From this May to June the 2022 German Film Festival presented by Palace, in association with German Films, showcases the best contemporary German cinema direct from major festivals in Europe plus a selection from its German-speaking neighbours, Austria and Switzerland.

The festival’s Special Presentation is DEAR THOMAS (Lieber Thomas), a historical monochrome biopic of East German writer and filmmaker Thomas Brasch, starring Albrecht Schuch (Fabian: Going to the Dogs – GFF21). Brasch a German-Jewish emigrant was born in England and moved to the GDR with his family in the 1950s. As he grows into a prolific writer and poetic rebel, he struggles with the reality of censorship in communist East Germany.

Festival highlights include the gripping historical drama THE LAST EXECUTION (Nahschuss) stars Lars Eidinger and is based on the real-life case of Werner Teske. Tempted by the offer of a prestigious professorship, an ambitious scientist is convinced to work for the GDR’s Stasi in 1981 East Berlin but is soon accused of espionage.

The smart comedy CONTRA directed by Sönke Wortmann stars Christoph Maria Herbsts, Nilam Farooq and Hassan Akkouch. A law student prepares for a debating competition with the help of a cynical professor who has been given a final chance to redeem himself after a video of him insulting a student goes viral.

The Goethe-Institut will again contribute the popular sidebar ‘Kino for Kids’, in addition to a celebration of the organisation’s 50-year anniversary in Australia, with a special selection of films from the 1970s to the 2020s.

The festival screens nationally at Palace Cinemas, Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas and Luna Palace Cinemas from May 24 to June 22.

This is just the tip of the iceberg – to see the whole German Film Festival program, head to the website.