IFS Internationale Filmschule Köln GmbH

Sex is power, and Waseem, a Syrian gay-for-pay hustler seeking asylum in Cologne, wields it like a shield. Keeping his johns at an emotional arm’s length while satisfying their most carnal desires in order to eke out a living, he meets his match in Lars: a kind, affluent professional with a growing personal interest in Waseem. This gripping tale of transactional identity explores the tactical exchange of trust and intimacy in a partnership, and the divisions between immigrants and their host countries in contemporary Europe.

A short documentary about the estrangement between mother and son caused by a tragic loss 20 years ago.

Berlin, 1934. Many men are forced to live their hidden homosexuality. Erich, a photographer, has an appointment in his photo studio with Wolfgang, a Nazi soldier, with whom he shares a loving, tumultuous, and passionate relationship. For both of them, this should not be a problem, but appearances deceive.

When the grieving student Patricia finally wanted to contact her deceased grandmother via the Ouija board at the scene of the accident, an uninvited guest asked to enter.

At a Babelsberg studio, two German actors try to outdo each other with their Hollywood experiences. At a chic Düsseldorf café, two expatriate French women envy each other’s respective life. At a construction site somewhere in North Rhine-Westphalia, a foreman informs the supervising archaeologist that he as ordered the concrete without her approval. In a trendy Café in Ehrenfeld, Cologne, a recently departed meets a friend of his ex to obtain a box with things he’d left behind. A Dutch business consultant desperately tries to sell his inflated services to a Bulgarian arms contractor at Brussels Airport. On a rooftop in the Belgian Eifel, the owner and the future heir of a family workshop quietly discuss the recent passing of the family’s grandfather.

The animated documentary - a mix of live-action footage and animation - tells of the brutal everyday life in the orphanages of the 60s / 70s. Often led by Christian orders, more than one million children were physically and physically abused here. The anonymous protagonist tells of her childhood and her very personal struggle against the nuns' arbitrariness and their ruthless authority.

Germany, 1969: Retreating to his change room after a rather fabulous gig, British guitar- and song-writing-god Diesel Wilmington encounters Helmuth: Diesel-fan by trade. The unlikely pair - despite the barrier of language - engages in a rather odd conversation about the proper reading and origin of Diesel’s ingenious lines. It begins to dawn on Helmuth that his imaginations may have been somewhat highly-strung, as a stranger walks in; exposing the original mastermind as an overambitious double. What does this make of the autograph Helmuth was so eager to get?

Bruno's unreasonable-symbiotic relationship with his mother Ton is put to the test when her new partner Hannah moves into their shared bungalow in Spain. Until now Bruno alone has been the centre of his mother's attention, now he has to share it with Hannah by force.

A spider passionately practices classical music on her self-spun instrument. When a fly gets caught in it one day, the spider learns that making music is not about perfection but about improvisation and the fun of playing together.

During her internship in a remote clinic in the Allgäu region, the young psychology student Lea immerses herself in a mysterious world of unorthodox therapy methods and demonic traditions.

The overworked and exhausted architect Leon longs for a shoulder to lean on. His confident girlfriend Jenni, however, is angry he's always working and doesn't have time for their relationship. Unexpectedly, Leon's 3D-architecture program produces a digital copy of Jenni. And the digital Jenni helps him get better without asking for anything... Stuck between his strong girlfriend and her always-friendly copy, Leon is looking for a possible relationship.

Silvia (55) returns to her office job at a pharmaceutical company after a long illness. While she is happy to see her colleagues again, she discovers that her Login no longer works - Silvia is no longer in the system.

Rebecca has recently split up with Ben. She now lives in the shared flat of her best friend sleeping on the sofa in a walk-through room. Rebecca is restless, walking through the streets of the big city, drifting. Rebecca goes to see her father in a nursing home almost every day. She meets Philipp but she does not really know herself what is going on between the two of them.