a different man

What if you would wake up one morning with the "perfect" face? For Edward, who suffers from a rare skin disease, this sounds like a blessing. But be careful what you wish for. Schimberg's captivating drama, which alternates between tragedy and humour, asks many of the right questions and inspires with cinematic details and a fantastic Sebastian Stan in the leading role.

director’s spotlight – europapremiere

párvulos

PÁRVULOS is a mix between a haunting, gory horror film and a gripping story about being a family. Mexican director Isaac Ezban (THE SIMILARS, EVIL EYE) takes a creative approach to the virus catastrophe theme: From the atmospheric colour palette to the stirring soundtrack and the particularly effective and disgusting make-up effects of the infected. Ezban breathes real life into them with humour and heart, without it seeming silly. What is for sure not easy to achieve.

german premiere

mermaid legend

Spectacular underwater scenery, radical fight scenes (even by today's standards!) and outstanding acting performances got this legendary mixture of Japanese softporn and revenge drama numerous awards in 1985. After that, the film disappeared and was never seen outside of Japan. The negatives were found again in 2021 and have now been restored. A unique work, now, on German screens for the first time!

fresh blood – deutschlandpremiere

else

In ELSE a mysterious virus provokes bodies and any other matter to merge. The young couple Cassie and Hans are right in the middle of it. Every rubbing, every chafing, every sliminess adds up to a dreamlike visual and acoustic spectacle. An apocalyptic body horror romance and a sensual event for the big screen. Thibault Emin's debut film made it directly into the Midnight Madness section of this year's Toronto Film Festival.

german premiere

breathing in

Director Jaco Bouwer comes back after GAIA with an intense thriller based on a historical background. Thanks to outstanding actors he creates a psychological horror movie with mystical connotations that gets deep under the skin. Cinematographer Jorrie van der Welt’s nightmarishly bizarre compositions are of such exquisite sublimity that you stagger out of the cinema drunk with excitement. An intense experience.

german premiere

steppenwolf

Chaos rules the country. Guerrillas fight the corrupt police, gangs terrorise the destitute population. Tamara’s son is missing. The only person who can help her find the child for a horrendous fee is torture expert Brajyuk. What an anti-hero! Where others have a beating heart, Brajyuk is all biting cynicism and stoic sadism. STEPPENWOLF is a merciless series of punches into the stomach.

fresh blood – deutschlandpremiere

sleep

When Soo-jin wakes up in the middle of the night, her husband stares into the darkness and says: "There's someone!" But it’s only the dog. The incidents at night pile up. SLEEP weaves complex themes into a gripping, modern horror film whose entertaining and enigmatic scenario keeps us in the dark for a long time. The lead role is played by PARASITE actor Lee Sun-kyun, who took his own life at the end of 2023.

centerpiece – fear good – deutschlandpremiere

maldoror

Fabrice du Welz is since CALVAIRE and VINYAN one of the most sophisticated European genre cinema auteurs. In his new film MALDOROR he tells the true story of the notorious Belgian serial killer Marc Dutroux. Supported by the outstanding acting performance of Anthony Bajon he stages a raw and epic true crime bastard with a menacingly pulsating soundtrack. An uncomfortable and disturbing masterpiece of genre cinema in a perfect 1990s look!

german premiere

dark match

After his two WOLFCOP hits, in which he plays crazy with the werewolf genre, Lowell Dean comes up with a new, unusual idea. In DARK MATCH he crosses creative wrestling stunts with crude occult splatter! A wrestling group takes part in a fight because of the good fee. But then they encounter Satanists who have a brutal plan. Buckets full of blood flow in all directions. Get ready to rumble!

closing night

twilight of the warriors: walled in

Big, loud and crazy: This is for sure what you will see already in the first few minutes of TWILIGHT OF THE WARRIORS: WALLED IN by Soi Cheang (LIMBO). Set in Hong Kong and based on the “Walled City” that was till its demolition in 1993 the most densely populated neighbourhood in the world, he presents a frenetic action film. This hommage to Hong Kong cinema is a fantastic spectacle, reuniting big names such as Louis Koo and Sammo Hung on the big screen.