The HSBC German Film Festival presented by Palace, in association with German Films, will return in 2025 to showcase the best contemporary German cinema direct from major festivals in Europe plus a selection from its German-speaking neighbours, Austria and Switzerland.

Pierre Niney leads a stellar cast in Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de La Patellière’s thrilling new adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ epic adventure THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO, the first French cinematic treatment of the iconic tale of romance and redemption in over fifty years. Marseille, 1815. The dreams of principled young sailor Edmond Dantès (Niney) are about to come true; promoted to ship’s captain, he can finally marry the love of his life, Mercédès (Anaïs Demoustier). But his success inspires jealousy… betrayed by his rivals, Dantès is denounced as a member of a pro-Napoleon conspiracy, and incarcerated without trial in an isolated prison. After years of solitude, Dantès befriends the inmate in the adjacent cell, Abbé Faria (Pierfrancesco Favino), who reveals the location of a hidden treasure on the island of Monte Cristo. An extraordinary plan is hatched to exact revenge on the three men who wronged him: assuming multiple identities – “the Count of Monte Cristo” among them - Dantès will first court his enemies, and then seek retribution…

In his first role since his Oscar-winning turn in ‘Oppenheimer’, Cillian Murphy returns to his roots in the intimate Irish historical drama SMALL THINGS LIKE THESE with a masterclass performance in subtlety and nuance. Based on the award-winning novel of the same name by Claire Keegan (who also wrote the novel that inspired the Palace favourite ‘The Quiet Girl’), the quietly affecting drama is a worthy adaptation and a searing exploration of morality. While working as a coal merchant to support his family in 1985, devoted father Bill Furlong (Murphy) discovers disturbing secrets kept by the local convent — and uncovers truths of his own — forcing him to confront his past and the complicit silence of a small Irish town controlled by the Catholic Church. Sensitively adapted by playwright Enda Walsh (reuniting with Murphy following their 2001 film ‘Disco Pigs’) and astutely directed by Tim Mielants, the sombre small-town story is an absorbing slow burn that reveals uncomfortable horrors lurking just below the surface.

From Warner Bros. Pictures and starring Jason Momoa and Jack Black, “A Minecraft Movie”, directed by Jared Hess, is the first-ever big screen, live-action adaptation of Minecraft, the best-selling video game of all time. Welcome to the world of Minecraft, where creativity doesn’t just help you craft, it’s essential to one’s survival! Four misfits—Garrett “The Garbage Man” Garrison (Momoa), Henry (Hansen), Natalie (Myers) and Dawn (Brooks)—find themselves struggling with ordinary problems when they are suddenly pulled through a mysterious portal into the Overworld: a bizarre, cubic wonderland that thrives on imagination. To get back home, they’ll have to master this world (and protect it from evil things like Piglins and Zombies, too) while embarking on a magical quest with an unexpected, expert crafter, Steve (Black). Together, their adventure will challenge all five to be bold and to reconnect with the qualities that make each of them uniquely creative…the very skills they need to thrive back in the real world. The film also stars Emma Myers (“Wednesday”), Oscar nominee Danielle Brooks (“The Color Purple”), Sebastian Eugene Hansen (“Just Mercy”, “Lisey’s Story”), with Jennifer Coolidge.

It takes a spy to hunt a spy… From Academy Award winning director Steven Soderbergh and acclaimed screenwriter David Koepp (Mission: Impossible, Jurassic Park) comes the highly anticipated spy thriller, BLACK BAG, starring two-time Oscar winner Cate Blanchett and two-time Oscar nominee Michael Fassbender. Promising a cocktail of intrigue, betrayal, and powerhouse performances, the high-stakes drama follows legendary intelligence agents George Woodhouse (Fassbender) and his beloved wife Kathryn (Blanchett). When she is suspected of betraying the nation, George faces the ultimate test – loyalty to his marriage or his country. Soderbergh’s heart-pounding world of secrets, lies and treacherous espionage features an all-star supporting cast including Regé-Jean Page (Bridgerton), Marisa Abela (HBO’s Industry), Naomie Harris (Moonlight, Skyfall), Tom Burke (Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga) and Pierce Brosnan (The James Bond franchise).

Payback is a beast... From indie powerhouse A24 and featuring a gore-geous all-star cast led by Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega, get your horns up for DEATH OF A UNICORN. Written and directed by Alex Scharfman, the filmmaker's audacious debut feature is an absurdist horror-comedy that delivers wickedly dark humour, and over-the-top gory spectacles with an unexpected punch of understated sweetness. The film follows Elliot Kintner (Rudd) and his teenage daughter Ridley (Ortega) who accidentally hit a baby unicorn while en route to a crisis management summit with Elliot's boss, Odell Leopold (Richard E. Grant), and his family. The Leopolds seize the unicorn, and their scientists discover that the creature is endowed with supernaturally curative properties, which the Leopolds seek to exploit. However, as they delve deeper into their research, the unicorn's parents arrive and begin to slaughter one by one those involved in the exploitation of the dead creature. Boasting a majestic line-up of talent including Jenna Ortega, Paul Rudd, Will Poulter, Téa Leoni, Sunita Mani, Jessica Hynes and Richard E Grant, the biting satirical horror captures the rare magic of excelling in laughs, scares and warming hearts.

Charlie Heller (Academy Award® winner Rami Malek) is a brilliant, but deeply introverted decoder for the CIA working out of a basement office at headquarters in Langley whose life is turned upside down when his wife is killed in a London terrorist attack. When his supervisors refuse to take action, he takes matters into his own hands, embarking on a dangerous trek across the globe to track down those responsible, his intelligence serving as the ultimate weapon for eluding his pursuers and achieving his revenge.

Part dog, part man, all hero. From DreamWorks Animation—creators of the beloved blockbuster franchises Kung Fu Panda, How to Train Your Dragon and The Boss Baby—comes the canine-crime-fighting film adaptation of Dav Pilkey’s New York Times bestselling literary phenomenon: Dog Man. When a faithful police dog and his human police officer owner are injured together on the job, a harebrained but life-saving surgery fuses the two of them together and Dog Man is born. Dog Man is sworn to protect and serve—and fetch, sit and roll over. As Dog Man embraces his new identity and strives to impress his Chief (Lil Rel Howery, Get Out, Free Guy), he must stop the pretty evil plots of feline supervillain Petey the Cat (Pete Davidson; Saturday Night Live, The King of Staten Island). Petey’s latest plan is to clone himself, creating the kitten Lil Petey, to double his ability to do crime stuff. Things get complicated, though, when Lil Petey forges an unexpected bond with Dog Man. When Lil Petey falls into the clutches of a common enemy, Dog Man and Petey reluctantly join forces in an action-packed race against time to rescue the young kitten. In the process, they discover the power of family (and kittens!) to bring even the most hostile foes together. Dog Man also stars Isla Fisher (Wedding Crashers, Rango) as TV reporter Sarah Hatoff; Poppy Liu (Hacks, The Afterparty) as Petey’s assistant, Butler; Emmy nominee Stephen Root (Barry, King of the Hill) as Grampa; Billy Boyd (the Lord of the Rings franchise, Seed of Chucky) as Sarah’s cameraman, Seamus; and Emmy and Golden Globe winner Ricky Gervais (The Office, Extras) as Flippy the fish.

Bad Genius is a high-intensity thriller, starring Benedict Wong, Callina Liang, Jabari Banks. The film follows Lynn, who wins a full scholarship to a prestigious high school, as she joins her new friends in "helping" a few students with their exams. As their cheating ring grows, Lynn is presented with the opportunity of a lifetime: helping hundreds of kids cheat and giving the middle finger to the entire American education system. The film is an adaptation of the hit 2017 Thai movie Bad Genius (Chalard Games Goeng).

Winner of the Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature, FLOW is a wondrous journey, through realms natural and mystical. The world seems to be coming to an end, teeming with the vestiges of a human presence. Cat is a solitary animal, but as his home is devastated by a great flood, he finds refuge on a boat populated by various species, and will have to team up with them despite their differences. In the lonesome boat sailing through mystical overflowed landscapes, they navigate the challenges and dangers of adapting to this new world. From the boundless imagination of the award-winning Gints Zilbalodis (Away) comes a thrilling animated spectacle as well as a profound meditation on the fragility of the environment and the spirit of friendship and community. Steeped in the soaring possibilities of visual storytelling, Flow is a feast for the senses and a treasure for the heart.

Charles Dickens embarks on a heartfelt journey to mend his relationship with his son, Walter, by sharing the ultimate story of hope and redemption: the life of Jesus Christ. Through young Walter's vivid imagination, the story comes to life, from the nativity to the resurrection, weaving themes of sacrifice, love, and eternal triumph. The King of Kings is a visually stunning animated retelling that brings the timeless story of Jesus to a new generation, inspiring faith and wonder in all who watch.

He’s dying to save mankind… From the Academy Award-winning writer/director of ‘Parasite’, Bong Joon Ho, comes the groundbreaking satirical sci-fi comedy, MICKEY 17. Robert Pattinson (The Batman, Tenet) is a blast in the titular role of ‘Mickey’, reaching for the stars with an audacious and layered dual performance that showcases his exceptional range. The unlikely hero, Mickey Barnes (Pattinson) has found himself in the extraordinary dystopian circumstance of working for an employer who demands the ultimate commitment to the job… to die, for a living. Labelled an ‘expendable’, Mickey is a disposable clone worker tasked with the most dangerous missions on an intergalactic expedition – led by controversial politician turned maniacal space coloniser Kenneth Marshall (Mark Ruffalo) – that results in an unrelenting cycle of brutal deaths and regeneration. Bong’s brilliantly bonkers space caper also features out-of-this-world performances from a star-studded cast including Naomi Ackie (Blink Twice), Steven Yeun (Nope), Academy Award nominee Toni Collette (Hereditary), and Academy Award nominee Mark Ruffalo (Poor Things).

When the girl of his dreams (Amber Midthunder) is kidnapped, everyman Nate (Jack Quaid) turns his inability to feel pain into an unexpected strength in his fight to get her back.

In a Kaiju-filled Japan, Kafka Hibino works in monster disposal. After reuniting with his childhood friend Mina Ashiro, a rising star in the anti-Kaiju Defense Force, he decides to pursue his abandoned dream of joining the Force... when he suddenly transforms into the powerful "Kaiju No. 8." With help from his junior colleague Reno Ichikawa, Kafka hides his identity while striving towards his life-long dream of passing the Defense Force exam and standing at Mina's side. But when a mysterious intelligent Kaiju attacks a Defense Force base, Kafka faces a crucial decision in a desperate situation... The omnibus film Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon features an action-packed recap of season one and a new original episode, Hoshina’s Day Off. (Hoshina's Day Off) A day off... a rare day of peace for the Defense Force. After spending so long training, Reno has forgotten what he's supposed to do with free time. He sees that Hoshina is up to something with his own day off, and decides to go on a mission to tail him with Iharu! But then things go in an unexpected direction… Kaiju No. 8 is adapted from the original manga created by Naoya Matsumoto. It is animated by Production I.G (GHOST IN THE SHELL), with kaiju artwork and design supervision by Studio Khara (Evangelion: New Theatrical Edition, Shin Godzilla Pre Visualization Development).

Fiery but feeling his years and his illness, ailing filmmaker Leonard Fife (Richard Gere) wants to tell his life story, unfiltered, before it's too late. As the director of lauded documentary exposés, he has much to be proud of, but his avoidance of the Vietnam War draft and his past relationships harbor thorny truths. Finally choosing to reveal the truth and lies in his life and career, Leonard sits for an extended filmed interview with his former student Malcolm (Michael Imperioli), charging ahead with candid stories about his younger self (Jacob Elordi) in the fractious 1960s and beyond. At Leonard's insistence, his wife and indispensable partner, Emma (Uma Thurman), hears it all. Leonard's successes are held up against his failings--the fibs held up against the facts--and as the man in full is cleansed of the myth, Leonard must confront what is left.

Starring vocal powerhouse Rachel Zegler (West Side Story, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes) in the title role and Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman) as her Stepmother, the Evil Queen, Disney's live-action musical, SNOW WHITE, is an epic reimagining of the studio’s classic 1937 film. Directed by Marc Webb (The Amazing Spider-Man) and written by Erin Cressida Wilson, the magical musical adventure journeys back to the beloved enduring story with unforgettable characters including Bashful, Doc, Dopey, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, and Sneezy. Featuring all-new original songs and stunning production design, this modern adaptation of the timeless tale continues to remind us that kindness and inner beauty will always prevail over vanity and jealousy.

Two-time Academy Award® winner Renée Zellweger returns to the role that established a romantic-comedy heroine for the ages, a woman whose inimitable approach to life and love redefined an entire film genre. Bridget Jones first blasted onto bookshelves in Helen Fielding’s literary phenomenon Bridget Jones’s Diary, which became a global bestseller and a blockbuster film. As a single career woman living in London, Bridget Jones not only introduced the world to her romantic adventures, but added “Singletons”, “Smug-Marrieds” and “f---wittage” into the global lexicon. Bridget’s ability to triumph despite adversity led her to finally marry top lawyer Mark Darcy and to become the mother of their baby boy. Happiness at last. But in Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, Bridget is alone once again, widowed four years ago, when Mark was killed on a humanitarian mission in the Sudan. She’s now a single mother to nine-year-old Billy and four-year-old Mabel, and is stuck in a state of emotional limbo, raising her children with help from her loyal friends and even her former lover, Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant). Pressured by her Urban Family —Shazzer, Jude and Tom, her work colleague Miranda, her mother, and her gynecologist Dr. Rawlings (Oscar® winner Emma Thompson) — to forge a new path toward life and love, Bridget goes back to work and even tries out the dating apps, where she’s soon pursued by a dreamy and enthusiastic younger man (White Lotus’s Leo Woodall). Now juggling work, home and romance, Bridget grapples with the judgment of the perfect mums at school, worries about Billy as he struggles with the absence of his father, and engages in a series of awkward interactions with her son’s rational-to-a-fault science teacher (Oscar® nominee Chiwetel Ejiofor).

The Shinto shrine Gokogu in the Japanese coastal town of Ushimado is home to a colony of stray cats. This film calmly observes how the animals have made a life here, waiting to be thrown some fish, sheltering during a rain shower. The cats might be the main characters, but this is also a portrait of the people who come and go at the shrine. The volunteers who feed the cats, wipe dirt from their eyes and catch them to have them sterilized in an attempt to reduce the population. The woman who explains that she isn’t allowed to keep cats at home. The 80-year-old gardener, who isn’t too keen on the cats pooping in his flower beds. With understanding, Soda documents the differences of opinion, but ultimately The Cats of Gokogu Shrine shows how this place is a refuge for both humans and cats.

Human Traffickers Beware. Action heavyweight Jason Statham stars as Levon Cade who left behind a decorated military career in the black ops to live a simple life working construction. But when his boss's daughter, who is like family to him, is taken by human traffickers, his search to bring her home uncovers a world of corruption far greater than he ever could have imagined.

That's not all folks! Porky Pig and Daffy Duck, one of the greatest comedic duos in history, are making their hilarious return to the big screen in the sci-fi comedy adventure, THE DAY THE EARTH BLEW UP: A LOONEY TUNES MOVIE. This is the first-ever fully animated Looney Tunes feature-length movie created for a cinema audience. Porky and Daffy are our unlikely heroes and Earth's only hope when facing the threat of alien invasion. In this buddy-comedy of epic proportions, they race to save the world, delivering all the laugh-out-loud gags and vibrant visuals that have made the Looney Tunes so iconic, but on a scope and scale yet to be experienced. It's going to be out of this world!

After 20 years away, Odysseus (Ralph Fiennes) washes up on the shores of Ithaca, haggard and unrecognizable. The King has returned from the Trojan War, but much has changed in his kingdom. His beloved wife Penelope (Juliette Binoche) is a prisoner in her own home, hounded by suitors vying to be king. Their son Telemachus faces death at the hands of these suitors, who see him as merely an obstacle to their pursuit of the kingdom. Odysseus has also changed--scarred by his experience of the Trojan war, he is no longer the mighty warrior from years past--but he must rediscover his strength in order to win back all that he has lost.

Oscar-winning filmmaker James Mangold (Ford v Ferrari, Walk the Line) brings to life the enigmatic story of Bob Dylan in A COMPLETE UNKNOWN, a star-studded biographical drama that explores the transformative early years of the legendary singer-songwriter. Anchored by a career defining performance from Timothée Chalamet as Dylan, the film captures the revolutionary spirit of the 1960s and the birth of one of music’s most iconic voices. Set against the backdrop of the American folk revival, A COMPLETE UNKNOWN follows Dylan’s meteoric rise from his humble beginnings in Minnesota to his pivotal arrival in New York City’s Greenwich Village. The film delves into Dylan’s artistic evolution, the relationships that shaped his identity, and the moments of creative brilliance that defined a generation. Featuring a stellar ensemble cast, including Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez, Edward Norton as Pete Seeger, Elle Fanning as Sylvie Russo, and Boyd Holbrook as Johnny Cash, the film is as much about the cultural revolution as it is about Dylan himself. Mangold’s meticulous direction and an electrifying soundtrack bring this pivotal era to vivid life, offering a rare glimpse into the complexities of fame, artistry, and reinvention. Both intimate and epic in scope, A COMPLETE UNKNOWN is an unmissable tribute to a musical icon and the extraordinary times that shaped him.

Winner of the Palme d'Or at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, acclaimed director Sean Baker’s new film follows Anora, a sex worker from Brooklyn, who gets her chance at a Cinderella story when she meets and marries the son of an oligarch. Once the news reaches Russia, her fairytale is threatened as the parents set out for New York to get the marriage annulled. ANORA is a dark comedy reminiscent of Baker’s previous, successful films that blend sharp social commentary with compelling character studies. The highly entertaining arthouse gem captures the audacious journey of a Brooklyn sex worker thrust into a whirlwind Cinderella story turned darkly comedic nightmare. With Baker's signature style, Anora is both a poignant and irreverent exploration of societal contrasts, cultural clashes, and personal resilience.

The pope is dead. The throne is vacant. From director Edward Berger, CONCLAVE follows one of the world’s most secretive and ancient events -- selecting the new Pope. Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) is tasked with running this covert process after the unexpected death of the beloved Pope. Once the Catholic Church’s most powerful leaders have gathered from around the world and are locked together in the Vatican halls, Lawrence uncovers a trail of deep secrets left in the dead Pope’s wake, secrets which could shake the foundations of the Church.

Oscar nominee Fernanda Montenegro and her daughter Fernanda Torres deliver powerhouse performances in Walter Salles’ (The Motorcycle Diaries, Central Station) long-awaited return to narrative filmmaking with I’M STILL HERE, a gripping historical drama set against the backdrop of Brazil’s oppressive military dictatorship in the 1970s. Brazil’s official selection for Best International Film at the 2025 Academy Awards, the film is based on Marcelo Rubens Paiva’s acclaimed memoir, bringing to life a powerful true story of unwavering courage, profound sacrifice, and enduring resilience in the face of systemic oppression. Set in 1971, the film follows Eunice Paiva (Torres), a mother of five whose life is shattered when her husband is forcibly taken from their home by the military police, disappearing into the brutal machinery of the dictatorship. Left with no answers and mounting danger, Eunice must navigate a society fraught with fear while transforming herself into a relentless activist, challenging the regime’s violence and secrecy to fight for her husband and her family’s survival. Montenegro’s role as Eunice’s mother-in-law brings added poignancy and gravitas to the multi-generational story. Through Salles’ masterful direction and a script by Murilo Hauser and Heitor Lorega, I’M STILL HERE captures the anguish of personal loss amidst national upheaval, creating a deeply human portrait of a woman’s fight for justice in the darkest of times. With stunning cinematography and a visceral score, the film is both an unflinching historical drama and a moving tribute to the women who defy oppression to seek truth, no matter the cost.

Selected as Sweden's entry for Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards, "The Last Journey" is the most-watched documentary in Swedish history. When Lars Hammar, after 40 years as a beloved French teacher in Köping, retires, he envisions a delightful "third age" with travel, wine, and experiences together with his wife Tiina. But it doesn't turn out as he had hoped. Instead of indulging in life's pleasures, Lars becomes increasingly passive and lacking in willpower at home in his leather armchair, to the great frustration and despair of both Tiina and their son Filip. That's when Filip gets an idea -- to take his frail old father to his beloved France and let him revisit the places he has loved most in life. By retracing the same road trip the family used to take when Filip was a child and secretly orchestrating some of life's most delightful moments, he hopes to reignite Lars' zest for life. With the help of his best friend Fredrik, some hefty doses of optimism and creativity, and an old orange Renault 4, the adventure can begin!

Widow Clicquot is based on the true story behind the Veuve Clicquot champagne family and business that began in the late 18th century. After her husband's untimely death, Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin Clicquot flouts convention by assuming the reins of the fledgling wine business they had nurtured together. Steering the company through dizzying political and financial reversals, she defies her critics and revolutionizes the champagne industry to become one of the world's first great entrepreneurs.

Oscar winner Nicole Kidman delivers a tour de force performance in Halina Reijn’s (Bodies Bodies Bodies) bold, provocative and sexually charged erotic thriller, BABYGIRL, a Venice Film Festival standout lauded for its audacious exploration of power and desire. Co-starring Harris Dickinson, best known for his work in Triangle of Sadness, this A24 film pairs two magnetic leads in a smouldering illicit affair that blurs professional and personal boundaries. Kidman stars as a high-powered CEO whose seemingly perfect family life begins to unravel when she embarks on a risky secret relationship with her charismatic younger intern (Dickinson). As passions ignite, the film delves into the nuances of sexual desire, modern power dynamics, and the consequences of blurred (but consensual) boundaries, delivering a visceral experience layered with emotional intensity and tension-filled drama. Sharply observed through a female lens and with a contemporary soundtrack, Babygirl flips traditional gender roles in Reijn’s edgy risqué feature. An ultimately hopeful – and, at times, darkly funny - investigation of raw female desire, the Dutch writer/director approaches this tale of seduction with empathy and candour, all while being genuinely erotic and unpredictable.

A new trip from Osgood Perkins. When twin brothers Bill and Hal find their father's old monkey toy in the attic, a series of gruesome deaths start. The siblings decide to throw the toy away and move on with their lives, growing apart over the years. Based on the short story by Stephen King and produced by James Wan.

Jake Blues, just out from prison, puts together his old band to save the Catholic home where he and brother Elwood were raised.

Adapted by Chris Columbus from a story by Steven Spielberg, the film follows a group of misfit kids (including such second-generation Hollywoodites as Josh Brolin and Sean Astin) as they search for buried treasure in a subterranean cavern. THE GOONIES has a rich and indomitable air of all-American 80s innocence, Spielbergian sentiment and energetic fun-house tricks.

Alfred Hitchcock's convention breaking masterpiece, PSYCHO was created with tact, grace and art. Hitchcock didn't just create modern horror, he validated it.

Teatro alla Scala presents a new production of Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece of unrequited love, drawn from Pushkin’s novel. Acclaimed soprano Aida Garifullina stars as Tatyana, the naïve young girl who grows into a sophisticated beauty. Baritone Alexey Markov sings the title role of the nobleman who lives to regret his blasé rejection of Tatyana’s love and his careless incitement of a fatal duel with his best friend Lensky (Dmitry Korchak). The tender music is entrusted to the exciting Timur Zangiev, and staging is in the hands of prolific stage and film director Mario Martone, now in his tenth La Scala production.