Ralf Richter

When 22-year-old Rainer Werner Fassbinder storms the stage of a small, progressive theatre in Munich 1967, and seizes the production without further ado, nobody suspects this brazen young rebel to become one of the most important post-war German filmmakers. Despite early setbacks, many of his films breakout at the most renowned films festivals and polarise audience, critics and filmmakers alike. His radical views and self-exploitation, as well as his longing for love, have made him one of the most fascinating film directors of this time.

A team of Arctic geologists stumble across an abandoned laboratory in which the Nazis developed an incredible and brutal secret weapon during the final months of WW2. Deep in the ice, they accidentally awake a deadly army of flying zombie sharks ridden by genetically mutated, undead super-humans, who are unleashed into the skies, wreaking their bloodthirsty revenge on any aircraft that takes to the air. An elite task force is assembled to take on this deadly threat and stop the Sky Sharks from conquering the air, but as time runs out, the task force realises they will have to fight fire with fire, and the stage is set for the greatest flying super-mutant zombie shark air battle the world has ever seen....

The clock is ticking for Kai. His psychotic brother has just been granted an early release from prison and by this afternoon, he'll come around to collect the money Kai has been holding for him. The problem - all the money's been spent.

In 1981, a film about the misadventures of a German U-boat crew in 1941 becomes a worldwide hit almost four decades after the end of the World War II. Millions of viewers worldwide make Das Boot the most internationally successful German film of all time. But due to disputes over the script, accidents on the set, and voices accusing the makers of glorifying the war, the project was many times on the verge of being cancelled.

Director Gregor Samsa, washed-up and in his late fifties, is reviewing his life. Having wasted it as a cultural worker doesn't exactly add to his joy.

A blind girl and a woman struggle to surive on a rest stop.

Julian, Yasin and Addi learn from the executor of their deceased mother's will that the three men, who had previously been complete strangers, are brothers. The news hits like a bomb. A German family man with a penchant for tricks, a spoiled, ambitious Turk and a rapping African – the three siblings immediately hate each other and it would all be nice if their paths were to separate again soon.

When Banker Till (Axel Stein) is kidnapped during a bank robbery, he has the time of his life...

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When an outcast cop receives a lead to the location of a notorious assassin, he sets out to find him but walks directly into a trap. Beat up and knocked out, he wakes up in Breakdown Forest, the most dangerous place on earth; a large-scale battle arena in the wilderness. It’s a fight to the death and only the strongest will survive.

Small-time criminal Erhard is on his way to the middle of nowhere for a job when he suddenly finds himself with a dead body in the trunk of his car. Reason enough to hide the car and seek shelter in the nearest village. Of course, the unconventional city slicker rejects country life from the outset and, to make matters worse, is blackmailed by the teenage Emma, who witnessed him fleeing the scene of the accident.

The crunchy sisters Biene and Püppi decide that there must finally be an end to the emotional and financial disaster of their mother Hilde. Therefore, they successfully rely on the testosterone reflexes of those men who have dirt on them, but not every representative from the macho camp can be so easily degraded to a fool. When the rip-off blackmail victims Alfons and Latten-Harry start a counter-offensive and want to have the girls killed by the windy tattoo eagle, the following, unrestrained over-excited cat-and-mouse duel escalates into a chaos course across all allotments, ice cream parlors, law firms, nightclubs and sausage stalls of the backwater…

Four teenage friends - Frank, Spüli, Mücke, and Pommes - try to have their first contact with the opposite gender. Not so easy in the Ruhr region of the 80s. Attempts at dancing and being in a band go wrong, and their parents and teachers can't help with that, so the four teens need to get creative.

25 years of coma lie behind the hard-hitting policeman Mick Brisgau, as he awakens in a world unknown to him.

Bob is a stereotype of a construction worker. He's not particularly hard-working and his thoughts are only on food and women. His hard-working boss, the site manager, doesn't like that at all. While working with his excavator, Bob comes across an old bomb. When he tries to retrieve it, there is an explosion and Bob inexplicably gets into the hostile time of the Nazi regime, somehow just tries to get back to today and has to survive a lot...

It could be as simple as this: He is Death and a young woman is on his list. With polite words, he tries to convey the ominous message gently to Jela Becker. But the vivacious young lady never dreamed of surrendering to death without protest. how could she She's only 31! Her husband and nine-year-old daughter Lucy need her. Death hesitates for just a moment - enough time for Jela to flee...

Das fehlende Grau is the associative portrait of a young woman and the men who fall for her. Attracting attention comes naturally to her. Sometimes loud and shrill, other times childish and quiet, she bounces between extremes, shifting from attraction one moment to rejection the next.

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No synopsis available yet.

Five short movies in a german anthology.

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Ten-year-old Hannes, growing up with his young, poor and single mother wants to join the coolest gang in the area, the Vorstadtkrokodile. When the ‘entry test’ goes wrong, Hannes’s life is saved by Kai, who is desperate to join too but is wheelchair bound and unable to even run away when things get hot. Hannes would accept Kai but the other gang members don’t seem happy to accept a handicapped member...

There are incredible things on the South Sea island of Titiwu: Professor Habakuk Tibatong has taught some animals to speak. For example, the pig lady Wutz, the quirky shoebill Schusch, the lively penguin Ping and the monitor lizard Wawa. On the rocky reef, the sea fan is always singing his "traurägän Lädär", and then there is the orphan Tim Tintenklecks. Everyone lives in peace and tranquillity - until the Urmel appears ...

CHAOSTAGE is the first real german Punk movie. part fictional, part documentary it tells the story of some young punks...

Frustrated with their lazy new intern, a trio of offbeat builders decide to teach him a lesson with a series of escalating pranks.

Ingo organizes a charity event for the local golf club. Special guest will be the Hollywood star Douglas Burnett. But who remembers what the aging star looks like today?

She is the star of her TV show. Live and night after night. She embodies the feeling of being invincible. When Jennifer Stolz puts on her legendary smile, millions of TV viewers melt away and one in particular: Nikolaus Feldhaus. Nicki loves Jennifer. However, she is unattainable for him. When he gets out, he tries to kidnap Jennifer with the help of his best friend, Koko. The journey sets off in a converted circus van towards the Baltic Sea. On the way there, Nicki has to make it clear to the woman of his dreams that she should walk down the aisle with him. He has exactly 48 hours to do so.

Two young crooks steal fabric, which is of course sorely missed. In addition to the former owners, an investigative journalist and a bad cop who smells a windfall are also on their trail. Meanwhile, a newly released con is forced by his ex's pimp to go back to the deepest depths. There he meets a former doctor who smuggles drugs for the mafia in order to send money to his daughter, whom he thinks is at home in Grozny, but who is actually working for the mafia just a few houses away.

For Hans Pollack and his friends, soccer is the most wonderful hobby in the world. They all worship the world-class forward Pablo Dios. Their adoration goes so far that it makes them forget the birth of a daughter, gamble away a house, "accidentally" kidnap the rich and arrogant football star, and tear apart the family. However, Pablo and Hans gradually develop an unlikely friendship...

Story of the successful author Dr. Jekyll. One day, Hyde, one of his invented characters, detaches himself from the story and enters Jekyll's life. With the help of the fairy Jeanny, Hyde takes away Jekyll's penis, and later also his hair and teeth, and increasingly pushes him out of his successful life.

Dreamy Paula and her husband Edgar, an insurance salesman, lead a dull, middle-class life in Struvensiel, a fictitious suburb of Hamburg. Paula runs into her childhood sweetheart Max at their 10-year class reunion. In order to save him from Hamburg's underworld, she turns - to her own surprise - from a plain country bumpkin into a tough lady.

Based on the classic picture-book by Tomi Ungerer this award-winning live-action fairy-tale tells the story of the Man in the moon's voyage to earth.

Rio de Janeiro. Confronted with the violence that exists in the favela where he lives, Tiago sees the only way out to become a soccer player and, in this way, help his family to have a better life. Although he is the best player in his neighborhood and the chances of being discovered by a scout are good, he faces a number of problems. One of them is Tubarão, the leader of the most powerful gang in the favela, who wants Tiago to work for him as a drug dealer. To complicate matters even more, Tiago falls in love with Juliana, Tubarão's sister.

Sometimes he feels a tugging in his shoulder, sometimes he thinks his kidneys are failing. Two weeks before his marriage to the beautiful Anne, junior architect Stefan seems to have gathered all the diseases in the world. Drawn from the stress of the wedding preparations, the hypochondriac is in top form. When he overhears a phone call from the family doctor, he mistakenly thinks he is a dead man. Now a substitute husband is needed for Anne.

The two brothers Bobby-John-Joe and Billy-Bob-Earl St. John live with their alcoholic mother on a farm in the Wild West. Suddenly, their missing father Jerry-Lee-Larry reappears. He disappeared twenty years ago with his daughter Jill-Sarah-Mae-Jennifer. He claims that Jill was abducted. But as it turns out, Pa is a wanted crook. Ma St. John sends her sons to town to have him picked up by the sheriff.

Berlin Alexanderplatz; within 24 hours, various stories rotate between the heights and depths of the square, between the television tower and the subway shafts, between larger and smaller fates, that slowly but surely become entangled.

Pharmacy student Thomas has been in love with his fellow student Denise since the first day of their studies together. But the shy young man doesn't dare to speak to his chosen one. It's only when Denise asks Thomas to give her tutoring that the two come into contact. Shortly afterwards, Denise invites Thomas and his friend Sebastian to her birthday party. There Thomas gets a big opportunity - and takes advantage of it. But then a baseball messes everything up...

Bank robber Kalle Grabowski escapes from prison while his unemployed smalltime crook buddy is sitting around doing nothing after he just lost all their money. A fast paced comedy from German director Peter Thorwarth.

Four characters become involved in one dramatic story: Nico has a mission to drive a car containing a live bomb to a specified destination, park the car and escape as quickly as she can. Leo has become his client's target, having carried out a "contract" that unfortunately had already been cancelled. Fabian and Reza want to enjoy themselves without any money, bringing themselves into contact sooner or later with the police. Sooner or later all four will meet up in dramatic circumstances....

Life is tough on car fanatic Fred. As soon as he has convinced the beautiful hairdresser Tina, he wins an Opel Manta in a raffle and is rid of the lady immediately. From now on, Tina prefers to turn to the photographer Phil. He has what Fred always wanted: a Golf GTI. To make matters worse, he now has to listen to the mocking remarks of his fellow men at every traffic light. But Fred doesn't give up. He finally finds support in the Manta Club. In a big race he finally wants to put his rival GTI-Phil in his place.

A reporter becomes embroiled in a deadly game when researching a series of murders on a South American island.

After the fall of the Berlin Wall, Cosima Richter's East Berlin apartment building is to be renovated. Cosima is furious about the project and visits the landlord to dissuade him from his plans, but she is shocked when she comes face to face with a homeless alcoholic. Her plan is in danger of failing unless she can turn the bum into a decent person.

Building contractor Jochen Schuster takes out loans worth millions to finance a dubious building project and fulfill the extravagant wishes of his lover. When his mountain of debt is so high that no bank will grant him a loan, he comes up with an idea: he scrapes together the last of his funds and drives up to the banks in a borrowed limousine and wig and tries to borrow money under a false identity. The banks fall for the trick and grant him the loans to "protect German cultural assets". Schuster can hardly believe his luck and handles the unexpected windfall just as irresponsibly as before...

The young policeman Joachim Krippo likes to occasionally share his bed with a nice married couple. When he is supposed to be guarding the criminal Engel Potraske during a court appearance, the dangerous Engel manages a spectacular escape, but departs minus a toe! Krippo is subsequently suspended from his duties and put with other police officers under the care of an elderly police psychologist. Krippo's professional set-backs are followed by private ones: his grandad - who was actually being well looked-after in an old people's home - is dropped off at his place because the payments due have not been made. He tries to get his grandad out of the flat by pairing him off with the police psychologist. But, in the critical moment, Krippo lunges for the bait himself. At least, this means that he will be discharged from the psychograph tests as being fit for service again...

Every year, many Germans are preparing to spend their vacations in the sunny south. And they all have to use the same highways. And every year everything ends in a big traffic jam.

Seventeen-year-old Paulina, who lives with her beloved grandfather and sings in a hip-hop band, is fighting leukaemia in hospital. There she meets Pablo — alcoholic mother, absent father — a boy who has just attempted suicide. Against the odds, the two fall in love. A 1999 German television film directed by Frank Strecker, starring Marie Zielcke, Marek Harloff, Hannelore Elsner and Dietmar Schönherr; Paul Vincent and Sema Mutlu’s score won the 1999 German Television Award.

After a failed marriage, a professionally successful optician committed to non-binding affairs with married men. When her initially charming lovers turn out to be a flop one by one, she remembers her ex-husband.

After separating from her husband Werner, who now has a new wife, Paula lives alone with her young son Philipp. After the little boy runs away from home, the ex and his new wife try everything to take advantage of the situation. It doesn't all seem to be right either, because shortly afterwards there is a fire in Paula and Philipp's apartment - and it looks as if someone set the fire on purpose.

Whenever a criminal is killed in London, a black Jaguar is nearby, with a white cat always sitting in the passenger seat. Inspector Higgins and Inspector Lane find a joker card on all the victims. Their investigation leads them to a diamond smuggling ring.

Doctor Lydia shares a scalpel and a bed with the head of a clinic in Bochum. Until one night the brash steelworker and karate fighter Uwe turns up in the emergency room. She stitches up his wound without anesthetic. A real guy, Uwe, and not such an academic wimp like her fine surgeon. That makes an impression on Lydia, who otherwise only moves in better circles. So she falls in love with the daredevil against her parents' wishes and against the rest of the world.

No synopsis available yet.

An illegal Polish worker on a building site falls from the scaffolding in the Ruhr region. Everyone wants to hush up the accident except the well-educated trainee.

The passion of Christ, based on J. S. Bach's "Johannes-Passion". Its mix of music, speech, dancing and singing re-creates the style of antique Greek tragedies.

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A German submarine hunts allied ships during the Second World War, but it soon becomes the hunted. The crew tries to survive below the surface, while stretching both the boat and themselves to their limits.

It's Friday evening. The lift repairman leaves the building and wants to finish his work on Monday. But he doesn't know there are four men in the building. They use the lift but stay in it about 100 meters from the floor. They have little oxygen and must survive…

Two bank robbers hold the clerks hostage and demand 3 million German marks as ransom. What the police do not realize is that the true criminal mastermind watches them from outside the bank, anticipating every move.

A true story about Johann Georg Elser, a quiet carpenter who tried to assassinate Hitler with an explosive device in 1939.

F.M. discovers that different sonic frequencies induce different patterns of behaviour in listeners, first in his own studio but later in the local "H-Burger" restaurant where the passive muzak appears to be wiping people's emotions.

No synopsis available yet.