German cinema: surprises and classics at the 25th edition of the festival in Buenos Aires

The German Film Festival will celebrate its historic 25th edition from September 18th to 24th , an event that promises to renew its connection with the public in a grand way, sharing the best of contemporary and classic cinema. Since 1999, when it was first held at the renowned Cine Lorca, this event promoted by German Films offers a broad panorama of German film production. More than two decades later, Cinépolis Recoleta, the festival's home since 2003, will once again welcome viewers with a program that includes 16 feature films of diverse genres, suitable for all audiences.

The anniversary will bring with it an unprecedented new feature: the screening of a surprise film, presented by one of its directors, who will travel specially to Buenos Aires to engage with the audience. Another highlight will be the screening of the restored version of Die Buddenbrooks , a 1923 silent classic directed by Gerhard Lamprecht, accompanied by live music by the prestigious Lerner-Moguilevsky duo. This project by César Lerner and Marcelo Moguilevsky , created four decades ago, returns to the festival with its unmistakable fusion of klezmer, jazz, tango, contemporary music, and Argentine folklore, thanks to the support of the Goethe-Institut, a strategic partner of the event.

Two of the biggest names in current German cinema will also have their spots. Andreas Dresen will be participating in the festival for the sixth time with Love, Hilde (In Liebe, Eure Hilde), a drama set in 1942 Berlin that tells the love story of anti-Nazi activists captured by the Gestapo. Christian Petzold , meanwhile, returns for the fifth time with Mirrors No. 3 (Miroirs n°3), in which a woman, after losing her partner in an accident, moves into the home of a family who witnessed the tragedy.

The program also includes the return of Bernd Sahling with Tomorrow I Will Be Brave (Ab morgen bin ich mutig), a family story about a 12-year-old boy facing his first love, and Andres Veiel, who presents Riefenstahl, a documentary dedicated to the controversial German filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl and her relationship with Nazism .

This year's lineup opens up to young talent with four debut films. These include Edge of Night (Gecenin kiyisi) by Türker Süer, a military thriller; Shahid by Iranian director Narges Kalhor, a political musical drama that won multiple awards at the Berlinale; I'm Dying, Are You Coming? (Ich sterbe, kommst du?), the debut of actor Benjamin Kramme, centering on a terminally ill mother; and Smell of Burnt Milk (Milch ins Feuer) by Justine Bauer, an award-winner at the Munich Film Festival, which portrays adolescence in a rural setting. Also included is Red Stars Over the Field (Rote Sterne überm Feld) by Laura Laabs, set in East Germany in the 1980s.

The female gaze expands with Natja Brunckhorst's Two to One (Zwei zu eins), a sharp comedy set in the former GDR about a group of neighbors who decide to rob a banknote depot after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Other premieres this year include Fabian Stumm's Sad Jokes , a moving comedy about parenthood that won the Critics' Award in Munich; Dominik Galizia's Rock 'n' Roll Ringo , about a worker who enters the underworld of carnival wrestling; and American Damian John Harper's Frisch , a suspenseful tale about the troubled reunion of two brothers.

The celebration is rounded out by the Next Generation Short Tiger 2025 program, which brings together short films from emerging filmmakers and confirms the festival's commitment to emerging voices.

*The German Film Festival will take place from September 18 to 24 at Cinépolis Recoleta, Vicente López 2050.