Stella would have the makings of a great jazz singer if she wasn't a German Jew living in 1940s Berlin. © Majestic Initially she only wants to save her dream, but soon her life and that of her parents are at stake. Jews who handed over hidden Jews to the Nazis, and thus to certain death, were known as "grippers". Co-writer and director Kilian Riedhof manages to place a highly ambivalent character like Stella at the centre of a film that does not condemn, but asks questions. Questions about resistance, fear and egoism that are becoming increasingly topical today.

Kilian Riedhof
Kilian Riedhof knows a thing or two about adapting true events for film and television. Born in Jungenheim, Hesse, in 1971, the author and director turned one of Germany's most mysterious political scandals into a film in 2016 with "The Barschel Case". His two-part abduction drama "Gladbeck" for ARD caused a sensation in 2018. In 2012, his bullying tragedy "Homevideo" was showered with awards - including the Grimme and 3Sat Audience Awards. However, he achieved fame in 2013 with his portrayal of Dieter Hallervorden in "Sein letztes Rennen".

A house, a garden, a swimming pool with a slide for the children. Hedwig is proud of what she calls her "little paradise". © Leonine Studios The chimneys, the wall and the millions of people suffering behind it are simply not there for the family of Rudolf Höss, commandant of the Auschwitz concentration camp. Hannah Arendt's thesis of the banality of evil has been congenially adapted in "Zone of Interest". British director Jonathan Glazer has succeeded in creating a cinematic synthesis of the arts from the contradiction of image, sound and historical knowledge.

Sandra Hüller
While Sandra Hüller has won German film awards and audience hearts with films such as "Requiem" (2006), "Toni Erdmann" (2016) and most recently "Sisi & Ich" (2023), the actress, who was born in 1978 in Suhl, Thuringia, is going international in 2024. Not only will the crime thriller "Anatomy of a Case", which won the Palme d'Or in Cannes in 2023, also celebrate success outside Europe with her in the central role, but "Zone of Interest" with Hüller as Hedwig Höss is the UK's candidate for the 2024 Foreign Oscar. Hüller is also a permanent member of the Schauspielhaus ensemble in Bochum.

When the action comedy "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" hit German cinemas in 2005, it had long been overshadowed by rumours about the affair between the two leading actors Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. prime Video As the rather obvious beginning of Brangelina, "Mr & Mrs Smith" is still making film history today. Donald Glover, better known in the music scene as Childish Gambino, thought this was unjustified and created and produced a new edition for the screen. The eight-part series features tough action, emancipated oneliners and a reluctantly bonded agent duo on an equal footing, with Donald Glover as Mr Smith and Maya Erskine as Mrs Smith.

The player of "Cocoon" has to race and, above all, puzzle. © Broken Rules A simple joystick and a single button are used to control a beetle-like creature that has wings not for flying but for carrying glowing spheres. These are magical mechanical pocket universes that are activated with brains and skill. What seems easy and logical at the beginning becomes more difficult with each level, but not more illogical. In addition to the detailed design of the universes, "Cocoon" impresses with countless aha moments.