Without Borders festival: Films about 'longing'

Bad Saarow's Without Borders film festival, held from September 2-5, focuses this year on the topic of "longing." Chloe Zhao's "Nomadland" stars Frances McDormand in the role of a woman who travels across the USA after she loses her home in the 2008 economic crisis. The Oscar-winning film depicts the American longing for a nomadic lifestyle, but also the country's social precarity.

Erich Kästner's 1931 novel "Fabian – Going to the Dogs" portrays a copywriter's lust for life in Berlin's underworld, all while depicting the growing Nazi and Communist movements of the time. Director Dominik Graf has now adapted the classic book into a film starring Tom Schilling (picture) and Saskia Rosendahl.

Longing for a normal life: Andres Veiel's legal drama, "Ecocide," is set in the year 2034. Drought and floods are destroying the livelihoods of millions of people. Two lawyers fight on behalf of 31 countries in the global south, accusing Germany of having failed to prevent the catastrophe. The film takes a critical look at the current European climate protection policy.

"Tove" is a biopic on the creator of the Moomins, Finnish-Swedish artist Tove Janssons. The little troll creatures were actually a creative side project, but they brought her international success. Beyond her art, the film portrays her difficult relation with her father, as well as her bisexual love relationships.

Nico, a German-Persian woman, survives a racially motivated attack that changes the course of her life. She decides to learn self-defense with a karate world champion, all while trying to deal with the anger and hopelessness triggered by the attack. The film's lead actress, Sara Fazilat, was already honored for her performance at the Max Ophüls Festival.

"Je suis Karl" follows Maxi, a young girl whose family is killed by a bomb attack in Berlin. She starts getting involved in a far-right European group. At some point she realizes that its leader is the one who actually planted the bomb, but she cannot escape his charismatic influence. The film explores new types of right-wing extremism promoted by highly educated activists.

Tom (Dan Stevens) is an AI man specially programmed for Alma (Maren Eggert) for an experiment. Though she is initially irritated by his behavior, the process does lead her to reflect on the nature of love. The sci-fi romantic drama is by Maria Schrader, who also directed the Netflix series "Unorthodox."

The Bad Saarow film festival features numerous documentaries on current social issues. "Acasa, my home" tells the story of the Enache family — nine children living with their parents in a river delta near Bucharest. When they are forced to relocated to the city, they experience the consequences of gentrification and xenophobia.

When Viktor Orban's government seized control in 2020 of the University of Theatre and Motion Picture Arts (SZFE), students in Hungary, but also in Berlin and New York, took to the streets for freedom of education and expression. Among the panels at the Without Borders film festival is a discussion with theater makers and intellectuals on Hungary's #freeSZFE protests.