The Best Movies From Bavaria: 8 Successful Productions

“Oscars Kleid” (2022)

“Oskars Kleid” starring Florian David Fitz is a production by Pantaleon Films from Munich, in cooperation with Warner Bros. Film Productions GmbH and Erfttal Film. The film tells the story of a father who, after separating from his wife, tries to rebuild his relationship with his son Oskar. But Oskar no longer wants to be called Lili. Oskar identifies as a girl and not a boy. The film shows how the family approaches the topic of identity and learns to accept each other. It was  awarded the Bambi in the “Film National” category in 2023.

“Tausend Zeilen” (2022)

“Tausend Zeiten” by Michael Bully Herbig (UFA Fiction, Warner Bros., Feine Filme) tells the story of one of the biggest media scandals of recent years. Lars Bogenius (Jonas Nay), the celebrated star of a German news magazine, is hailed as a brilliant journalist and savior of the publishing house. But behind his glittering façade lies a fraud. Only the journalist Romero (Elyas M'Barek) recognizes the fraud and begins to investigate. He risks not only his career but also his family to bring the truth to light. The film shows in a satirical way how easily even big and well-known media can be deceived and how far some people will go to be successful. With humor and irony, this film takes us behind the scenes of the media world.

“Girl You Know It's True” (2023)

Milli Vanilli, the disco pop duo from the 80s. “Girl You Know It's True” by Wiedemann & Berg Film tells the story of the musician duo and takes us on a journey full of fame, lies and scandals. The two musicians Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan had one of the biggest music careers in Germany and fell very low when it emerged at a live concert that they were not actually singing their songs themselves. The film tells the story of how the scandal affected their careers. Above all, however, it presents great 80s music and plenty of retro vibes.  “Girl You Know It's True” won the Bavarian Film Award 2024 in the “Best Picture” category.

“Wann wird es endlich wieder so, wie es nie war” (2023)

Based on the autobiographical novel by the Hamburg writer  Joachim Meyerhoff “Wann wird es wieder so, wie es nie war”, this feature film, produced by the Munich production company Komplizen Film, tells the life story of Joachim Meyerhoff. The film tells of his childhood on the grounds of a psychiatric hospital where his father worked as director. Between his parents' strained marriage and the unstable residents of the institution, he finds unexpected friendships. The film was nominated for the 2023 German Film Award in the categories “Best Feature Film” and “Best Director” and inspires with its mixture of humor, tragedy and emotion.

“Die Mittagsfrau” (2023)

“Die Mittagsfrau”, produced by Lucky Bird based in Munich, is based on the successful novel by Julia Franck. It centers on Helene, a young woman who is not prepared to give up her dream of studying medicine despite all the adversity she faced during the First and Second World Wars. Instead, she has to assert herself in a male-dominated world and stick to her plans for the future. The story deals with war, loss and the difficult path of finding one's own place in a time full of upheaval. A moving film that gets under your skin and was nominated for “Best Film” at the Bavarian Film Awards in 2023.

“Rehragout-Rendezvous” (2023)

Almost everyone in Bavaria is familiar with the Eberhofer crime thrillers, with which author Rita Falk has enjoyed huge success in recent years. This film is already the ninth part of the crime series produced by Constantin and offers plenty of suspense, humor and Bavarian charm. With a pinch of irony, the film perfectly captures the idyllic but often peculiar world of country life. It is particularly worth mentioning that actress Lisa Maria Potthoff, who plays the role of Susi and thus the policeman's wife, won the Jupiter Award for Best Actress in a National Cinema in 2024.

“Chantal im Märchenwald” (2024)

No year 2024, no cell phones, no social media  -  instead princesses, princes and a bit of chaos. But Chantal, played by Jella Haase, known from the film series “Fack ju Göhte”, breaks every fairytale cliché. With her cheeky nature and quick-witted remarks, she brings a breath of fresh air to the fairytale world. The classic role distribution – prince rescues princess – does not exist with her. Instead, Chantal makes sure that she gets the chaos she has caused under control again in her very own way. The film perfectly combines classic fairytale motifs and modern humor. With 2.7 million moviegoers, the feature film is the most successful German film of the year.

“Sonnenplätze” (2024)

“Sonnenplätze”, a film by Maverick Film GmbH in co-production with Bayerischer Rundfunk, tells the story of author Samuela, who is stuck in a deep writer's block. Her debut novel is rejected - things could hardly be worse for her. When she is then forced to move back in with her mother, she flees to the old family holiday home. There she unexpectedly meets her father, a former bestselling author who has secretly taken up residence in the house. When Samuela learns that her mother wants to sell the house, this causes  plenty of potential for conflict in the already divided family. Director Aaron Arens was awarded the 2024 Starter Film Prize of the City of Munich for this film.