New Hope for German Cinema
“We wanted to be courageous. When we had to choose between two options, we tried to choose the more courageous one. We’ve just graduated from film school, so now we have the opportunity to be as radical as possible. And being bold is great fun!“ With this premise, German director Joscha Bongard approached his graduation film Babystar at the Film Academy Baden-Württemberg in Ludwigsburg. The film celebrated its world premiere in Toronto and will make its German-language premieres at festivals in Hamburg and Zurich.
Joscha Bongard belongs to a generation of young filmmakers who have been turning heads internationally in recent months. Their works give us hope that German cinema is finally emerging from the doldrums, where comedies dominated the domestic market and international renown was lukewarm. Leading the way is Mascha Schilinski’s Sound of Falling. The Berlin director’s second film captured the hearts of the film world in Cannes—the critics and, at least, the domestic audience. The visually stunning, metaphorical film will compete for the Academy Award on behalf of Germany.
This generation is receiving tailwind from a new way of thinking at public television stations, which traditionally promote all films by young filmmakers. Apparently, producers have realized that it is not enough to bring the hundred-thousandth coming-of-age story to the screen in the tried-and-true manner or to paint reality in dreary colors. Young producers are open to experimentation, innovative narrative forms, and all genres. And young filmmakers know how to take advantage of this, developing their own exciting styles, even if they have to make do with extremely small budgets.
Joscha Bongard takes us into the milieu of influencers and their dazzling world. He contrasts the loud, colorful marketplace of social media with the subtle colors and calm narrative style of the quiet, monotonous everyday life of the Sommer family. Daughter Luca grew up with cameras and became a star as a baby. When she sees the lens, she automatically smiles. She has no friends at school, but more than four million followers. The whole situation makes it difficult for the teenager to break away from and rebel against her parents. But she also feels that she is being sidelined when her mother becomes pregnant again and spreads the news on social media for nine months. Joscha Bongard explains the background of the story: “We didn’t have a specific role model for the story development, but I’m familiar with the phenomenon of ‘familyfluencing’ from a YouTube management network I worked for in 2016. It was an interesting time where I gained deep insights.
“It’s a mix of a classic marketing agency and talent management. They sometimes look for a new apartment for their clients or get involved when a man gets a fan pregnant. There were some really bad stories back then with the first German YouTube stars. Today, most influencers are backed by agencies that promote them and place them in specific positions. This huge industry now generates billions in revenue. The business shows that in our late capitalist world, everything can be capitalized on. I don’t want to criticize the parents or families, not the individual. I’m mainly concerned with the system.”
Bongard impressively highlights the psychological consequences of this phenomenon for young people, thanks in large part to the magnificent performance of his young leading actress, Maja Bons. And he dispels the dream of many of her peers to somehow be discovered on the internet and make millions.
Katharina Dockhorn
Edited by Robert Horton
© FIPRESCI 2025