Studio Babelsberg (Germany): 22

The American film, John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023), is a neo-noir action thriller directed and co-produced by Chad Stahelski. Shay Hatten and Michael Finch are credited as writers. In the movie, John Wick prepares for revenge against the High Table while hiding underground with the Bowery King in New York City. He later travels to Morocco where he takes down the Elder, known as ‘the one who sits above the Table’. Upon hearing of this, Marquis Vincent Bisset de Gramont, a member of the High Table, summons New York Continental Hotel manager Winston and his concierge Charon. The Marquis expresses disappointment in ...

The French Dispatch (2021) is an American comedy drama film. Written, directed, and produced by Wes Anderson from a story he co-created with Roman Coppola, Hugo Guinness, and Jason Schwartzman, it boasts a sprawling cast and tells three unique tales set within the fictional French foreign bureau of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun newspaper’s concluding edition. In the fictional French town of Ennui-sur-Blasé (translated as “boredom on jaded”), Arthur ...

A Hidden Life (2019) is an epic historical drama film written and directed by Terrence Malick. Born and raised in the small village of St. Radegund, Austrian peasant farmer Franz Jägerstätter is tending to his land when war breaks out. Alongside his wife Franziska, affectionately known as Fani, they are valued members of their close-knit rural community, living a humble life with their three daughters. However, Franz is called for basic training in the German army and must leave behind his beloved family for an extended period. When France surrenders and it appears that the war may soon end, he is sent home from ...

Isle of Dogs (2018) is a stop-motion animated comedy film written, produced, and directed by Wes Anderson, narrated by Courtney B. Vance. In the year 2038, a canine flu outbreak hits Japan, affecting the fictional city of Megasaki. The virus poses a threat to humans as well. In response, Mayor Kenji Kobayashi implements a decree banishing all dogs to Trash Island. This decision is made despite Professor Watanabe’s pleas for more time to find a cure. The first dog to be deported is Spots Kobayashi, a white and black-spotted canine who happens to be the bodyguard of ...

Captain America: Civil War (2016), a superhero film from Marvel Studios and Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, follows the events of the first two Captain America movies. As political leaders question the actions of heroes like Captain America and Iron Man, the two find themselves on opposite sides. Tony Stark believes in regulation, while Steve Rogers disagrees. This disagreement leads to a rift within their team, The Avengers. At a United Nations meeting to discuss regulation, an explosion kills several individuals, including T’Chaka, King of Wakanda. The investigation reveals that Bucky Barnes (aka the Winter Soldier), a friend of Captain America ...

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 (2015) is an American thriller directed by Francis Lawrence and written by Peter Craig and Danny Strong. It is adapted from Suzanne Collins’ novel Mockingjay (2010). After being assaulted by a brainwashed Peeta Mellark, Katniss Everdeen recuperates in District 13. President Alma Coin holds back Katniss from heading to the Capitol until they take control of the last district, District 2. To persuade District 2 to join ...

Point Break (2015) is an action-packed thriller helmed by director and cinematographer Ericson Core and penned by screenwriter Kurt Wimmer. The film follows the journey of Johnny Utah, a thrill-seeking athlete, who tragically loses his friend Jeff during a bike ride through treacherous terrain. Seven years later, Utah has joined the FBI as a trainee. During a briefing on a daring heist involving diamonds and parachutes in Mumbai, he realizes that a similar crime has taken place in Mexico’s Cave of Swallows, where millions of dollars were stolen before the ...

The film Bridge of Spies (2015) is an American historical drama directed and co-produced by Steven Spielberg. It was written by Matt Charman and the Coen brothers. Set in New York City in 1957, the story follows the arrest of Rudolf Abel on charges of spying for the Soviet Union. James B. Donovan, an insurance lawyer, is appointed as Abel’s legal counsel. Despite pressure from the CIA to violate client confidentiality, Donovan remains committed to providing a vigorous defense for Abel. Ultimately, Abel is convicted ...

Eddie the Eagle (2015), directed by Dexter Fletcher, is a biographical film that follows the story of young Michael Edwards. Despite facing difficulties with walking and undergoing medical treatment, ten-year-old Eddie sets his sights on Olympic glory. With the support of his mother, he tries different Olympic events but fails. However, his father does not share the same enthusiasm. As a teenager, Eddie remains determined to achieve his dream and first attempts to qualify for the Summer Games before turning to skiing in the Winter Games. Despite showing skill in the sport, British Olympic officials reject him for being ...

The war film, The Monuments Men (2014), was both directed and written by George Clooney with Grant Heslov as producer. As the Allies made progress pushing back the Axis powers in Italy in 1943, Frank Stokes convinced President Roosevelt that preserving the artistic treasures of Western civilization was crucial. In response, Stokes was tasked with assembling a specialized Army unit, known as the ‘Monuments Men’, consisting of museum directors, curators, art historians, and an architect. Their mission was two-fold: to advise Allied units and recover stolen art ...

The comedy-drama film, The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), is written and directed by Wes Anderson. A teenage girl pays a visit to the monument of the author who wrote ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ and finds inspiration in his story. This author was inspired to write the book during his stay at the once-luxurious hotel located in the European mountainous country formerly known as Zubrowka. Despite its current dilapidated state in 1968, the hotel holds a special place in the heart of its owner, Mr. Zero Moustafa. He shares with the author how he came to acquire it and why he continues to keep it open despite not ...

Hanna (2011), an action thriller directed by Joe Wright, follows the story of fifteen-year-old Hanna Heller and her ex-CIA operative father, Erik, who live in rural northern Finland. Raised and trained by her father since she was two, Hanna is a highly skilled assassin with expertise in hand-to-hand combat and target shooting. However, their peaceful life is disrupted when Marissa Wiegler, a senior CIA officer, seeks to eliminate Erik for knowing a dangerous secret. In response, Erik has taught Hanna everything she needs to know to kill Marissa. One night, after proving her readiness to face their enemies, Hanna ...

Anonymous (2011), a period drama directed by Roland Emmerich and written by John Orloff, tells a fictionalized tale of the life of Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford. The film suggests that de Vere was actually the true author of William Shakespeare’s plays. In modern-day New York, Derek Jacobi delivers a monologue at a theatre questioning the lack of written manuscripts from Shakespeare, despite his unparalleled success as a playwright. Meanwhile, Ben Jonson prepares to take the stage. The narrator offers to lead the audience on a journey through an alternative ...

Unknown (2011) is an action-thriller film directed by Jaume Collet-Serra. The story follows Martin Harris and his wife Liz as they arrive in Berlin for a biotechnology summit. Upon arriving at their hotel, Harris realizes he has left his briefcase at the airport and hastily takes a taxi to retrieve it. However, the taxi is involved in an accident and ends up in the Spree, knocking Harris unconscious. Thankfully, the driver rescues him but quickly disappears from the scene. After four days in a coma, Harris regains consciousness at a hospital and rushes back to his hotel, only to find Liz with another man claiming to be ...

The science fiction drama film, Mr. Nobody (2009), written and directed by Jaco Van Dormael, follows the life of Nemo Nobody. As the last mortal on Earth in a world where humans have achieved quasi-immortality, 118-year-old Nemo’s memories are fading. He shares his life story with a doctor and journalist, discussing his three main loves and the impact of his parents’ divorce on his journey. Throughout the film, the speculative narrative explores alternate life paths resulting from different decisions made by Nemo at ages nine, fifteen, and thirty-four. With a nonlinear structure incorporating the multiverse ...

Inglourious Basterds (2009) is an alternative history war film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. The plot centers around two intersecting plans to assassinate the leaders of Nazi Germany at a Paris cinema. One operation is carried out by a team of Jewish American soldiers under the command of First Lieutenant Aldo Raine, while the other is led by French Jewish cinema owner Shosanna Dreyfus, seeking revenge for her family’s murder. Both are up against SS colonel Hans Landa, infamous for his brutal persecution of Jews. The title was inspired by a 1978 Euro War film called The Inglorious Bastards, ...

Valkyrie (2008), a thriller directed by Bryan Singer and written by Christopher McQuarrie and Nathan Alexander, features Tom Cruise. Set during World War II, the film follows Wehrmacht Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg in Tunisia as he becomes increasingly disillusioned with Hitler’s regime. After his battalion is attacked by P-40 fighter-bombers, Stauffenberg is gravely injured and returned to Germany for treatment. However, he ultimately loses his left eye, right hand, ...

The action-thriller film, The Bourne Ultimatum (2007), directed by Paul Greengrass, has an entirely different plot than the 1990 novel of the same name by Robert Ludlum. After being pursued by Kirill, Jason Bourne must evade Moscow police while wounded and confront more memories of his time in Operation Treadstone. Six weeks later, CIA Deputy Director Pamela Landy reveals a taped confession from Ward Abbott, the former head of Treadstone, to Director Ezra Kramer. Meanwhile, journalist Simon Ross from The Guardian discovers information about Bourne and Operation Blackbriar ...

Mission: Impossible III (2006) is an American action spy film directed by J. J. Abrams, produced by and starring Tom Cruise, from a screenplay written by Abrams, Alex Kurtzman, and Roberto Orci. In the film, Hunt is restrained in a chair while a man holds a woman hostage across from him. The man demands the location of the ‘Rabbit’s Foot’. When it becomes clear that Hunt is not aware of its whereabouts, the ...

Casino Royale (2006) is the twenty-first film of the James Bond series produced by Eon Productions. It is based on Ian Fleming’s novel of the same title and directed by Martin Campbell, with a screenplay written by Neil Purvis, Robert Wade, and Paul Haggis. The movie features Daniel Craig as Bond in his debut performance. In an effort to shake off the ...