Unexpected humour and reflections on a complex past: my top 5 films from the 2025 German Film Festival

By Claudia Sandberg, Senior Lecturer, Technology in Culture and Society, The University of Melbourne

Foreign audiences often associate German cinema with tragedy, trauma and death. Certainly, major historical events such as the second world war and the Fall of the Berlin Wall — cornerstones of German film — are present in this year’s selection at the 2025 German Film Festival.

Alongside these themes is a variety of contemporary topics, innovative fictional formats and strong documentary work. The increased presence of women in directing and producing roles also brings female experiences sharply into focus.

Here…

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