Twin Cities German Film Festival
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Join us for the 3rd Annual Twin Cities German Film Festival, a celebration of German cinema highlighting compelling true stories from the heart of Europe. This year’s festival presents a curated selection of films based on real-life events, offering unique insights into history, culture, and the human experience. From riveting dramas to inspiring tales of perseverance, these films bring extraordinary true stories to the screen.
The festival, produced by the Germanic-American Institute in collaboration with the Goethe-Institut, showcases the power of storytelling through the lens of contemporary German filmmakers. Whether you’re a cinema enthusiast or simply curious about Germany’s rich history and culture, this festival promises an unforgettable cinematic journey.
Discover how real lives and historical moments are transformed into art, and engage with thought-provoking narratives that resonate across time and borders.
All films are in German with English subtitles.
Sieger Sein (Winners) (2024)
Thursday, Nov. 7 at 10 AM (Field trip opportunity, open to the public)
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WINNERS tells the story of 11-year-old Mona (Dileyla Agirman). She has fled Syria with her family and starts a new life at a school in the rebellious Wedding district in Berlin, where anarchy reigns.
The beginning is tough, she can barely speak German and is bullied. But she can do one thing really well: play football! By joining the girls’ team, she develops courage, teamwork, and the will to win together with the team.
The Fox (2022)
Thursday, Nov 7 at 7:30 PM
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An introverted young farm laborer, indentured and seemingly abandoned by his poor family as a child, volunteers for Austria’s army but soon finds himself part of Nazi Germany’s vast military machine. When he discovers an orphaned fox cub he adopts it and clings to it as the last vestige of his humanity amidst the carnage of WW2. Based on the true story of Franz Streitberger, the director’s great-grandfather.
Rabiye Kurnaz vs. George W. Bush (2022)
Friday, Nov 8 at 7:30 PM
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The battle for the release of her son Murat from Guantanamo catapults Turkish housewife Rabiye Kurnaz from her terraced house in Bremen straight into world politics and all the way to the Supreme Court in Washington. At her side is human rights lawyer Bernhard Docke – the reserved, level-headed lawyer and the temperamental Turkish mother with a wicked sense of humour – now fighting side-by-side to get Murat out.
Sieger Sein (Winners) (2024)
Saturday, Nov 9 at 12 PM
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WINNERS tells the story of 11-year-old Mona (Dileyla Agirman). She has fled Syria with her family and starts a new life at a school in the rebellious Wedding district in Berlin, where anarchy reigns.
The beginning is tough, she can barely speak German and is bullied. But she can do one thing really well: play football! By joining the girls’ team, she develops courage, teamwork, and the will to win together with the team.
Balloon (2018)
Saturday, Nov 9 at 7:30 PM
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The gripping and inspiring true story of how two ordinary families tried the most daring escape ever made across the East German border during the cold war, fighting for freedom with their courage and ingenuity.
Gundermann (2018)
Sunday, Nov 10 at 4 PM
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He wants to be a good worker, a great husband, a caring father, an artist, a clown, a politician – he is everything at the same time. Gerhard Gundermann is hero and anti-hero, a constant contradiction, a glittering figure typical of the former East-Germany – and again not. People like him are everywhere. And they offend everywhere.
Das Wunder von Taipeh (2019)
Sunday, Nov 10 at 7:30 PM
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In 1981 Taiwan hosted the second Women’s World Invitation Tournament, the Chunghua Cup. At the time the German Football Association tolerated rather than promoted women’s soccer, which had been banned in the country until 1970. Eleven years later, establishing a women’s national team was still of little interest to the powerful men of German soccer. That’s how the invitation to Taipei ended up with the national champions of SSG 09 Bergisch Gladbach. This enthralling documentary talks to former players about the now absurd conditions under which they fought for their dream of playing soccer. Historical footage documents the match of their lives and the local soccer fields they started on as well as the cringeworthy men’s world they helped dismantle.
The Path (2022)
Monday, Nov 11 at 7:30 PM
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On the run from the Nazis, Rolf and his father find themselves stranded in southern France. The young shepherd girl Nuria has offered to guide them along a secret path through the Pyrenees, but Rolf’s father is then arrested halfway. Will the two children manage to escape on their own?
Presented as part of the 3rd annual Twin Cities German Film Festival, produced by the Germanic-American Institute in partnership with the Goethe-Institut.