BEST DOKS on Sunday, 17 May 2026

You can see our most-viewed and award-winning documentary films from the 2026 festival edition once again on Sunday, 17 May 2026!

 

You can download the BEST DOKS programme here.

 

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Sonntag, 17.05.2026
Atelier 1

16.00 Uhr – BEST DOKS: A FOX UNDER A PINK MOON

A FOX UNDER A PINK MOON (Iran, Frankreich, UK, USA, Dänemark 2025, Mehrdad Oskouei, Soraya Akhalaghi, Beyond Borders). A clown, a fox, the moon: the cinematic diary of an Afghan woman on her journey to freedom. – Original version: Dari, Persian, Turkish – Subtitles: English

18.00 Uhr – BEST DOKS: INNERE EMIGRANTEN

INNERE EMIGRANTEN – INNER EMIGRANTS (Deutschland, Frankreich 2025, Lena Karbe, Politics. In times like these). Call for counsel: A hotline in Moscow provides psychological support during the war in Ukraine. – Original version: Russian – Subtitles: English

20.00 Uhr – BEST DOKS: MEANWHILE IN NAMIBIA

MEANWHILE IN NAMIBIA (Deutschland, Namibia 2026, Jonas Spriestersbach, Reframing History). The injustices of the German colonial era in German South West Africa continue to have an impact in Namibia to this day. – Original version: Afrikaans, English, German, Otjiherero – Subtitles: English
Atelier 2

16.00 Uhr – BEST DOKS: HOOD STORIES

HOOD STORIES (Deutschland 2026, Alexander Bruch, Young perspectives). From the ghetto to the stage – a song brings together four young rap talents. – followed by Q&A with Alexander Bruch (Director)

18.00 Uhr – BEST DOKS: HAUS 4

HAUS 4 – House 4 (Deutschland 2026, Philipp Schaeffer, Young perspectives). A close-up of the correctional system: a group portrait with individual counseling. – Original version: German – Subtitles: English

20.00 Uhr – BEST DOKS: HUNDERTZWÖLF

HUNDERTZWÖLF (Deutschland 2026, August Pflugfelder, Brave New Work?). 112: The Berlin Fire Department’s emergency dispatch center helps people in life-threatening situations. – followed by Q&A with August Pflugfelder (Director)
Filmmuseum

18.00 Uhr – BEST DOKS: MARIINKA

MARIINKA (Belgien, Niederlande, Deutschland, Schweden 2026, Pieter-Jan De Pue, Interdependence). Five young people, nine years of war in Ukraine, and the question: What does homeland mean? – Original version: English, Russian, Ukrainian – Subtitles: English

20.00 Uhr – BEST DOKS: TO HOLD A MOUNTAIN

TO HOLD A MOUNTAIN (Serbien, Frankreich, Montenegro, Slowenien 2026, Biljana Tutorov, Petar Glomazić, Interdependence). A fighter in her own right: Gara the shepherdess protects her mountain just as much as she protects young Nada. – Original version: Montenegrin – Subtitles: English
Gasteig HP8 Projektor

16.00 Uhr – BEST DOKS: STERBEN FÜR ANFÄNGER

STERBEN FÜR ANFÄNGER – Dying for Beginners (Österreich 2025, Kurt Langbein, LifeTogether). Faced with a cancer diagnosis, Kurt Langbein explores the existential questions of dying and death in a film that is both personal and thought-provoking. – Original version: English, German – Subtitles: English, German

18.00 Uhr – BEST DOKS: DAS GEWICHT DER WELT

DAS GEWICHT DER WELT – THE WEIGHT OF THE WORLD (Deutschland 2026, Florian Heinzen-Ziob, EcoCinema). Feelings or facts? In light of the climate crisis, three scientists are taking action. – Original version: English, German – Subtitles: English, German
HFF - Audimax

11.00 Uhr – BEST DOKS: BECOMING KIM

BECOMING KIM (Deutschland, Korea 2026, Susanne Kim, Interdependence). Kimchi & potatoes forever? When her marriage begins to falter, Susanne starts filming herself and her husband to figure out whether love is all it takes. – Original version: English, German, Korean – Subtitles: English

15.00 Uhr – BEST DOKS: IM UMKREIS DES PARADIESES

IM UMKREIS DES PARADIESES – Around Paradise (Deutschland 2026, Yulia Lokshina, LifeTogether). El Paraíso Verde: a European dropout community caught between myths and conspiracy theories. – Original version: English, German, Guarani, Spanish – Subtitles: English, German
HFF - Kino 1

18.00 Uhr – BEST DOKS: UNWELCOMED

UNWELCOMED – Si vas para Chile (Chile 2025, Sebastián González, Amílcar Infante, Beyond Borders). “We have no life there anymore”: Thousands of Venezuelans at Chile's inhospitable border. – Q&A mit Sebastián González Mendez & Amílcar Infante (Directors)

20.00 Uhr – BEST DOKS: THE NARRATIVE

THE NARRATIVE (Schweiz 2026, Bernard Weber, Martin Schilt, Politics. In times like these). A UBS trader has been found guilty of causing a $2.3 billion loss. But is he really at fault? – Original version: English – Subtitles: German
HFF - Kino 2

11.00 Uhr – BEST DOKS: PAIKAR

PAIKAR (Niederlande, Iran, Afghanistan 2025, Dawood Hilmandi, Beyond Borders). In all four corners of the world: An autobiographical attempt to get to know one’s own father. – Original version: Dari, Dutch, English – Subtitles: English

14.00 Uhr – BEST DOKS: LA PIETÀ

LA PIETÀ (Spanien, Island, Litauen 2025, Rafa Molés, Pepe Andreu, EcoCinema). Where the world is melting, the crackling ice sings its swan song. – Original version: English, Icelandic – Subtitles: English

16.00 Uhr – BEST DOKS: DOK.shorts

ICH ATME DIE GANZE ZEIT (DOK.shorts) – I'M BREATHING ALL THE TIME (Deutschland 2025, Rosa Gocht, Interdependence). Overwhelming and intangible: an autobiographical search for the root of one's own anxiety. – Original version: German – Subtitles: English
AND THEY LIVE IN ROW HOUSES (DOK.shorts) (Österreich 2025, Matteo Sanders, Julia Haugeneder, LifeTogether). Dad, Mom, child. And they need a house. Neatly lined in a row. A "dys-topology". – Original version: German – Subtitles: English
MEMENTO MURI (DOK.shorts) (Italien 2025, Jonathan Bugiel, Reframing History). “Fortress Europe”: The Atlantic Wall as a monument to nationalistic hubris – an exploration. – Original version: English – Subtitles: English

18.00 Uhr – BEST DOKS: FINDING CONNECTION

FINDING CONNECTION (Deutschland 2026, Florian Karner, Visions of the Future). Genuine connection to AI? Four people in search of what real relationships no longer provide. – Original version: English, German – Subtitles: English, German

20.00 Uhr – BEST DOKS: VAPEUR

VAPEUR – Vapour (Frankreich 2025, Anush Hamzehian, Vittorio Mortarotti, LifeTogether). A detective is searching for a Jōhatsu on a mysterious volcanic island in Japan. – Original version: Japanese – Subtitles: English
Neues Maxim

16.00 Uhr – BEST DOKS: WAS AN EMPFINDSAMKEIT BLEIBT

WAS AN EMPFINDSAMKEIT BLEIBT – Sometimes, I imagine them all at a party (Deutschland 2026, Daniela Magnani Hüller, HerStory). What remains? A question that echoes with the trauma of a survived femicide attempt. – Original version: German, Portuguese – Subtitles: English, German

18.00 Uhr – BEST DOKS: MATERIA PRIMA

MATERIA PRIMA (Deutschland 2026, Jens Schanze, Reframing History). A new natural resource, old structures: Bolivia between colonial history and the lithium boom. – Original version: English, Quechua, Spanish – Subtitles: English

20.00 Uhr – BEST DOKS: A SONG WITHOUT HOME

A SONG WITHOUT HOME (Georgien 2026, Rati Tsiteladze, Empowered). Neon lights, nicotine, hope—a documentary film noir about finding one's identity. – Original version: English, Georgian, German – Subtitles: English
Neues Rottmann

15.00 Uhr – BEST DOKS: POLITIK IST PERSÖNLICH

POLITIK IST PERSÖNLICH – Politics are Personal (Deutschland 2026, Indira Geisel, Interdependence). “Socialism is work”: A political change of allegiance splits a family. – followed by Q&A with Indira Geisel (Director) & Thomas Slatter (Producer)

17.30 Uhr – BEST DOKS: SYSTEMWANDELN – DIE WELT NEU ENTDECKEN

SYSTEMWANDELN – DIE WELT NEU ENTDECKEN (Deutschland 2026, Mickel Rentsch, EcoCinema). A bicycle road movie, lots of encounters, a panoramic view of our society, and a glimpse of what a truly sustainable world might look like. – followed by Q&A with Michel Rentsch (Director)

20.00 Uhr – BEST DOKS: DRIVING EUROPE

DRIVING EUROPE (Deutschland 2025, Felix Länge, Brave New Work?). Drudgery behind the wheel: the heroes of the supply chain go on a hunger strike. – followed by Q&A mit Felix Länge (Director) und Lennart Heidtmann (Producer)
Rio 1

20.00 Uhr – BEST DOKS: WATCHING PEOPLE WATCHING BIRDS

WATCHING PEOPLE WATCHING BIRDS (Deutschland 2026, Ulrike Franke, Michael Loeken, LifeTogether). Birdwatching—a passion, a life's work, and a wistful connection. – Original version: English, German – Subtitles: English
Rio 2

18.00 Uhr – BEST DOKS: OUT OF SCHOOL

OUT OF SCHOOL (Marokko, Dänemark 2026, Hind Bensari, Young perspectives). Too old for school and too young for a job – growing up in Morrocco’s Atlas Mountains. – Original version: Other, Arabic – Subtitles: English

20.00 Uhr – BEST DOKS: FIRST LAP CRASH

FIRST LAP CRASH (Schweiz 2026, Liam Erlach, Young perspectives). The sister suffers from ME/CFS, while the brother wanders from place to place collecting images—a cinematic poem. – Original version: Swiss German – Subtitles: English, German
Theatiner Kino

16.00 Uhr – BEST DOKS: HELENE WEIGEL – REVOLUTIONÄRIN IM RAMPENLICHT

HELENE WEIGEL – REVOLUTIONÄRIN IM RAMPENLICHT – HELENE WEIGEL – INSTRUCTIONS FOR A REVOLUTION (Deutschland, Österreich 2026, Maria Wischnewski, HerStory). A communist and an exceptional artist: finally, the woman “at Brecht's side" is stepping into the spotlight. – Original version: English, German – Subtitles: English, German