages an epic war against the mighty Roman empire.

National Family

Don Poli, the patriarch of a family embedded in politics, faces the change of party in his state - after a hundred years in power - losing all his privileges. Humiliated and angry, he threatens to disinherit his family and leave to rebuild his life. This forces his children (Kippy, Ramses and Belén) to take extreme measures to ensure their future, causing everything that could go wrong to turn out worse.

Kingdom III: The Flame of Destiny

To defend their kingdom against a sudden invasion, a mighty general returns to the battlefield alongside a war orphan, now grown up, who dreams of glory.

Soulcatcher

A military contractor hired to seize a weapon that turns people into savage killers seeks revenge when his brother falls victim to the device.

Kingdom 2: Far and Away

It follows a young man who dreams of becoming a general and Ying Zheng, whose goal is unification.

Granit

Mozambique requests from Russia is being helped in the fight against militants of the "Islamic State" and a special group led by a commander with the call sign Granit is coming to the country.

MR-9: Do or Die

Elite Bangladeshi CIA agent Masud Rana – codename MR-9 – teams up with an American CIA operative to bring down an international criminal organization headed by a ruthless businessman.

Patriots Time

The brothers Sultan and Bekzat Ibrayev are serving faithfully in the Armed Forces of Kazakhstan, and at the same time they are in family disagreement. Sultan is a valiant intelligence officer and Bekzat is a talented fighter pilot. While an international terrorist organization prepares a carefully planned attack on the country's strategically important facilities, the brothers have to face not only a mortal threat, but also face a family confrontation related to their dead father. Circumstances force them to unite in order to save human lives, and the brothers eventually understand that their homeland and family are the most valuable thing they have.

A

A film director fades away from the industry after the failed love with the heroine of his movie. After being rehabilitated, he learns that some people conspired his fall and decides to take revenge.

Street Flow 2

Struggling to overcome cycles of betrayal, revenge and violence, the Traoré brothers continue to fight for a brighter future in a seedy Paris suburb.

Disco, Ibiza, Locomía

In the effervescent Spain of the 80s, Xavi Font, an artistic misfit, together with his friend Lurdes Iribar and her lover Manolo Arjona, founds Locomía. Although he achieves success, he also experiences the dark reality of the industry at the hands of powerful producer José Luís Gil.

Es por su bien

Horrified by the new girlfriends of their respective sons, three sisters-in-law – Clara, a socialite, Matis, a widowed professional, and Nena, a naive housewife – make an alliance to get rid of their undesirable daughters-in-law.

The Last Week of September

Pietro Rinaldi, an elderly writer, widower and tired of life, plans to commit suicide on his birthday. After the sudden and tragic death of his daughter and son-in-law, Pietro will have to look after his teenage nephew Mattia.

The Engineer

As Israel is rocked by a series of terrorist bombings, a US senator's daughter is killed in one bloody explosion. Now, ex-Mossad agent Etan must lead an elite, covert team of agents and mercenaries to find the man responsible—the elusive “Engineer.” Can they find and destroy the madman before more innocent lives are lost?

Fighter

As India faces a militant attack in Kashmir, the country’s best combat aviators join forces under a reckless yet brilliant squadron leader to form 'Air Dragons', faces mortal dangers and their inner demons.

Blood

Jess, a newly separated mother and nurse, moves into her old family farmhouse with Tyler, her teenage daughter, and Owen, her eight-year-old son. One night, the family dog senses something in the woods and runs off to find it. He returns a couple of days later and attacks Owen, savagely biting him before Jess is able to intervene. Owen is rushed to the hospital. His condition worsens, and no one can figure out why... until Jess discovers a disturbing cure...

A

Roughly chronological, from 3/96 to 11/96, with a coda in spring of 1997: inside compounds of Aum Shinrikyo, a Buddhist sect led by Shoko Asahara. (Members confessed to a murderous sarin attack in the Tokyo subway in 1995.) We see what they eat, where they sleep, and how they respond to media scrutiny, on-going trials, the shrinking of their fortunes, and the criticism of society. Central focus is placed on Hiroshi Araki, a young man who finds himself elevated to chief spokesman for Aum after its leaders are arrested. Araki faces extreme hostility from the Japanese public, who find it hard to believe that most followers of the cult had no idea of the attacks and even harder to understand why these followers remain devoted to the religion, if not the violence.

Fullmetal Alchemist: The Revenge of Scar

The Elric brothers meet their toughest opponent yet — a lone serial killer with a large scar on his forehead.

Lion

The lion has to become more physically fit. The gazelle does not think he is capable of doing so.

Dear David

Shortly after comic artist Adam responds to Internet trolls, he begins experiencing sleep paralysis. As he chronicles increasingly malevolent occurrences in a series of tweets, Adam begins to believe he is being haunted by the ghost of a dead child named David.

The Accursed

Hana spends twenty years suppressing a maleficent curse that was placed upon her bloodline, only to have a family member knowingly release it forcing her to kill or to be killed.

13 Exorcisms

After participating in a séance, young Laura begins to behave strangely. Alarmed, her parents ask Father Olmedo, one of the few exorcists authorized by the Vatican to intervene in cases of demonic possession, for help.

Outlaws

Introverted Girona student Nacho meets two delinquents from the city's Chinatown and gets caught up in a summer onslaught of burglaries and hold ups that will change his life.

Jigen Daisuke

Feeling unhappy with his gun, Jigen is looking for the world’s best gunsmith. He finally finds out that Chiharu, who runs a watch shop, is the person he’s been seeking. Then, Jigen meets Oto, who comes to Chiharu’s shop looking for a gun. Jigen finds out about Oto's secrets and the mysterious organization that’s after her. After Oto is kidnapped, Jigen gets into a desperate battle to save her.

Terror on the Prairie

A pioneering family fights back against a gang of vicious outlaws that is terrorizing them on their newly-built farm on the plains of Montana.

Air Force One Down

On her first assignment aboard Air Force One, a rookie Secret Service agent faces the ultimate test when terrorists hijack the plane, intent on derailing a pivotal energy deal. With the President's life on the line and a global crisis at stake, her bravery and skills are pushed to the limit in a relentless battle that could change the course of history.

Confessions of a Hitman

A paid assassin working for the biker gangs of Quebec outsmarts both the police and the underworld for decades, committing 28 hits over 25 years.

Noryang: Deadly Sea

The Imjin War reaches its seventh year in December of 1598. Admiral Yi Sun-shin learns that the Wa invaders in Joseon are preparing for a swift withdrawal following the deathbed orders of their leader Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Determined to destroy the enemy once and for all, Admiral Yi leads an allied fleet of Joseon and Ming ships to mount a blockade and annihilate the Wa army. However, once Ming commander Chen Lin is bribed into lifting the blockade, Wa lord Shimazu Yoshihiro and his Satsuma army sail to the Wa army's rescue at Noryang Strait.

Le Panache

Colin, 14, enters a new school and he's freaking out: how do you get by when, like him, you're a stutterer? His meeting with Mr. Devarseau, a charismatic French teacher, will push him to face his fears and break out of his isolation. Now Colin has a group of friends and a project: to go on stage to play Cyrano in front of the whole school.

Reign of Chaos

When the world is gripped by a plague unleashed by the evil lord Chaos, and humans are turned into rabid creatures, mankind can only be saved by three young women, descendants of a Goddess, with the power to stop Chaos' evil.

Divertimento

Zahia Ziouani, 17, dreams of becoming a conductor, while her twin sister Fettouma hopes to be a professional cellist. They want to make classical music accessible to everyone and create their own orchestra.

F

A group of teachers must defend themselves from a gang of murderous kids when their school comes under siege after hours.

Congo

Eight people embark on an expedition into the Congo, a mysterious expanse of unexplored Africa where human greed and the laws of nature have gone berserk. When the thrill-seekers -- some with ulterior motives -- stumble across a race of killer apes.

White Wolves

Farsighted Falcon, chief of the Lakota, seeks refuge in the Black Hills with his wife Blue Hair and two warriors, sole survivors of their tribe. When they are attacked by the outlaw Bashan, Falcon strikes out for the town of Tanglewood to take on Bashan's boss, mining magnate Harrington.

Splice

Elsa and Clive, two young rebellious scientists, defy legal and ethical boundaries and forge ahead with a dangerous experiment: splicing together human and animal DNA to create a new organism. Named "Dren", the creature rapidly develops from a deformed female infant into a beautiful but dangerous winged human-chimera, who forges a bond with both of her creators - only to have that bond turn deadly.

Resonnances

A perfect getaway for a group of friends turns into a nightmare in this amazing French micro-budget horror/sci-fi film! Thomas, Yann, Vincent and three female friends hop into their cars and travel to the French mountains for a relaxing weekend trip. On their way, a dangerous psychopath escapes from prison and there’s even talk of a ghostly female apparition haunting the area. After picking up a suspicious hitchhiker, a thick fog envelops their cars and sends them all over a steep cliff! Barely surviving the fall, they soon discover something even more horrifying. An ancient creature lives under the ground… listening and waiting. It’s ready to devour anyone and anything in its path and this group of friends is very much on tonight’s menu!

Lebende Ware

In 1944, SS-Obersturmbannführer Becher arrives in Budapest in order to obtain material for the Waffen-SS. At the same time, he starts to gather private property by offering an insidious choice to the corporation′s Jewish majority shareholder, Dr. Chorin: Either Chorin assigns the company to Becker "on his own free will" – thereby obtaining the permission to travel abroad - or he his family will end up in an extermination camp.

Uncario

In a future where the last humans have taken refuge in a cold, sterile Moon colony, A-153 is being driven mad by vivid dreams of a beautiful green world. While planning his escape, he picks up a distress signal from Earth. Hellbent on making contact, soon he will discover the horrifying truth about his fantasy world and the person who called for help.

Rapunzel, or The Magic of Tears

Adaptation of the classic fairytale. Rapunzel lives alone in the woods, in a tower with no doors. Then, one day, a mysterious stranger comes for a visit.

The Night Visitor 2: Heather's Story

The sequel to Jennifer Blanc's cult hit 2013 film "The Night Visitor". Directed by that film's star Brianne Davis, The Night Visitor 2:HEATHER'S STORY runs parallel to the original Night Visitor, telling the story of Heather, a special young girl, who must protect her family and the planet from the same other-earthly being. The sequel delves deeper into the mysteries that plagued the Stevens family and their son Ricky with the help of psychic and medium Daniel.

Balthus: Tia's Radiance

The inhabitants of the peaceful village Le-jeute are lured to the factory city with the promise of pleasure. A small group of workers prepare to revolt against the evil factory owner, Morlock. The worker Eud escapes, ending up in the arms of the beautiful Tia. When Morlock captures them both, Eud is thrown in the dungeon, and Tia is subjected to Morlock's sexual appetite.

Robot Wars

In a dystopian near future, a corporate heist goes wrong and the team members struggle to survive a desperate escape through the apocalyptic sprawl with their stolen prize, a weapon of unspeakable power. As they navigate the urban wasteland, they must contend with barbaric gangs, corporate death squads and the terrifying truth about the weapon they have stolen.

The Girl in the Lift

Frank, a tenth grade student, falls in love with his classmate Regine. His father is a well-connected plant manager in the GDR; Regine's mother is a single parent with four children. Regine wants to become a kindergarten teacher, but her grades are poor and she is not allowed to apply for technical college. Frank champions her and seeks an open discussion about these rigid regulations. But his criticism is nipped in the bud.

1-2-3 Corona

Post-war Germany 1945: Two rival gangs of uprooted boys fight each other in the ruins of Berlin, whose business is the black market out of necessity in order to survive. Their respective leaders are Gerhard and Dietrich. A pretty young circus artist named Corona comes to the destroyed city with a traveling circus. She immediately caught the boys' attention. When the latter notice that the circus director is abusing the girl, the two gangs join forces and plot an act of revenge against the tyrant. But with the hustle and bustle caused by this, Corona falls from the trapeze and is seriously injured. When the circus moves on, the boys organize a doctor for the sick artist who has been left behind. Their collectively concern for the blonde beauty makes them forget their enmity. This welds the troops closer together and sets the course for a common, meaningful future.

The Adventures of Açela

Açela and her friends embark on an enchanting journey deep into a mysterious forest to discover the village's legend of the Tale-teller.

Island of Swans

Fourteen-year-old Stefan Kolbe, along with his mother and sister, moves from an idyllic small town to the developing area of Berlin-Marzahn, where his father works as a construction worker. Stefan must find his way in a completely new environment and surrounded by strange people. Stefan gets to know two girls, who attempt to seduce him, and gets himself into trouble with the landlord, who kisses up to societal authority figures. He becomes friends with the anxious Hubert, defends him against the constant humiliation of the older student Windjacke, and encourages him to stand up for himself. It ends tragically in a bitter fight between Stefan and Windjacke.

Murder on Monday

Photo model Monika Stange is found murdered in her apartment in a major West German city. Detectives Bentheim and Laube find rough diamonds hidden in the apartment. The trail leads to a racketeering ring and the influential industrialist Dr. Vogelsang. The latter is not prepared to get involved in the murder case under any circumstances and refuses to testify. Inspector Laube tries to solve the case without his colleague.

Symmetropia

A man receives the most intense immersion therapy for an irrational fear (symmetry) ever. He’s blindfolded and driven to a forest where all the trees look the same, so that he is surrounded by symmetry. Also he is listening to tape of palindromes being read out loud.

I'm Alien Green Alien: I will dance for you

A lonely cute alien traveling through space is forced to land on Earth when the spacecraft malfunctions and by chance. The very friendly and dancing-loving alien takes up her sleeves to explore the planet, find friends and her funny and fun adventure begins.

The Accidental President

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya is the only one running against Lukashenko in the 2020 Belarusian election. When Lukashenko declares a victory of 80% questions regarding the fairness of the election are being raised.

Ein Traum von Revolution

When the revolution in Nicaragua won its victory nearly 40 years ago, the world began to dream. A young generation was taking the reins in a country of grand utopias. From West Germany alone, 15,000 “brigadists” travelled to help rebuild the war-torn country: liberals, greens, unionists, social democrats, leftists and church representatives harvested coffee and cotton, built schools, kindergartens and hospital wards. No movement has mobilised so many people. What became of the hopes and dreams of the revolutionaries and their supporters?

Fire Within

Unhoused in San Francisco, Dawn and Tony find solace with Terry and Harry, who facilitate support groups at Glide Church. There, they are challenged to overcome their circumstances and stand up for their community. The film weaves together their intimate stories of resilience and their fight to reclaim their place in society. A powerful story of resilience, community, and hope, set in the heart of San Francisco’s LGBTQ+ advocacy movement.

The Pedophile Hunters

With unprecedented access to one of the most controversial agencies within America's Department of Homeland Security, this film follows US agents in Cambodia as they track down American pedophile sex tourists. Working with local activists and police, the American agents use forensics and surveillance techniques to collect damning evidence of sexual predators preying on young children.

The Curse of Robert the Doll

Considered the most haunted doll in the world, Robert the Doll lives behind glass in a museum in Key West, Florida, where every year thousands of visitors who fail to follow his rules find themselves cursed. Victims have experienced illness, injury, accidents and even death. But what makes Robert curse his victims? What evil entity lives inside this doll? This latest Shock Docs installment explores the true origin of Robert the Doll, uncovers the story of Robert's first owners in 1905, and seeks to find out why this doll is so nefarious.

Stars at Noon

Les Etoiles de Midi is an engaging docudrama about some of the more spectacular exploits of French mountain climbers over the last several decades. In one re-enacted story, there is a wartime escape through the mountains, and in another, a daring rescue of a pair of climbers who had been missing. The actors themselves are adept at the sport of climbing, and they give the scenes an immediacy and real daring that brings the stories alive. A combination of their acrobatics and skill and the outstanding episodes in the history of French climbing creates a winning 78 minutes.

Bringing Godzilla Down to Size: The Art of Japanese Special Effects

A look at the unrecognized work of the talented artists and craftsmen who've maintained the tradition of Japanese special-effects. Highlighted is Yasuyuki Inoue along with various crew members who crafted meticulously detailed miniatures and risked life and limb as suit actors. All done to bring to life some of film's most iconic monsters through a distinct Japanese artform.

In the Shadow of Karakorum

In 1954, a German-Austrian expedition led by Mathias Rebitsch set off for the difficult-to-access Karakoram Mountains, geographically north of the Himalayas. They come across the Hunza, a people who live in the valley of the same name and believe they are descended from the soldiers of Alexander the Great. The documentary conveys impressions of the poor life of the Hunza people, the harvest, a court hearing, festivals and the children's everyday school life. Finally, the expedition sets off again and sets up its main camp on the moraine ridge of a glacier, where they measure the glacier and the earth's magnetic field. Finally, some men from the research community set off for a sub-peak of Batura.

No Lye: An American Beauty Story

A documentary that chronicles the rise and decline of the black-owned ethnic beauty industry in America.

Mission: Joy - Finding Happiness in Troubled Times

An exploration of the remarkable friendship between Archbishop Desmond Tutu and His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Some of the Best

This film features highlights of MGM's productions from 1924 through 1943, in honor of the studio's twentieth anniversary.

Marie Antoinette: The Trial of a Queen

Chronicle of the last months of Marie-Antoinette.Accused of having conspired against the new republic,with her children taken away and guillotined husband,in a rigged trial as the result of political negotiations and power struggles.

The Housewife and the Hustler

Go inside the real-life legal drama facing the husband of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" cast member Erika Jayne, legal titan Tom Girardi. Once considered a crusader of justice, Girardi now stands accused of embezzling from the victims he swore to protect.

Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain

An intimate, behind-the-scenes look at how an anonymous chef became a world-renowned cultural icon. This unflinching look at Anthony Bourdain reverberates with his presence, in his own voice and in the way he indelibly impacted the world around him.

Comme les autres

Plot unavailable

La Génération Salut les copains

Plot unavailable

Walt Whitman: Poet for a New Age

An introduction to Walt Whitman, American poet, essayist, and journalist. A world poet-a latter-day successor to Homer, Virgil, Dante, and Shakespeare.

Soeurs

Plot unavailable

Vicky

In 2018 on the steps of the High Court in Dublin, Vicky Phelan gave a now infamous address where she exposed one of the worst women’s health scandals in Irish History, the CervicalCheck debacle. VICKY is a profound and intimate journey into not only her fight to expose the truth of what happened for all women but also her own personal fight to stay alive.

Edita

In the 80s during the military dictatorship in Chile, my uncle Jarda came from Europe, with a VHS camera. He brought the ashes of his mother, my great – aunt Edita. They said that she lost her mind, was a Trotskyist and Bauhaus Student. They did not want to talk about politics and religion. A dialogue between madness and sanity, certainty and uncertainty, neurosis and wisdom. Was Edita really crazy?

Mom n' Pop: The Indie Video Store Boom of the 80s/90s

Mom N' Pop The Indie Video Store Boom of the 80s/90s is an indie documentary chronicling the history of the video rental market and stores. Beginning in the mid 70s, the documentary will cover the rise in popularity and the fall in success in the mid to late 2000s. The entire documentary will cover the independent video stores, gas stations, tanning salons, etc that provided rental services (both videos and video games). The story will be told via variety of interviews and narration from the people that actually lived the story. Independent Video Store Owners, Filmmakers, Employees, Distributors, and more. The documentary hopes to tell a story of how these experiences shaped lives and built memories. Also we will look into the logistics of how local businesses dealt with rising distribution costs and ask the question of "Why did so many tanning salons also rent videos?"

Nanook of the North

This pioneering documentary film depicts the lives of the indigenous Inuit people of Canada's northern Quebec region. Although the production contains some fictional elements, it vividly shows how its resourceful subjects survive in such a harsh climate, revealing how they construct their igloo homes and find food by hunting and fishing. The film also captures the beautiful, if unforgiving, frozen landscape of the Great White North, far removed from conventional civilization.

Olympia Part One: Festival of the Nations

Starting with a long and lyrical overture, evoking the origins of the Olympic Games in ancient Greece, Riefenstahl covers twenty-one athletic events in the first half of this two-part love letter to the human body and spirit, culminating with the marathon, where Jesse Owens became the first track and field athlete to win four gold medals in a single Olympics.

Olympia Part Two: Festival of Beauty

Part two of Leni Riefenstahl's monumental examination of the 1938 Olympic Games, the cameras leave the main stadium and venture into the many halls and fields deployed for such sports as fencing, polo, cycling, and the modern pentathlon, which was won by American Glenn Morris.

I'm Khoisan, not Coloured

During his stay in Cape Town as a film student, Shatho Tibone was inspired by an initial casual trip he took to the scenic but informal settlement of Hangberg. This film focuses on the uncertainties and inhumane acts of police and state brutality faced by the predominantly Rastafarian, KhoiSan identifying community of Hangberg in Cape Town, South Africa. So, through the participatory collective effort of a few journalists, filmmaker and community leaders Shatho went on a 5 year journey to document the story of this community which has become an enigma in South African imagination,

Workers Leaving the Lumière Factory

Working men and women leave through the main gate of the Lumière factory in Lyon, France. Filmed on 22 March 1895, it is often referred to as the first real motion picture ever made, although Louis Le Prince's 1888 Roundhay Garden Scene pre-dated it by seven years. Three separate versions of this film exist, which differ from one another in numerous ways. The first version features a carriage drawn by one horse, while in the second version the carriage is drawn by two horses, and there is no carriage at all in the third version. The clothing style is also different between the three versions, demonstrating the different seasons in which each was filmed. This film was made in the 35 mm format with an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, and at a speed of 16 frames per second. At that rate, the 17 meters of film length provided a duration of 46 seconds, holding a total of 800 frames.

Um Filme de Cinema

Plot unavailable

Dumb: The Story of Big Brother Magazine

A look at the rise and fall of the subversive skateboarding magazine Big Brother, which rose to prominence in the mid-1990s and had a profound effect on the skating subculture with its unfiltered approach.

Sergio Larraín, The Eternal Moment

This documentary offers a portrait of the photographer Sergio Larrain based on the mark that he left during the course of his existence: photographs, testimonies, philosophical texts, and in particular, thousands of letters that are the gateway to his inner world and the mysteries of his life and work.