There are almost always true experiences from real people behind the stories for the screen. The travelling drama "The Salt Trail", for example, tells of love and solidarity in a refreshingly unsentimental way. In "Memoirs of a Snail", animation artist Adam Elliot gives his clay figures the character of his family members. And the exciting and densely staged five-part film "The Narrow Road to the Deep North" is inspired by the events of the Second World War, which are little known in this country.
© DCM
Hape Kerkeling walked the Way of St James and then wrote "Ich bin dann mal weg". Reese Witherspoon hiked the Pacific Crest Trail in "Wild". And in "The Salt Trail", British author Raynor Winn recorded the 1014 kilometre walk with her terminally ill husband along the South West Coast Path in England. They all learnt an immense amount about nature, life and, not least, themselves while hiking. This is what makes the film adaptation of Winn's book so vivid that you forget the brilliant cast of Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs.
Gillian Anderson
© British Broadcasting Corporation and Number 9 Films Salt Path Limited 2024
The "X-Files" agent Dana Scully has long been associated with actress Gillian Anderson, who was born in Chicago in 1968. Not least because the cult series from 1993 entertained several generations of science fiction and crime thriller fans with a total of eleven seasons and two cinema films. However, she won the Golden Globes for her Maggie Thatcher in the series "The Crown" (2021). She caused a sensation in 1999 with the "Vagina Monologues" and in 2014 as Blanche DuBois in "Endstation Sehnsucht" on the stages of Los Angeles, New York and her main place of residence, London.
Film genre: Roadmovie
Length: 115 minutes
Director: Marianne Elliott
With: Gillian Anderson, Jason Isaacs, James Lance, Hermione Norris
Age rating: 6+
Distributed by: DCM Filmdistribution
Start: 17.7.2025
© Capelight Pictures
Grace's best friend is a snail called Sylvia, to whom she tells her entire life story one balmy evening: about her mother's early death and the fun life with her seriously ill father, about the dreariness of foster care and the fun with the colourful Pinky, and about Gilbert, her twin brother on the other side of Australia.
The tragicomedy "Memoirs of a Snail" is only released in cinemas from the age of 16, which is a good indication that the emotions in this hand-kneaded animated film are not over-sugared, but many life lessons are peppered throughout.
Adam Elliot
© Capelight Pictures
Writer, director and designer Adam Elliot spent eight years working on "Memoirs of a Snail". It is the second full-length feature film by the Australian, who was born in 1972, since the pen friendship between a shy girl and an old geezer in "Mary & Max" captured the hearts of animation fans in 2009. His five short films, including the 2006 Oscar-winning "Harvie Krumpet", are all inspired by family members. The snail memoirs, for which Elliot's mother modelled, were nominated for an Oscar this year.
Film genre: Animation
Length: 94 minutes
Director: Adam Elliot
With: -
Age rating: 16+
Distributed by: capelight pictures
Start: 24.7.2025
© Sky/Wow
With youthful naivety, Australian medical student Dorrigo sets off for the Second World War. But he soon ends up in a Japanese prisoner of war camp, which is known for its harshness. What helps him survive are the memories of his budding affair with his uncle's wife.
"The Narrow Road to the Deep North" celebrated its glamorous premiere at this year's Berlin Film Festival. In fact, it is only the length of 225 minutes that distinguishes this five-part film with its top-class cast, deep characters and opulent staging from a glossy war drama for the cinema.
Genre: War drama
Length: 225 min
Director: Justin Kurzel
With: Jacob Elordi, Ciaràn Hinds, Odessa Young, Olivia DeJonge, Simon Baker
Age rating: 16+
Distributed by: Capelight Pictures
From: 22.5.2025
panic
You can relive every European Championship and World Cup since the 1970s in a video game, but no one has ever digitally recreated how to become a passionate football fan. Until now, until "Despelote". The game, lovingly composed of colourised photographs, original sounds and cartoon characters, follows closely on the heels of the enthusiasm of eight-year-old street footballer Julián during Ecuador's exciting qualification for the 2002 World Cup. He kicks balls, bottles and cans at anything that looks remotely like a goal.
Type: Adventure
Developer/Sales department: Julián Cordero, Sebastián Valbuena/Panic
Available for: PS4, PS5, Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch
Address: despelote.game/