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.

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.

A nearly finished construction site. The wiring is completed, the walls are painted, the final inspections are being done. The construction manager Thomas Zetzsche is proud of his achievement. The prestigious building he created is a modern dream come true. But suddenly that dream begins to crumble as more and more defects appear. Cables run into dead ends, the fire protection malfunctions and entire rooms go missing. Desperately Thomas is trying to fix the building until he finally accepts that the opening date has to be postponed. Now he must confront his own responsibility in this faulty system and draw the necessary consequences

A young man’s obsession with the half-naked figure of Jesus Christ leads him down a dangerous path of self-harm and masochistic tendencies

True love never dies, the loving heart never stops beating ... for Kerstin’s ex Thomas, who she still hopes will come back some day. Instead of Thomas, her mother Charlotte shows up at her door, mid-50s and freshly single again, too. Charlotte moves in with Kerstin and her flatmates, one of who shows her how to use a modern dating app to meet new men. As mom starts dating again, her daughter refuses to let digital reality intrude on her romantic daydreams.

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.

Oliver has had an unsuccessful career in West Germany and returns to his East German home village. He now wants to sell the house where his mother died alone. His childhood friend Ronny helps him clean up the mess. But he can't admit his personal and professional failure to him either.

Marianne and Isabel are two sisters confronted with sibling jealousy and smouldering problems from the past, while their mother is hoping for a life-saving kidney donation. Both sisters are potential donors and are faced with the decision of which of them will donate an organ to keep their mother alive.

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.

Din lives with his family in a small village near Chittagong, the largest port city in Bangladesh. When he and his friend set off to find a job in the city, they embark on an odyssey that takes them further than they could ever have dreamed of.

This anti-coming-of-age film follows Generation Y characters as they chase the desire for radical self-realisation.

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 Dieter's wife Tamara, bored with her marriage, elopes, Dieter sets off for Mont Saint Michel with a chance acquaintance, Ronen.

Westfalia, 1873: Pillage and murder put the future existence of Hans' farm at stake. The farmer has to defend his remaining daughter and their goods against man and nature. A struggle of life and death begins.

For women who experience domestic violence, a women's shelter often is the only way out. This documentary short film is intended to give a small insight into this shelter and yet preserve its anonymity.

High school teacher Andreas Vossen (39) is an avid soccer fan who goes to his team's games every Saturday. At least that's what everyone thinks. In reality, however, he spends his weekends enjoying fights with hooligans. His double life is jeopardized by the appearance of a new pupil. Benny (18) is a hooligan by conviction. A confrontation begins that drives the teacher more and more into a corner.

Sometimes the decisions we are faced with take a completely unexpected turn. This is exactly what happens to Jürgen, a terminally ill man who is on his way to the last thrill of his life.

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.

Thursday morning, Jerusalem. Nira goes to work. Ahmad in London does the same, Ralf in Cologne and a priest in Prague too. Matija, Croat, goes to work as well. Ok, he doesn't, but he acts as if he does. Ahmad is taking his routine red bus journey. Out-of-breath young man comes in and interrupts it. Schoolteacher Nira is also interrupted - her pupil jumps out and performs a love rap song he wrote for her. The priest in Prague doesn't feel like singing today, he is in the mood for (over)sleeping instead. Someone falls asleep, someone else - Ralf - falls in love. All five mentioned above are listening to the top-news about the disappearance of bees. And trying their best, each one of them in his or her own 'hive': Zagreb, Jerusalem, London, Cologne, Prague...

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