Special Presentations
Fatherland
Fatherland centers on the relationship between the Nobel Prize-winning writer Thomas Mann (Hanns Zischler) and his daughter Erika (Sandra Hüller), an actress, writer, and rally driver. In the summer of 1949, at the height of the Cold War, father and daughter embark on a challenging and emotional road trip in a black Buick taking them across a Germany in ruins — from U.S.-dominated Frankfurt to Soviet-controlled Weimar. Returning home after sixteen years of exile, Thomas Mann has to face not only a divided fatherland, but also a deep fracture within his own family. A Mubi release.
Official Academy Award Selection — Poland
Presented in German, English, French, and Russian with English subtitles.
DIRECTOR
Paweł Pawlikowski
PRODUCERS
Edward Berger
Lorenzo Gangarossa
Mario Gianani
Lorenzo Mieli
Ewa Puszczyńska
Dimitri Rassam
Jeanne Tremsal
WRITERS
Henk Handloegten
Paweł Pawlikowski
CAST
Sandra Hüller
Hanns Zischler
August Diehl
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Paweł Pawlikowski is a Polish filmmaker who began his career directing award-winning documentaries in Britain before moving into narrative features. His films Last Resort and My Summer of Love both won BAFTAs, while Ida won the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film, the first Polish film to do so. Pawlikowski’s film Cold War premiered in competition at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, where he was awarded Best Director; he added a second Best Director prize for Fatherland in 2026.