Volker Michalowski

The Grand Budapest Hotel tells of a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel between the wars and his friendship with a young employee who becomes his trusted protégé. The story involves the theft and recovery of a priceless Renaissance painting, the battle for an enormous family fortune and the slow and then sudden upheavals that transformed Europe during the first half of the 20th century.

In Nazi-occupied France during World War II, a group of Jewish-American soldiers known as "The Basterds" are chosen specifically to spread fear throughout the Third Reich by scalping and brutally killing Nazis. The Basterds, lead by Lt. Aldo Raine soon cross paths with a French-Jewish teenage girl who runs a movie theater in Paris which is targeted by the soldiers.

Wealthy businessman Zsa-zsa Korda appoints his only daughter, a nun, as sole heir to his estate. As Korda embarks on a new enterprise, they soon become the target of scheming tycoons, foreign terrorists, and determined assassins.

In 1984 East Berlin, dedicated Stasi officer Gerd Wiesler begins spying on a famous playwright and his actress-lover Christa-Maria. Wiesler becomes unexpectedly sympathetic to the couple, and faces conflicting loyalties when his superior takes a liking to Christa-Maria.

A young orphan boy Jim Button, his best friend Luke and a magical steam engine called Emma travel across the world in search of the truth about where Jim came from. Battling pirates and dragons, outsmarting make-believe giants, they must travel through the Forest of a Thousand Wonders, beyond the End of the World to find the hidden Dragon City.

A scientist blames the head of a large company for an ecological disaster in South America. But when a volcano begins to show signs of erupting, they must unite to avoid a disaster.

Simon a mysterious man with a past returns to Iceland with the intention to end his no good life. Before he can complete his task he meets a young women DÚA who he believes might be his daughter. When she gets into trouble with the police Simon represses his death wish and decides to help her out. Together they flee to the city of Hamburg and smuggle with them what used to be the greatest export of the Vikings, an Icelandic Falcon. Their plan is to sell it to wealthy Arabs.

A year has gone by since Jim Button and his best friend, the engine driver Luke, returned from their dangerous adventure in Dragon City. Life on Morrowland goes its leisurely way again. Suddenly, dark clouds are gathering over the tranquil island of Morrowland: the notorious pirate gang "The Wild 13" has learned that the dragon Mrs Grindtooth has been conquered by Jim and Luke and now swears revenge. To protect Morrowland from another threat, the two of them set off with their steam engines Emma and Molly on a dangerous journey where they meet old friends like princess Li Si, Mr. Tur Tur and Nepomuk and make new friends with Sursulapichi, a real mermaid. On their adventure, Jim's most fervent wish might also come true: to find out the truth about his mysterious origins.

A dramatic retelling of the life of Ludwig II, King of Bavaria, one of the most fascinating monarchs of modern times. From his accession to the throne at the age of 18 to his passionate support of Richard Wagner and his music. From his ingenuous political commitment to his obsessive construction of extravagant palaces and to his gradual withdrawal into a lonely dream world, an epic narrative of breathtaking grandeur.

The cabaret artist Marc-Uwe and the kangaroo are faced with a problem: Lisbeth, the mother of Maria has taken a wrong turn somewhere and is now denying the climate crisis on the Internet. How can she be brought to her senses? The two make a bet with each other: If they don't manage to bring Maria's mother to her senses, they will lose their apartment. So Marc-Uwe and the marsupial embark on a trip to the Conspiracy Convention in Bielefeld and shortly thereafter become part of a tangible conspiracy led by conspiracy guru Adam Krieger and his followers. As the two flatmates talk their heads off, it's no longer just about their apartment for Marc-Uwe and the kangaroo, it's more than that: it's a matter of life and death!

Martin wants to catch up on his exams. In order to be admitted as a hardship case, he "borrows" his neighbor's child. His buddy Lars, a successful lawyer, wistfully remembers his old student days and wants to let it rip again before he gets married.

A coming-of-age story set in Germany in the 1960s. Siggi becomes involved in a love triangle when he falls for Luise, but the tightening political climate forces him to make a fateful decision.

When an unexpected outbreak of peace leads to a ceasefire between Russian forces and Georgian rebels, arrogant rock star Harry Hope fears for the success of his heavily hyped Piece of Peace global charity concert. Desperate, he dispatches his PR consultant, Kate, and her naïve intern, Peggy, to create a fake war story – until the concert, at least.

The scatterbrained archivist of Cologne Cathedral is sent to Africa to retrieve the largest diamond in the world, on which the cathedral once rested and whose absence is now causing the foundations of the building to sink. In his wake, shady characters appear who are also after the precious stone. But there are also helpers who are well-disposed towards the adventurer against his will.

Jorinde and Joringel are lovers and would like to get married. But on a walk in the forest, they find themselves near a castle belonging to an wicked witch. She is jealous of their love and wants to destroy it. She decides to set Joringel free after taking away Jorinde, content with that the lovers will never see each other again.

At a Babelsberg studio, two German actors try to outdo each other with their Hollywood experiences. At a chic Düsseldorf café, two expatriate French women envy each other’s respective life. At a construction site somewhere in North Rhine-Westphalia, a foreman informs the supervising archaeologist that he as ordered the concrete without her approval. In a trendy Café in Ehrenfeld, Cologne, a recently departed meets a friend of his ex to obtain a box with things he’d left behind. A Dutch business consultant desperately tries to sell his inflated services to a Bulgarian arms contractor at Brussels Airport. On a rooftop in the Belgian Eifel, the owner and the future heir of a family workshop quietly discuss the recent passing of the family’s grandfather.

Cowboy has a vision. He wants to save the planet with his movement of Free Swingers. That's why he applies for a grant at The Central Agency, who then sends a representative named Fey of Sweden to approve Cowboy's proposal. She demands results and he de­cides to stage a charity bicycle rally featuring a roster of two-wheeled Berlin misfits. Meanwhile Cowboy's neighbor kills his mother's budgie and sets the Devil of Hermannplatz on him to sabotage his plans. Pretty bad timing considering that he also has to rescue his stubborn mother from a shady retirement home. Torn between Cowboy's budding crush on Fey of Sweden, his hot neighbor Angel and his innate drive towards chaos, the rally soon turns into a race against time. Soon his mother will be taken away from him and the rally racers are doing anything other than what they should: cycling.

After the death of his mother, shy Werner Schmidt finally starts looking for a partner. But on his dates, the electronics-enthusiastic, organized single man unfortunately only comes across as a bore - and consequently has no luck when it comes to love. The quiet man therefore relieves his stress at night by setting things on fire. He prefers to blow up luxury cars using his bomb-making skills and a remote-controlled car.

Victorija comes to Hamburg from the Ukraine to carry out a triple murder. But the "killer cat" learns from a 75-year-old anarchist and a charming "illegal" Kurd that there are other values in life than being a professional killer.

Aspiring angel Addi is annoyed. She is sent to Earth to accompany the serious Marie-Louise on her train journey to her grandmother's house shortly before Christmas. Marie-Louise, however, wants nothing to do with her companion...

Snow White’s stepmother is jealous of her beauty. So great was her vanity that she kept asking her magic mirror: "Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who in this land is fairest of all?". And he replied that Snow White was a thousand times more beautiful than she was. The vain queen refuses to accept this and decides that Snow White must die.

In a kingdom where plants are banned, the king's short son befriends Laurin, ruler of the dwarves, who is a great plant lover. But things spiral out of control when he steals his magical power belt to win a jousting tournament.

A poor peasant woman lives in a cabin in the woods. She grows two rose-trees in front of her house, one with white roses and one with red. When the flowers bloomed she had two children, both girls. She named them both after the trees, Snow White and Rose Red respectively. They have an adventure involving a bad dwarf and a bewitched bear.

Lukas and Adam are best friends and roommates on the Hamburger Kiez. Lukas, single-minded, clever and creative, is well on the way to making a career in an advertising agency. Adam, a charming hothead, tries in vain to gain a foothold in the Hamburg film industry. He still holds on to their shared childhood dream, one day to found a film production with Lukas. Lukas, on the other hand, prefers to avoid professional collaboration with his chaotic friend.

In 1989, Jenny Ecker, an 18-year-old daughter of an entrepreneur, flees from Hildesheim to the east - out of love. The teenager has fallen hopelessly in love with an East Berliner. Jenny’s parents are foaming from wrath and offer a reward: One-hundred thousand, later even a million, deutschmarks for whoever brings them their daughter back. The prospect of so much money gets east and west into quite a disarray – and in the end, the Wall really falls.

Hage, the Holy Spirit, is writing a musical, when Jesus returns to earth at Christmas to prepare the apocalypse. To prevent this, Hage tries to convince him that mankind is worth saving with the help of a beautiful striptease dancer.

"Laughing with Hitler" is a journey into a supposedly humorless time. In the Third Reich, however, the Führer and his Nazi bigwigs were laughed at. The political jokes of the Hitler years were a barometer of true public opinion. But those who dared to make jokes critical of the regime lived dangerously. In the early Nazi era, Hitler jokes were punished as "insidious", during the war even as "undermining of military strength" and the penalty was the death penalty! The conflict with the Nazi authorities ended more mildly for other pranksters: the cheeky cabaret artist Werner Finck was deported to a concentration camp, but was released again.