GERMAN CURRENTS returns (October 17 - 21) for its 19th edition and brings some of the best new German cinema to audiences in Los Angeles and Southern California.

This year’s vibrant selection of films is thought-provoking, tragic, and humorous. Audiences will encounter strong female leads as well as men in search of their own identity. Those drawn to historical narratives will discover fresh perspectives on pivotal moments in German history, while genre fans can look forward to a debut feature-length science fiction thriller.

“Almost like a common thread the motif of FREEDOM runs through this year’s program: the freedom to be true to oneself, the individual’s freedom within a community, the desire to break free from societal norms – for better or worse, and the courage to risk everything in the pursuit of freedom and justice”, says Luisa Rath-John, Festival Director and Director of the Goethe-Institut Los Angeles.

In celebration of 35 years of German Unity, the LA premiere of TWO TO ONE (Zwei zu Eins) by Natja Brunckhorst will open the festival on October 17th at the American Cinematheque’s Aero Theatre in Santa Monica. This German box office hit comedy follows childhood friends Maren (Sandra Hüller), Robert (Max Riemelt), and Volker (Ronald Zehrfeld), along with their small-town community, as they navigate the chaotic days between the fall of the Berlin Wall and German reunification. The essence of this story is “that you should share your strawberries,” says Ronald Zehrfeld, who will join us in Los Angeles to share his personal view on the film and this unique moment in German history. An afterparty at the Aero Theatre will follow the screening.

If the first scene features a burning golf cart, the film is undoubtedly off to a good start. GERMAN CURRENTS presents the Southern California premiere of PEACOCK (Pfau - Bin ich echt?), Austria’s entry for the 98th Academy Awards © in the Best International Feature category. This "shrewd and darkly funny" (MovieJawn) satirical tragicomedy is written and directed by Bernhard Wenger, who will personally present his film at the Los Feliz 3.

German director Mariko Minoguchi will be our guest for the West Coast premiere of one episode of the award-winning German TV crime series DIE ZEIT VERBRECHEN: DEZEMBER at the Goethe- Institut Los Angeles.

The invite-only Filmmaker Brunch on Saturday, October 18, at the Goethe-Institut Los Angeles offers a unique opportunity for filmmakers and industry professionals to connect and engage in meaningful dialogue. The event will include a moderated conversation featuring our Festival guests Ronald Zehrfeld, Mariko Minoguchi and Bernhard Wenger, who will share insights into their recent projects and reflect on current trends within the European film landscape.

Other festival highlights include the LA premiere of the latest film by acclaimed director Andreas Dresen, FROM HILDE, WITH LOVE (In Liebe, Eure Hilde), the true story of Hilde Coppi, a resistance fighter against the Nazi regime, and the West Coast premiere of Benjamin Pfohl’s feature film debut, JUPITER, a gripping science-fiction-thriller that explores the psychology of cults and conspiracy narratives.

The West Coast premiere of SAD JOKES by director and actor Fabian Stumm, and the LA premiere of the dark satire debut ANOTHER GERMAN TANK STORY by Jannis Alexander Kiefer, offer two very different takes on German humor.

NEXT GENERATION SHORT TIGER 2025 returns to GERMAN CURRENTS with the US premiere of a curated selection of the most compelling current German short films.

And of course, our youngest fans are in for a treat: the LA premiere of GREETINGS FROM MARS (Grüße vom Mars) by Sarah Winkenstette. This beautiful story for the whole family about being an outsider and discovering that your differences might be your secret strength is presented as part of our popular Kids Matinee at the Goethe-Institut and in a private screening for school classes at
the Gardena Cinema.

On the special occasion of Konrad Wolf’s 100th birthday on October 20th, GERMAN CURRENTS, with the support of the Defa Film Library at UMass Amherst, will present a retrospective screening of his DEFA classic I WAS NINETEEN (Ich war neunzehn).

The GERMAN CURRENTS Film Festival 2025 is a co-production of the Goethe-Institut Los Angeles and the American Cinematheque, with the support of The Friends of Goethe, ELMA, Condor, the Austrian Consulate General in Los Angeles, go-international, Tupetz Wine Connection, Paulaner USA, Paulaner Sunset, Villa Aurora & Thomas Mann House e.V., the German Film Office, our media partners Deutsche Welle, KPFK Radio, Campus Circle, our educational outreach partners Creating Creators, and in cooperation with the German Consulate General in Los Angeles.

The festival takes place at the following locations

THE AERO THEATRE - 1328 Montana Ave, Santa Monica, CA 90403

LOS FELIZ 3 - 1822 N Vermont Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90027

GOETHE-INSTITUT LOS ANGELES - 1901 West 7th St. Suite AB, Los Angeles, CA 90057

GARDENA CINEMA - 14948 Crenshaw Blvd, Gardena, CA 90249

All public screenings are free-of-charge, reservation is required: www.germancurrents.com.

For more information, please visit: www.germancurrents.com, www.facebook.com/germancurrents.