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Jonas Rothlaender

Director
Jonas Rothlaender, born in Lübeck in 1982, is a German director and screenwriter who studied directing at the German Film and Television Academy Berlin (dffb). His feature film debut FADO (2016) premiered at the Max Ophüls Prize Film Festival, where it won the award for Best Director. The film also received the Silver George for Best Director at the Moscow International Film Festival. His subsequent work, the drama THE MOST BEAUTIFUL COUPLE (2018), celebrated its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. In his films, Rothlaender often intensively explores the complex dynamics of romantic relationships.

Films

Familiar Circles

Familiar Circles

By Jonas Rothlaender

2015 | 130 min | Documentary

A family secret, a broken grandfather, and a search for the truth: Can Rothlaender break the cycle of hurt?

Fado

Fado

By Jonas Rothlaender

2016 | 101 min | Drama

Fabian follows his ex to Lisbon. There they revive the intimate but painful time until mistrust and blame culminates in a psychotic nightmare.

Power of Love

Power of Love

By Jonas Rothlaender

2023 | 105 min | Thriller

What begins as a summer idyll turns into an ordeal: a couple confronts gender roles, power, and repressed feelings.

The Strong Sex

The Strong Sex

By Jonas Rothlaender

2022 | 102 min | Documentary

An eye-opening reflection on male sexuality, its power structures and stereotypes of masculinity in our present day.

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Ties That Bind

Ties That Bind

2017 | 102 min | Documentary

"Just when I thought I was finally at peace with my feelings for my parents and my origins, our father bequeaths his old farmhouse to me and my sister." "The inheritance of stone is meant to tie us back to that place in the Salzburg mountains where we grew up and where my parents still live. I suffer from shortness of breath. I realize: the conflict with my family has not stopped. With my return, a new look at my parents begins." (IVETTE LÖCKER) "A humorous and touching portrait of a Salzburg marriage ...

Thing I Don't Get

Thing I Don't Get

2018 | 71 min | Drama

When he falls in love with his best friend Marike, he no longer knows what he wants. At school, Johannes is the bumpkin. Neglected by his father and brother, he seeks the company of his best friend Marike. As their friendship gradually turns into love, Johannes no longer knows where he belongs. This intense coming of age story was Henning Beckhoff's Master's Degree film at the Film University Babelsberg Konrad Wolf. "At the center of this coming of age story is the contrast between modernity and ...

Coming and Going

Coming and Going

2015 | 89 min | Documentary

Tianlin Xu, Gold Remi winner at the WorldFest Houston, tells in her documentary film COMING AND GOING the story of four Chinese boys and their hopes, dreams and the challenges they face. The film tells the coming-of-age story of two siblings from two different families living as neighbors in the Chinese backcountry. Two orphaned teenage brothers, Long (18) and Cheng (16), leave their remote mountain village behind to seek their fortune in two separate major cities. Meanwhile, their young neighbors, ...

Talea

Talea

2013 | 75 min | Drama

It's summer holidays, and the planned Italian holiday with Jasmin's foster family is just around the corner. Everyone is looking forward to the trip - except Jasmin. She wants to be with Eva, her mother, who is available to Jasmin for the first time after a long prison term. For weeks Jasmin has been seeking Eva's closeness, she does not give up, even if she is rejected by her. After a fight with her foster family, Jasmin runs away and persuades Eva to spend a short holiday in the countryside with ...

For The Time Being

For The Time Being

2018 | 44 min | Drama

In Daniela Lucato's latest film, the protagonist Roman is plagued by addiction and money problems. An encounter, however, makes him question his the way he has lived his life. After a long and conflict-ridden marriage, Roman finds himself alone. To face his financial problems he decides to sublet one room in his house. Mel is the first person to answer Roman's ad. When Mel moves in, Roman is confronted with by Mel's challenging questions. Roman needs to understand what is happening inside himself, ...

Looteyo

Looteyo

2022 | 83 min | Drama

Mansour, an 11-year-old boy, witnesses the murder of his father by a stray bullet during a shootout between drug dealers and police. With his mother's dream of opening a café on their small island, Mansour takes on the responsibility of supporting her by becoming a tourist guide and getting involved in the dangerous drug trade. Mansour's naivety and his good intentions to save money for his mother's café are heart-wrenching. When he finally saves enough, his childhood impulses lead him to spend ...

Every Miracle

Every Miracle

2009 | 27 min | Documentary

A house of uninhabited rooms, somewhere in West Germany – filled with objects from decades past: family photographs on colorful wallpaper, dusty books, postcards, countless clocks. An older woman still lives there, but she does not see these rooms anymore. Her eyesight is fading, and she can no longer go upstairs unaided. But in her daily routines, everything focuses on the here and now: “Where are we gonna go for dinner?” “What’s the weather going to be like?” And, most important of all, “What time ...

Farewell

Farewell

2016 | 6 min | Shorts

Lovro is remembering the day he caught his first fish with his grandfather. Memory and reality merge into one. Lovro is tired and sad. He fills the bathtub with water, looking at droplets dripping from the tap. As one hits the water surface, Lovro is reminded of the day he first went fishing with his grandpa. His thoughts take him to the fish pond, and the bathroom sounds and objects bring back memories of that day.

Don't Forget to Remember

Don't Forget to Remember

2024 | 77 min | Documentary

Ein bewegender Film, der sich mit Erinnerung, Liebe und Widerstandskraft im Kampf gegen Alzheimer beschäftigt. Der bekannte Künstler Asbestos nimmt uns mit auf eine persönliche Reise durch die Alzheimer-Erkrankung seiner Mutter und zeigt dabei sowohl die Traurigkeit über die Vergänglichkeit der Erinnerung als auch die ewige Schönheit familiärer Bindungen. Mit atemberaubenden Bildern und einer kraftvollen Erzählweise feiert DON'T FORGET TO REMEMBER die Momente, die uns prägen, und erinnert uns daran, ...

Only One Day in Berlin

Only One Day in Berlin

2018 | 74 min | Independent

After many years of not seeing each other, Mia and Linda meet up in Berlin. Mia has debts and plans to blackmail the man she's been having an affair with. Linda is planning to marry Thomas, but her doubts are mounting... Film and theater director Malte Wirtz is back: in less than 24 hours he shot the entire film without the restrictions of fixed dialogue and without a budget. The hard work was rewarded with the Best Feature Award at the Boddinale in Berlin and a prominent spot at the Achtung Berlin ...