Hella von Sinnen

A satire of the cult of genius worship surrounding famous film directors. Bettina Flitner plays the young genius as she’s interviewed and at work. Hella von Sinnen is captivating in multiple roles, including mother, aunt, school principal, and actor.

In New York City, detective Luigi Mackeroni investigates a string of mysterious penile mutilations at the Hotel Quickie. After Mackeroni attempts to have a tryst with a gigolo he meets in the lobby, a carniverous condom bites off his right testicle and flees, which sets the detective off on a quest to stop the predatory prophylactic once and for all.

Frank Faust is a born loser. At some point it even becomes too much for his great love, Jennifer, who leaves him and flees to Munich. Frank's desperation is the best reason for Mephisto to show up and offer a suitable pact: reconciliation with Jennifer in exchange for Frank's soul. Shaken by his predicament, Frank finds it easy to agree to the hellish proposal. In order to win back his renegade lover, Mephisto transforms himself into a wide variety of prominent contemporaries who appear at Frank's side and publicly praise his qualities - especially for Jennifer to hear. The plan seems to be working perfectly, unless Mephisto suddenly reveals a completely new side to his personality...

An entire generation of Germans was raised on male comedians. But what about their female counterparts? Maren Kroymann, Hella von Sinnen, Bettina Böttinger, Esther Schweins, and Gaby Köster look back at the way women were portrayed on TV in the 1990s and early 2000s, when jokes at women’s expense were the order of the day.

Set in Hamburg's “Hell's Kitchen,” a waterfront milieu of gangsters, pimps, dealers and prostitutes, the story follows the attempts of an ex-seaman first to insinuate himself into the scene, and then to extricate himself from it. He becomes a small-time pimp, sending his naive girlfriend out onto the streets thinking she is financing their middle-class future. When he becomes involved with an old pal, Nil, he increases his criminal portfolio. But when he steals Nil's girlfriend and things heat up, he leaves for his sister's middle-class home in Berlin, where his attempts to fit in are doomed from the start. Returning to Hamburg, he starts a rapid decline that delivers him into the waiting arms of Nil, whose revenge is merciless.

You may not recognize the name Ralf König, but you probably recognize his art. One of the most commercially successful German comic book creators, he is best known for books like “SchwulComix (GayComix)” that offer a twisted take on queer culture. Equal parts Tom of Finland and R. Crumb, König’s comics are sexually charged and often politically incorrect, portraying daily routines of gay life alongside serious subjects like AIDS. King of Comics is a touching portrait of a cutting-edge artist with a wicked sense of humor. All hail the king! —Jimmy Radosta

At the height of her career, the well-known comedy and TV star Gaby Köster suffers a serious stroke. However, the multi-award winning artist does not give up, fighting back despite many ups and downs.

A road movie comedy about the longing for freedom and the realization of dreams: Hilde, Karl and Philip live in a Bremen residential home for people with disabilities. While the two boys work in a workshop where they make toy "waddling ducks", Hilde peels buckets of potatoes as a kitchen assistant. Bored with the daily routine, the trio decide one day to escape from the home and go on vacation to Cologne. After a few adventures, Philip loses his wheelchair and has to "hop" around Cologne from then on. Eventually, the friends miss their train back to Bremen - and head to Paris instead. Enno, their cynical caretaker, is tasked with bringing the runaways back. A wild chase begins.

Scotland Yard investigators have to prevent the murder of Victoria Dickman when her name is found on a death list.

Nurses on the night shift roll dice to see which AIDS patient will die next. The owner of a gay bathhouse gets Kaposi's Sarcoma but tries to keep his mind on profits. An epidemic victim is harassed by a reporter on his death bed - he sticks her with a contaminated syringe. The government opens a quarantine called Hell Gay Land. Gay terrorists kidnap the Minister of Health...