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Joya Thome

Director
Joya Thome (*1990, Berlin) is one of the most exciting voices in contemporary German coming-of-age cinema. Her acclaimed debut feature QUEEN OF NIENDORF earned numerous awards for its sensitive portrayal of friendship, self-discovery, and growing up. Alongside her work for film and television, she directed the documentary ONE IN A MILLION and the family feature LAURA'S STAR. Her films are distinguished by their empathetic and nuanced portrayal of young people and their worlds.

Films

One in a Million

One in a Million

By Joya Thome

2022 | 84 min | Documentary

Two girls, a fan and an idol, struggle to balance their vulnerability and strength, and their outer image with their inner truth

Queen of Niendorf

Queen of Niendorf

By Joya Thome

2017 | 67 min | Kids & Family

In this celebration of childhood, a 10-year-old girl struggles to find her place in a 'boys' world.

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MySELFie

MySELFie

2019 | 50 min | Documentary

At the age of 12 Maya starting losing her hair. Within a few weeks she was completely bald. The diagnosis: Alopecia areata. Maya's body repels her own hair as if it were a foreign body. Two years on, she has grown accustomed to her bald head. But summers for her are really tough. It's too hot for a wig or a hat, under which it's so easy to hide. How do others see me? Am I okay the way I am? Am I beautiful? Almost as if to answer these questions, Maya, like her friends, takes tons of selfies. Somewhere ...

Digital Life

Digital Life

2023 | 91 min | Independent

DIGITAL LIFE is an innovative tragicomedy that delves deep into the beating heart of contemporary Berlin. The film, which was shot entirely via the video platform Zoom, tells the story of a chaotic clique of young people who have to find their way in the digital world. The film is directed by Malte Wirtz, known for his experimental film projects and his commitment to redefining the boundaries of film language. In DIGITAL LIFE, the protagonists Gerrit, Julia, Alec, Judith and Mark navigate the complexity ...

Babyboy

Babyboy

2023 | 48 min | Drama

Vincent is 16 and wants to do everything a boy is supposed to do to become a man: move out of his mother's house, be accepted by the boys on his football team and sleep with his girlfriend. But between his first love and the separation of his parents lies Vincent's longing to arrive and feel at home again. In the oft-told maze of adolescence, there have always been questions about gender roles that need to be addressed or overturned. What is often neglected are equally relevant prerequisites for ...

Jan - Challenge at the Net

Jan - Challenge at the Net

2013 | 94 min | Documentary

Can Jan reconcile his family ambitions and tough training regimen with a “normal” adolescence? Huge fans of Roger Federer, the Guler family dreams of boosting their youngest son Jan on top of the world of tennis. As classmates start an apprenticeship or move on to high school, Jan starts professional tennis camp. Over a period of five years, we witness up close how the Guler family deals with the sport, family and social demands of a professional tennis career. We watch as teenager Jan develops ...

Anya and Seryozha

Anya and Seryozha

2018 | 30 min | Documentary

Anja and Serjoscha, young adults, live in Mariupol, a city in southeastern Ukraine, which was conquered by separatists in April 2014. Framed by thick reeds, Anja and Serjoscha sit on a jetty. In front of them, at the other end of the shore, chimneys of rusty brown factory buildings tower up. Anja's orange hair glows in the evening sun, she happily shows Serjoscha a few new sketches from her drawing book and then asks him if he would come along if she were to move away. "In unobtrusive closeness ...

It Works II

It Works II

2022 | 103 min | Documentary

More than two decades after his touching short film IT WORKS, director Fridolin Schönwiese picks up the threads of his story again, at a time when his once childlike protagonists have grown into self-confident adults. IT WORKS II opens a window into the worlds of Gerald, Valentin and Michael, three people with disabilities who, as young men, are now forging their own paths through life. Gerald, a lively and expressive artist and entertainer, has created a platform on YouTube where he regularly gives ...

Walking on a Thin Line

Walking on a Thin Line

2015 | 55 min | Documentary

When fighting, Ibo seems anything but unfocused. For half a year Vedran Kos accompanies his exhausting preparations for the first amateur boxing match and talks about the emotional but also pragmatic hurdles of the sport. Today the time has come, the day of the fight that will decide everything. It’s easy to say the most important match is always the next one – but for Ibo at this instant it is really true that nothing else counts. Depending on the outcome, he feels the threat of megalomania or ...

Lord of the Toys

Lord of the Toys

2018 | 96 min | Documentary

Max "Adlersson" Herzberg from Dresden, 20 years old, has decided not to spend his life working. On YouTube, he reviews knives and gangsta rap special editions. More than 300,000 active fans follow Adlersson and his "Pfandangels" posse, who excel at boozing, trash-talking, humiliating those weaker than themselves, and testing limits. Is Max a violence-glorifying influencer with right-wing tendencies or maybe just an ordinary adolescent in search of stability and identity in a time when the lines ...

tagged

tagged

2017 | 12 min | Shorts

Her phone turns from being her best friend to her worst enemy… In a unique concept, the viewer experiences 24 hours in the life of a young teenager from the perspective of her smartphone. Looking through her eyes, her surroundings can only be seen through her smartphone, and only when it is turned on. Even though the team prepared extensively, “as on every set, TAGGED had some unforeseen struggles, like bad smartphone reception and a sudden delay in push-notifications.” (Director’s Comment - Martijn ...

Motorcity

Motorcity

2021 | 87 min | Documentary

MOTORCITY focuses on the local amateur drag racing scene in Detroit, Michigan, but goes beyond just the sport. The film follows John Quick, Carter & Son Racing, and Karri Anne Beebe over two years as they strive to shave tenths of seconds off their race times. As the documentary progresses, the relationship between techno and car racing, and the self-perception of a European view of American life are discussed. The film delves into the fascination and the need for explanation surrounding the sport, ...